Re: Portfolio For a New Tech Writer?

Subject: Re: Portfolio For a New Tech Writer?
From: Glen Warner <gdwarner -at- ricochet -dot- net>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Mon, 2 Jul 2001 04:45:40 -0700

> Glen Warner wrote:
>
>> Interestingly, the last interview I was on, they
>> didn't ask to see my portfolio
>
> If they don't ask to see it, I always ask if they want to. For one
thing,
> if I have to lug it around, I want to make use of it. :-) More
importantly,
> going over the portfolio is an excuse to sell yourself by
demonstrating
> your experience and competence.

Good plan! I'll do that next time ... but then again, as I'd already
worked at this particular company before, they might already have some
idea of what my samples look like. In fact, the recruiter that got me
the job asked me to e-mail him my last (2MB) manual. Did so ... so
the interviewer had probably seen that, at least ....

>> The URL for the About.com forums I mentioned previously suggests
just
>> taking what's necessary to get the job ... that is, if the job calls
>> for manuals written in Word, bring samples of those. RoboHelp?
>> Bring screenshots.
>
> I have reservations about this advice. You don't always know what's
> relevant to a particular job. And, even if you have a few hints,
such as
> the fact that you'll be expected to work in FrameMaker, that doesn't
mean
> that other samples won't be useful. Many times, HR won't have told
you
> everything that's relevant. If you prepare for an interview with the
idea
> that you're going to show your Word samples, then three-quarters of
the
> time you'll find when you get there that RoboHelp and Visio sample
would
> have been useful tool.

True ... forgot that HR usually writes the ads. That explains some of
the ads I've seen ... with things like "Seeking Tech Writer familiar
with HTML, Help, Word..."

In case it's early (Chocolate Brownie Frappacino, anyone?), the error
is the comma between 'HTML' and 'Help.' I see that one a lot.

> In addition, tools don't seem to matter much; an interviewer ask if
you've
> used a tool, but rarely goes into more detail on the subject.

Sometimes I'll get "So you used Word on this project ...? What did you
do?" and I'll tell them what I did (set up Styles *not* based on
Normal, made the header and footer, inserted screenshots, researched
all the legal issues (proper use of trademarked symbols, etc.), added
in the fields for page numbers, TOC, built the index, etc.).

> Besides, unless the interviewers have actually used the tools, they
won't
> have much sense of how the tool might affect the documents anyway. I
> wouldn't suggest that you should ever lie (it's not only immoral,
but gets
> complicated),

Lying on an interview (or anywhere else, for that matter) is something
I avoid. Alas, this once bit me in the bunz when I was in the Navy,
and my boss asked me what I thought of his leadership methods.

I told him the truth. I'm a civilian now ...! :o)

(*snip*)

--gdw

> --
> Bruce Byfield bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com 604.421.7177

"'Vegetarian' is old Indian word for 'lousy shot.'"


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