Re: Tech writer who can't write a resume

[TRACY BOYINGTON <trlyboyi -at- GENESIS -dot- ODVTE -dot- STATE -dot- OK -dot- US>]

> Sanford Carr wrote:
> I've commented on this thread before, but comments like these make me
> want to say a little more.

Ditto

> All writing is not the same!

Ditto

> Would you assume that tech writiers could produce outstanding
> advertising copy?  How about video scripts?  Fiction?  Poetry?

Of course not. I would rather get poked in the eye with a stick than try
to write poetry for a living.

However...as a technical writer, I need the ability to:
- write for a specific audience -- find out what they need and give it to them
- format information in a way that my reader can easily find what
  they want
- accurately describe what I'm writing about...whether it's software,
  hardware, or my work experience
- use correct spelling and grammar
- write clearly
- write consisely and winnow out anything that my audience does not need

All of the skills are also needed to produce a good resume. I wouldn't
refuse to hire someone who didn't do their own resume. When you've
seen a cover letter scribbled on the back of the big pink envelope
that a candidate's writing samples were stuffed into, a "farmed-out"
resume can be a welcome relief. But I still think it's something that
I, as a technical writer, should be able to do on my own.


==========================================================
Tracy Boyington
Technical Communication Specialist
Oklahoma Department of Vocational & Technical Education
Stillwater, Oklahoma

I never express opinions, but if one slips out, it belongs
to me and not ODVTE.
==========================================================