Re: Back again.... looking...

[Gene Kim-Eng <techwr -at- genek -dot- com>]

You never want to go into that kind of detail, unless it works in your 
favor, for example the entire doc team was let go, or you were the only 
writer and you were let go along with half the engineering or other dept 
you reported to.

If you were laid off, then "business reasons" is sufficient.  If you 
quit, then say the scope of the work changed to something other than 
what you were hired for (which should ideally be the work you are 
interviewing for), or if the prospective employer is much closer to home 
than the old one, cite the killer commute (if your past employer has 
recently been featured in a 60 MInutes expose or has had to send its CEO 
before a Congressional inquiry, you can usually assume that everyone 
knows why you left).

Being fired for cause is a whole separate subject.  Fortunately, very 
few tech writers get fired under those circumstances.

And NEVER talk about a previous employer by name in an open forum like 
this one.  Every company I've ever mentioned working for in the past 
here has always been "some companies I've worked with." This is true for 
good things as well as bad.  Remember those NDAs you signed when you 
were hired, and don't be bashful about citing them if an interviewer 
wants potentially uncomfortable details about your generic answer.

Gene Kim-Eng


On 12/20/2012 6:51 AM, Anne Robotti wrote: