Re: Re[2]: Certification

[Jane Bergen <janeb -at- ANSWERSOFT -dot- COM>]

Alexandra Khalil asked:
>      Jane,

>      What kind of experience were you looking for when you posted
>      the position? If it was an entry level position I would have
>      interviewed the two individuals you mentioned. I think it shows

Actually our ad said "two years experience" as a tech writer, in
addition to a working knowledge of Word.

I don't know, Alexandra..... I think that about 99% of the time it
would not be productive for a small organization like ours to hire
someone with no experience or no formal training. We don't have a
formal training program in place and almost everything we do is
totally new, so the docs are from scratch. A writer in our
organization has to hit the ground running -- and running fast. We
might get lucky and find a gem, but the odds are definitely against
it. And it really isn't fair to a beginning writer, either, to be
thrown into this situation. I know because I WAS! It has not been a
painless experience.

Certification for tech writing is not going to be the answer to every
problem, but it is one more method we have to distinguish ourselves
from the "wannabes" who are unwilling or unable to improve their
skills or get the training they need to achieve certification.

Jane



...............................................................
 Jane Bergen, Technical Writer
 janeb -at- answersoft -dot- com   or   janeb -at- airmail -dot- net
    "The difference between the right word and the
     almost right word is the difference between lightning
     and the lightning bug" (Mark Twain)
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