RE: The T-letter

Subject: RE: The T-letter
From: "Tariel, Lauren R" <lt34 -at- saclink -dot- csus -dot- edu>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Wed, 24 Jan 2007 14:53:00 -0800

Okay. Maybe it's the beer talking. But my mind is starting to drift into a proposal, resume, T-letter sort of thing that I can use to market myself. I like the requirements and qualifications breakdown. The T-letter is based on an employer's requirements. What if... Now what I am thinking reminds me of traditional marketing, but I really don't know much about marketing. What if the approach was directed to all potential employers? So a general approach, like a stock resume. And it was based on qualifications?

For example, the techwr-l.com T-Letter (shortened) shows Requirements are "experience in [...] Word" and Qualifications are "Familiarity with Microsoft Word." Would a good marketing approach be to say "You need someone that can use Word. I am an expert user of Word with over 15 years experience." (I know, that's going back to DOS.) Now can't we take this a step further and take the qualifications that are in a resume and assume that that is what the employer needs? It could turn into a good approach where an employee might not fit the requirements, but does have some qualifications that *inspire* the employer to take a second look.

Often, I am called into an interview because of a skill that is on my resume that the employer did not ask for. I interview badly and my jaded apathy tends to be met with rejection. However, my resumes are on the fairly good side. I scored my last interview (for a job I didn't want) because I stated that I had experience "developing documentation from the "ground" up [...] from very sketchy information." I wasn't prepared for the question that somewhat translates to "what was your methodology?" So my brain cells collided with one another when I tried to find a professional way to say "Well I flew by the seat of my pants, Hal."

I think that it is good to show that an applicant can meet requirements but I also think that very good and appropriate qualifications should assume that there is a requirement for the qualification. There are even unstated requirements that should probably be addressed in some fashion, like "works well with others" for team projects, "works well alone" for solitary projects, "desires a career" for semi-permanent jobs, "desires a contract" for contract jobs, and there are many others that we take for granted. Off into the segue that is my mind we have, "must smell nice," "not a whiner," "smiles once in awhile," "no felonies against previous co-workers," "not looking to sell drugs at work," well my list can get a little long, I'm thinkin'.

And on a final note, be prepared to answer questions about your "methodology" if you happen to highlight your unique way of tackling difficult projects.

Lauren



________________________________

From: techwr-l-bounces+lt34=csus -dot- edu -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com on behalf of Barry Campbell
Sent: Wed 1/24/2007 1:46 PM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: Re: The T-letter



I mostly write proposals and related documentation these days. When I
respond to a set of RFP requirements, right after the Executive
Summary, I insert a "compliance matrix" -- a table with the customer's
requirements on the left, how we claim to meet each one on the right,
including a document and/or page reference for more details.

In other words, a T-letter. :-)

Our potential customers love it because they can tell at a glance
whether we're claiming compliance with their requirements or not, and
where to go to check our story out.

The T-letter approach just makes good sense to me.

- bc

--
Barry Campbell -- <barry -dot- campbell -at- gmail -dot- com>
Blog: http://campbell-online.com
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

WebWorks ePublisher Pro for Word features support for every major Help
format plus PDF, HTML and more. Flexible, precise, and efficient content
delivery. Try it today! http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l

Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or
printed documentation. Features include single source authoring, team authoring,
Web-based technology, and PDF output. http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList

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References:
Re: The T-letter: From: Shira Abel
RE: The T-letter: From: James Barrow
RE: The T-letter: From: Evans, Diane L (Rosetta)
Re: The T-letter: From: Pro TechWriter
Re: The T-letter: From: Harry Bacheler
Re: The T-letter: From: Barry Campbell

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