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Subject:Re: "Why haven't I heard of you?" (was Resum From:"Susan W. Gallagher" <sgallagher -at- EXPERSOFT -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 20 Feb 1997 16:38:08 -0800
At 05:07 PM 2/20/97 -0600, Virginia J. Link wrote:
...I have a small
>problem with the STC membership/"why haven't I heard of you?" issue...
>I have a life outside work, for one. I have a limited budget, for two, and
>STC membership fees, like everything else, keep climbing.
>I'm not making "in the middle five-figures," as someone alluded to in a
>tech-writer e-mail recently. Not even close.
The last time I hired, it was for a senior position that offered a right
pretty penny in salary. I found two candidates that were very close in
skill level. Both would have fit in with company culture well. (Neither
had been asked the "in 5 years" question because both had plenty to say
at the interview, btw.)
I thought and I thought and I hemmed and I hawed -- I was really stuck
choosing between the two. I went to the monthly STC meeting, and there
was one of the candidates, sitting across the table smiling at me! The
other candidate wasn't present. I don't even know if the other candidate
was a member. But there was a job candidate who was expressing an interest
in professional improvement and growth and giving back some of her own
expertise to the profession.
That was the only distinguishing factor I had to base a decision on. I
hired the STC member and am very happy with my decision.
Yes, it takes a little money -- money that doesn't come easily when you're
raising a family and/or going to school. It also takes a conscious committment
of time and energy. But, on the other side of the fence, it speaks volumes
about your dedication to the profession and your motivation to grow within
it. Consider it an investment in your future. It could pay for itself in
no time at all.
Susan W. Gallagher Manager, Technical Publications
sgallagher -at- expersoft -dot- com Expersoft Corporation, San Diego CA http://www.expersoft.com
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