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Subject:Re: Writing Samples: What to look for From:Beth Friedman <bjf -at- WAVEFRONT -dot- COM> Date:Tue, 20 Jan 1998 14:06:26 -0600
In our previous episode, Elizabeth Vollbach said:
> It would also be wise, although most interviewers don't do this,
> either, to ask whether the interviewee actually wrote the document or
> edited it. Another good question would be whether the interviewee
> actually did either one or just did the DTP. It surprises me that many
> DTPers have the nerve to call themselves technical writers.
I agree that it's useful to find out what part of a portfolio was
actually done by the person offering the portfolio. The last time I
was involved in a hiring process (for a DTPer), the person had a very
impressive portfolio, but when we asked him about his involvement on
some of the snazzier stuff, it turned out his involvement there was
pretty minimal -- which was fine in our case, since he wouldn't have
had a chance to work on anything snazzy in the environment we were
hiring him for. We appreciated his honesty about his involvement in
the various pieces.
In regard to your last couple of sentences, it's worth pointing out
that the line between DTP and technical writing can be a bit fuzzy.
Before I made the break into technical writing, I spent five years in
a position where my job title was Senior Desktop Publisher. My job
comprised actual DTP, template and macro creation, documentation,
editing, technical support, and typing. I wouldn't have called myself
a technical writer (and didn't), but I also knew that my experience
would serve me well if I could ever move into TW -- which I'd known I
wanted to do for years.
I was lucky; one day someone I'd been doing some freelance editing for
asked if I knew any technical writers, because her husband was looking
to contract with one. I said I was interested, though I didn't have
much experience -- and it all worked out from there. And now I'm a
technical writer with strong DTP skills.
*********************************************************************
Beth Friedman bjf -at- wavefront -dot- com
"The pantry seems entirely full of Woodvilles
And Clarence has drunk two-thirds of the cellar
I wonder where my brother Richard is." -- John M. Ford
