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Bear with me... I am not picking on you or your company. I really would like
to understand this way of thinking.
Can you explain to me the absolute reasons for requiring relocation?
Is your equipment so unique that 40 hours hands-on is required?
Is it your culture?
Is it the fear that other employees will want to telecommute?
Or what is it?
If you take all of the tasks that a writer would have to do in a given week,
how many of the 40 hours entails physically being at your site?
After many years of hearing the same relocation required/no telecommuting
mantra by companies it is hilarious that they don't just come out and say
why it is required.
For years I have seen many companies nix telecommuting that would take
advantage of resources who are out of the immediate area, and then turn
around and outsource the work to another country. Go figure.
My problem with relocation (as I am sure for many) is the total uncertainty
of the during of the job.
Here's a typical example which actually happened in the early 90s. For many
years a chemical engineer with his Masters and loads of management
experience had been working for a well-known company in Lousiana close to
where he grew up. Management called him in with the other managers and
announced the company had been sold. Their choice was to relocate to another
division in Oklahoma because the present location would be closed.
Several managers decided to relocate. He was reluctant because he didn't
want to give up everything and everybody he knew in his home town. Plus, the
Gulf area had tons of petroleum jobs. With his experience, he'd land another
position in no time.
1 1/2 years after his company closed, he was still unemployed because many
of the oil and gas jobs had evaporated (remember the early 90s?) Actually
his story was picked up by the Wall St. Journal, and he was working some
menial tasks (dishwasher sounds familiar).
A year later he found a non-management position near his home town at half
of his original pay. And what had happened to his fellow managers who had
take the relocation package and pulled up roots (family and all)? Well,
about 2 years into the job the division was sold and closed. Everybody was
laid off.
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+jleer=leertech -dot- net -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+jleer=leertech -dot- net -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On Behalf Of
Ken Poshedly
Sent: Thursday, April 01, 2010 5:25 PM
To: Keith Hood; techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com; Dan Goldstein
Subject: Re: How do hiring companies view TW resumes?
FWIW, we've been looking to hire another tech writer here in metro Atlanta
(heavy equipment manufacturing) and have contacted nearly a dozen good
candidates, men and women, all from out of state because those are where the
resumes are from. We've talked with some and left repeated voicemails for
others to call back at their convenience. Only two that I know of have
returned calls. These are folks who know up front where my company is
located.
Two candidates were contacted by my supervisor after my initial phone
interview; I explain during my phone call that relocation is required and
tele-commuting is not acceptable. Both said relocation was not a concern;
some new-hires rent an apartment nearby before moving spouse and kids here
(if any).
But then both of those two candidates backed out after getting a solid offer
by telephone from my boss; both said their spouse was against it; one was a
woman and the other was a guy.
We finally have someone (from out of state) coming in on Friday a.m. to
interview (we're covering all expenses). With great experience in this field
of heavy equipment tech writing as a writer and later as a supervisor and
even manager, I really do believe he's overqualified to be just a _TECH
WRITER_, but my boss wants him because of that experience. Will he stay?
Will he look to climb into my or even my boss's job? Time will tell.
Otherwise, he's great.
-- Kenpo in Atlanta
________________________________
From: Keith Hood <klhra -at- yahoo -dot- com>
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com; Dan Goldstein
<DGoldstein -at- riverainmedical -dot- com>
Sent: Thu, April 1, 2010 4:27:59 PM
Subject: RE: How do hiring companies view TW resumes?
I think when someone tells a candidate he is "overqualified," that is also
something of an indication of how things go at that company. A hiring
decider often uses "overqualified" to mean "I'm afraid you'll find a better
job and leave too soon and we'll have to start the hiring process all over
again." But that can't be so much of a problem in a down market like this
where any job is damn difficult to find, much less a better job. And that
isn't so much of a problem at companies where employees like their work and
the environment. Even in a good market, leaving for a better job is less of
a consideration if you enjoy the current job and like the people. If the
hiring decider fears you won't stick around long enough to give him a return
on the time/money spent in the hiring process, it may be he realizes but
doesn't like thinking the company has a tendency to give people incentive to
look elsewhere.
"Overqualified" also sometimes translates as "we're afraid there would be
personnel management problems because you'd embarrass the 2nd-raters we
already have working here." If they start using "overqualified" *after* you
interview, you can be certain this is the correct translation.
--- On Thu, 4/1/10, Dan Goldstein <DGoldstein -at- riverainmedical -dot- com> wrote:
> From: Dan Goldstein <DGoldstein -at- riverainmedical -dot- com>
> Subject: RE: How do hiring companies view TW resumes?
> To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> Date: Thursday, April 1, 2010, 2:58 PM
> An update on this from the NYT:
>
>http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/29/us/29overqualified.html
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Dan Goldstein
> > Sent: Tuesday, March 16, 2010 2:31 PM
> > To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> > Subject: RE: How do hiring companies view TW resumes?
> >
> > AFAIK, "overqualified" rarely means, "Someone less
> qualified
> > than you would do a better job." It usually means, "We
> can't
> > afford to hire someone as qualified as you." At least
> they're
> > acknowledging how qualified you are.
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: Bill Swallow
> > > Sent: Tuesday, March 16, 2010 2:16 PM
> > > To:
> > > Cc: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> > > Subject: Re: How do hiring companies view TW
> resumes?
> > >
> > > ... I've never heard "overqualified" more than I
> have in the past
> > > 15 months.
> > >
> >
>
>
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