TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
RE: Why they don't ask for candidates by technology skills.
Subject:RE: Why they don't ask for candidates by technology skills. From:"Gilger.John" <JGilger -at- acresgaming -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Fri, 14 Feb 2003 12:07:25 -0800
Alan Bucher opined:
This is related to a mistake I see managers make all the time (at
least, I think it's a mistake, but they may have their reasons). That
is to seek a writer with the same knowledge as the one they're
replacing (or the other writers in the group), rather than seeking
one with the knowledge and skills that the other writers had when
they first started.
If you have someone that's been in your group for two years and has
learned what they needed to be your key player, don't forget that you
didn't just pluck them off the tree ready-made two years ago. You
chose them for their foundation skills, attitude, and aptitude, and
they grew into the role. To list the end-result of the battle-worn
writer's development as the immediate requirements for their
replacement is short-sighted and likely to be met with failure.
Why should the manager be expected to drop back two years and re-invest the time, effort, and money it took to get the departed writer to the desired skill level?
It is reasonable to replace an asset with an equivilent asset, if one can be found at an acceptable price.
At least, that's my curmudgeonly two cents worth :)
John Gilger
Senior Technical Writer
Acres Gaming, Inc.
Las Vegas, NV
Buy or upgrade to RoboHelp X3 today and receive the WebHelp
Merge Module for FREE ($299 value). RoboHelp X3's all-new
features include conditional text, completely re-engineered
printed documentation output, Context-sensitive Help Toolkit,
single-source layouts, and more!
Order online today at http://www.ehelp.com/techwr-l
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as:
archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
