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RE: tool nonsense (gearing up to be a tech writer)
Subject:RE: tool nonsense (gearing up to be a tech writer) From:"Paige Pitsenberger" <ppitsenb -at- itgs-presearch -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Wed, 2 May 2001 13:50:31 -0400
Jeff Hanvey wrote:
>
> All of you who claim that tools aren't important obviously haven't been in
the job market recently. It's rare that I don't see an add that states some
piece of software - everything from Crystal Reports to FrameMaker to Visio -
as a requirement.
>
Bruce Byfield wrote:
"Don't forget that ads are a wish list.
Knowing a particular tool might give you an edge over a candidate who is
otherwise equally qualified. However, depending on who else applies, you
can often get a job without knowing the tool specified. In practice,
successful candidates are rarely a 100% match for the ad."
I agree w/ the wish list. I am a recent college graduate (Dec '00) w/ a
degree in Technical & Scientific Communication. During my job search, my
TSC professor/advisor stated quiet plainly that the job ads are "best case
scenarios." I may be wrong, but I was taught that the more you can pull
from your experiences (i.e., projects from classes or another job) and show
that you have learned from them and can bring what you know to the table,
the more you will show an employer that you can learn something else
quickly, also. I brought my experiences from a major project in college my
last semester to my new job. I think my discussion about it in my interview
helped land me the job, as opposed to what specific tools I really know how
to use.
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