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Subject:Re: a different resume red flag From:bcliver -at- manu -dot- com To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Thu, 21 Oct 2004 17:11:21 -0400
>A different red flag: incorrect use of doc tools. If you are applying
>for a tech-writing position and send me a URL (resume or samples), I'm
>going to inspect your HTML. If you send me a Word document and we use
>Word (not currently the case so I don't care as much), I'm going to
>inspect your use of formatting elements. If I see that you hacked the
>formatting in some way, or claimed HTML proficiency but used Word to
>produce your web page, or supplied a web page that only works in one
>browser, I'm much more likely to send your resume to the bit bucket
>instead of the interview pile.
I think you're concentrating on the wrong areas for screening and hiring
candidates.
Why is that incorrect use of doc tools? The purpose of the Word doc was
probably to provide you with an example of the candidate's writing style,
unity, coherence, grammar, and so on. In most cases, templates and formats
are forced upon writers as corporate/contractual standards. You may not
like it during your "inspection", but the candidate probably does not have
a choice. Conveying complex material is the core of our profession, not
playing with formatting tools.
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