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I can't speak for everyone who's ever hired a writer, but what I look for
is an established track record of successfully adapting to new and changing
technologies and environments. A late 50-something with a work history
that starts with FORTRAN or COBOL in a big mainframe company and continues
up through the evolutionary ladder to C++ or Java in a 20-person start-up
will be a more attractive SW writer than someone who only has C++, because
I know the candidate who has learned new tech and work situations before
can do it again while the one who has not has no track record
of adaptability.
If you're just moving into the field for the first time, then you may be on
the same level as the 20-something as track records go, and you're both at
a disadvantage compared to candidates of any age who can show me tech
experience and adaptability. You'd need to sell me on something in your
experience in whatever field you are coming from that makes you more
attractive than your competition.
The above is the result of my own personal experience (100,000+
multinational to 18-person companies, aerospace, semiconductor, biotech and
traffic systems products and systems); other hiring managers will no doubt
spin their preferences from what they feel has kept them relevant through
the years.
Gene Kim-Eng
On Fri, May 11, 2012 at 9:21 AM, John Allred <jack -at- allrednet -dot- com> wrote:
> However, I'm just curious whether you're suggesting that 40- or
> 50-something career-changers need not apply in today's market. If the
> "something that someone wants badly" is experience, confidence and
> problem-solving ability, that's one thing. If it's merely a tall stack of
> sample documents, that's another. I would think a 20-something would have
> neither. Maybe you could expand on your thought, so I could understand it
> better.
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