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Subject:FWD: Tech Writer Skills From:"Eric J. Ray" <ejray -at- RAYCOMM -dot- COM> Date:Tue, 27 Jan 1998 13:37:06 -0700
Name withheld upon request. Please reply on list.
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Tony Rocco wrote:
<snip>>recruiters and employers want a laundry list of skills that have
nothing to do with the ability to write clear sentences
and organize information. </snip>
Well said, Tony! When searching for my first Tech Writing position, I
was frustrated by many recruiters/employers who were seemingly
"indifferent" to my writing and editing abilities. Most of the ads and
requisitions I saw *rarely* mentioned the ability to write
understandable, logically constructed, and grammatically correct text
as a requirement. Usually, I was presented with a laundry list of
software programs and programming languages.
<snip>Hey, I am a WRITER, not a software engineer, project manager,
programmer, database administrator, network systems administrator, or
holy man from the East. It's nice to hear that someone thinks of writing
as the main thing a writer should be able to do.</snip>
I agree. In interviews, I would stress that I had solid writing skills,
an eye for detail, and the ability to edit both my own work and the work
of others. I had organized, well-written samples in my portfolio. I had
the requisite/non-requisite B.A. in English. Heck, I even had Word,
WordPerfect, and a basic knowledge of HTML. I was interviewing for
"junior level" Technical Writing jobs, but was excluded simply because I
had never used Interleaf, RoboHelp, Frame, or programmed my PC to speak
to me in Sanskrit.
I'm not saying that tools mastery is not important -- I just wish there
was more emphasis on the ability to write, learn quickly, and work as
part of a team than whether you know "X" software tool. I'm happy to say
that I finally found an employer who *did* look for writing ability, and
so far, I've gotten nothing but positive feedback. And I've been able
to learn FrontPage, CorelDraw, and advanced HTML skills on the fly, to
boot!
