RE: Opinion anyone?

Subject: RE: Opinion anyone?
From: "Pinkham, Jim" <Jim -dot- Pinkham -at- voith -dot- com>
To: "Alaina Stern" <alaina12 -at- gmail -dot- com>, <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Tue, 6 Mar 2007 08:30:49 -0600

Hi, Alaina --

One other suggestion: As you prepare for your next interview, find out
all you can about the prospective employer, the challenges they are
facing, the kind of work you'll be doing, the tools you'll be using.
This takes no small amount of homework, but it's a great investment in
credibility. Perhaps you can even ask the hiring manager about a
prospective task in advance of your meeting.

Portfolios, certifications, resumes, possibly even writing tests, and
the like all have their place. But what every employer really wants to
know is not just your history but whether you can do the job that they
have now. They way they want it done. The way that brings profitable
results to the enterprise.

At your meeting be prepared to show how you would solve a typical
on-the-job problem or handle a typical assignment. If ABC Company
produces widget manuals, bring in a sample chapter of an ABC Company
widget manual that you've drafted. It need not be dead on -- after all,
you don't work there yet -- but it should show how you approach the job.
If it's not feasible to do the sample project, go into the meeting ready
to make a brief presentation on how you would compile the widget manual
or whatever -- what tools would you use (FrameMaker, Illustrator, CAD,
etc.)? Where and to whom would you go for information? Have you mastered
the fine art of keeping your colleagues on task without being a pest --
if so, how do you go about that? How well do you multi-task? How do you
get information when deadline looms and that seemingly essential source
is unavailable? What do you do for quality control -- how do you prevent
mistakes? When you make them, how do you learn from them and avoid
repeating them? Where will your role fit into the great scheme of things
-- how will what you do help the company succeed? Give examples of how
resourceful you are when resources are limited -- few, if any of us,
have all the time or resources we might feel our projects really
deserve.

If your interview meetings are focused on these kinds of essentials,
it's only a matter of time before you and the job that's right for you
find each other. As you prepare for these kinds of interviews, you'll
quickly learn whether the opportunity is one worth pursuing or not. If
you're not having these kinds of discussions when you meet with
prospective employers, then, in all candor, you and that prospective
employer are probably wasting each other's time. Do your homework and
then, whether it's on your own initiative or that of an agency, focus on
developing the opportunities where you can have this kind of a dialogue.

-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+jim -dot- pinkham=voith -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+jim -dot- pinkham=voith -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On
Behalf Of Alaina Stern
Sent: Monday, March 05, 2007 12:15 PM
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: Opinion anyone?

Hi Everyone,

I need your advice to help me get out of the grueling situation that I'm
in.
I'm a Technical Writer with five years of documentation experience. I
moved to United States last year and worked on an online-help project
for a fortune hundred company.

I have genuine liking for my profession and I absolutely love
technology. I keep myself up-to-date with the latest in our field. I
have strong recommendations from colleagues and employers. But somehow,
all this is not helping me find a job. I get interview calls from
companies based on my resume but once they hear that I have just six
months of American experience they disappear. My non-U.S experience
isn't given any consideration. No one's even ready to take a writing
test or take a technical test and see if I can actually do my job.

Today a recruiter even suggested that I take up some QA engineering
training (I'm guessing because of my Electronics Engineering degree and
programming experience). She went on to tell me that Technical Writing
is not for a non-American and that without experience, I'll go nowhere.
My eternal optimism has evaporated. I'm fed up of people calling me and
saying I don't have adequate experience. Where do I fit in ten years of
experience in my twenty seven years on earth?

Documenting technology is what I like. If I have a career, this is what
I want to do. I'm ready to give certifications and whatever it takes to
give me an edge. What do you all suggest? I am not good at networking.
Should I start attending Technical Communication seminars? Get any
specific certification? Get a Master's degree?

Please help!

Thank you,
Alaina
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

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.
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Now shipping: Help &amp; Manual 4 with RoboHelp(r) import! New editor,
full Unicode support. Create help files, web-based help and PDF in up to
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

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

Now shipping: Help &amp; Manual 4 with RoboHelp(r) import! New editor,
full Unicode support. Create help files, web-based help and PDF in up
to 106 languages with Help &amp; Manual: http://www.helpandmanual.com

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References:
Opinion anyone?: From: Alaina Stern

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