Re: Portfolio For a New Tech Writer?

[Glen Warner <gdwarner -at- ricochet -dot- net>]

> Glen Warner wrote:
> 
>> Interestingly, the last interview I was on, they
>> didn't ask to see my portfolio
> 
> If they don't ask to see it, I always ask if they want to. For one 
thing,
> if I have to lug it around, I want to make use of it. :-) More 
importantly,
> going over the portfolio is an excuse to sell yourself by 
demonstrating
> your experience and competence.

Good plan! I'll do that next time ... but then again, as I'd already 
worked at this particular company before, they might already have some 
idea of what my samples look like. In fact, the recruiter that got me 
the job asked me to e-mail him my last (2MB) manual. Did so ... so 
the interviewer had probably seen that, at least ....

>> The URL for the About.com forums I mentioned previously suggests 
just
>> taking what's necessary to get the job ... that is, if the job calls
>> for manuals written in Word, bring samples of those. RoboHelp?
>> Bring screenshots.
> 
> I have reservations about this advice. You don't always know what's
> relevant to a particular job. And, even if you have a few hints, 
such as
> the fact that you'll be expected to work in FrameMaker, that doesn't 
mean
> that other samples won't be useful. Many times, HR won't have told 
you
> everything that's relevant. If you prepare for an interview with the 
idea
> that you're going to show your Word samples, then three-quarters of 
the
> time you'll find when you get there  that RoboHelp and Visio sample 
would
> have been useful tool.

True ... forgot that HR usually writes the ads. That explains some of 
the ads I've seen ... with things like "Seeking Tech Writer familiar 
with HTML, Help, Word..."

In case it's early (Chocolate Brownie Frappacino, anyone?), the error 
is the comma between 'HTML' and 'Help.' I see that one a lot.

> In addition, tools don't seem to matter much; an interviewer ask if 
you've
> used a tool, but rarely goes into more detail on the subject.

Sometimes I'll get "So you used Word on this project ...? What did you 
do?" and I'll tell them what I did (set up Styles *not* based on 
Normal, made the header and footer, inserted screenshots, researched 
all the legal issues (proper use of trademarked symbols, etc.), added 
in the fields for page numbers, TOC, built the index, etc.).

> Besides, unless the interviewers have actually used the tools, they 
won't
> have much sense of how the tool might affect the documents anyway. I
> wouldn't suggest that you should ever lie (it's not only immoral, 
but gets
> complicated), 

Lying on an interview (or anywhere else, for that matter) is something 
I avoid. Alas, this once bit me in the bunz when I was in the Navy, 
and my boss asked me what I thought of his leadership methods.

I told him the truth. I'm a civilian now ...! :o)

(*snip*)

--gdw

> --
> Bruce Byfield bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com 604.421.7177

"'Vegetarian' is old Indian word for 'lousy shot.'"


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