Re: Am I a Senior Technical Writer?

Subject: Re: Am I a Senior Technical Writer?
From: Jim Grey <jimgrey -at- IQUEST -dot- NET>
Date: Thu, 13 Jun 1996 12:21:00 EST

Matthew Danda <dandam -at- 1STNET -dot- NET> tells a tale of potentially mistaken identity:
>During the most recent management reshuffling and hierarchy rebuilding, I was
>listed on the org chart as a Senior Technical Writer. I protested this title,
>citing the fact that I have only 2 years professional experience, but the
>head honchos weren't very interested in changing the sacred chart. So the
>title remains.

Title superlatives such as "senior" (and its cousins "junior" and
"associate") do not hold any firm meaning across the technical communication
field. I was Senior Tech Writer at one company simply because I had been
there longer than any of the other writers. Here, I'm not Senior; this
company has certain criteria I must meet before I get to add that word to my
title, and longevity has little to do with it. So, if they want to call you
Senior Technical Writer, so be it.

>On my resume, should I list my title at this company as Senior Technical
>Writer? Even though I know that, by experience, I should be a staff Technical
>Writer?

You should tailor your resume to match the job you're going after. There is
no rule that says you must use your official titles there. Don't hesitate
to devise a title that best describes what you do, or best matches the
target company's expectations. In this company, I'm an "Author/Developer,"
a somewhat unusual title. When I look for my next job, if I feel that
calling myself a "Technical Writer" better describes my job function to the
company I'm targeting, that is what I will call myself.

Peace,
jim
--
jim grey |beebeebumbleandthestingersmottthehoopleraycharlessingers
jimgrey -at- iquest -dot- net|lonniemackandtwangin'eddiehere'smyringwe'regoingsteadyta
|http://www.iquest.net/~jimgrey/

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Post Message: TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
Get Commands: LISTSERV -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU with "help" in body.
Unsubscribe: LISTSERV -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU with "signoff TECHWR-L"
Listowner: ejray -at- ionet -dot- net


Previous by Author: Re: Bugs in Documentation
Next by Author: Re: "Kill" fees in contracts?
Previous by Thread: Re: Am I a Senior Technical Writer?
Next by Thread: Converting Word documents to an on-line viewer


What this post helpful? Share it with friends and colleagues:


Sponsored Ads