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.
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If I have to choose
between someone who has no experience in, say, telecommunications, but who
knows how to use the sw, and someone who has years of experience, but
creates docs with design errors, I will always choose the inexperienced
person. Problems in document design create enormous problems for those who
have to update and maintain your documents after you've moved on to other
projects.
-----Jason's Reply-----
Problems with content create enormous problems with customers and support.
Problems with design cause only internal headaches.
Fixing design errors is a fairly mundane, brainless task. I could get an
intern, teach them the DTP application and template, and let them loose.
Or, I can stay a couple of extra hours and do it myself.
However, fixing erroneous information because the writer did not understand
the material can be quite a headache. And if those types of errors get
out to the customer, you end up with credibility issues, additional support
costs, and possibly lost business. Even if there is a thorough review to
catch those errors in the beginning, rewriting takes longer than arrowing
through a document and applying styles. And, if you are in a rather
fast release cycle, having someone who can produce creditable documentation
without spending an enormous amount of time doing research is a bonus.
That said, there are plenty of people, many on this list, who bring both
types of knowledge to the profession. Those are the people I seek out
when looking.
However, I also realize that not every situation is the same, and that there
are times when tool knowledge may be more important than subject matter
knowledge.
Is that wishy-washy enough?
Jason
P.S. Here is the typical type of question to use to determine if the writer
being
interviewed has both types of experience: "What font would you use to
explain the
difference between AH and ESP tunnels?"
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