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> I would argue that your cover and resume are indeed writing tests,
> and possibly the toughest ones you're going to take for most jobs
> (certainly for any job with a manager like me who isn't going to
> make you sit down and take any canned writing or editing test).
Well, yes, it is a writing test, and I guess in the absense of
anything else, it could tell if the person knows how to construct a
sentence. However, I still maintain it is only a good writing test if
you are going for a job called "Resume Writer". It would be a stretch
to equate the ability to write a Resume and write a "Configuration
and Deployment Guide", especially when there are so many better ways
to determine that. You could do it...but I don't think the answer
would have any validity.
>
> First you have to define the document requirements based on the
> available input (job description, info from web research or any
> other source you can find).
>
> Than you have to produce a document for your targeted readers.
> The first of these - and possibly the only one who is going to
> make a decision about you based solely on your cover and resume -
> is a headhunter or HR recruiter/screener who is most likely not a
> specialist in either technical writing or the company's products
> and underlying tech, but is comparing a large number of incoming
> resumes to the job description. Your portfolio isn't going to help
>
> here, because if you don't grab this person's attention, it's
> unlikely
> that anyone else in the company is ever going to meet you or see
> your samples.
>
> > We're starting to fall back into the trap of determining if the
> > writer can use styles by seeing they used styles in the
> resume....a
> > bad approach in my opinion.
>
> I don't know about anyone else, but I use them in mine, even
> though I haven't sent one out in Word in years. Not taking
> any chances.
>
> Gene Kim-Eng
>
John Posada
Senior Technical Writer
"I think the problem, to be quite honest with you, is that you've never actually known what the question is."
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