TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Whenever I am seeking work I tend to identify the agencies, contracting
specific or otherwise, that deal more extensively with technical writers.
And then target ALL those agencies with my resume.
I inform them that I want to know about the position/s they are putting me
forward for, before they fire off my resume (or the chopped up agency
database item that was created from my "perfect" resume). If two agencies
are dealing with the same potential employer - whoever gets in first and
gets my resume to the client can represent me to them, and pick up the
massively profitable returns that this entails. The other agency can rue the
missed opportunity.
At no time when going with agencies do I not keep seeking work myself,
directly to companies - but if an agency already has pitched my resume to a
client then ethically I would consider it wrong to try and "gazump" the
agency by sneaking in with my own offer, or by getting another agency to
make a different offer.
(Oh and ensure that the agency has really sent your resume - amazing how
they can overlook to do this, and then put it down as an administrative
error - very annoying if you are very actively - read desperately - seeking
a position!)
I have discovered that some agents working for some agencies would have
difficulty identifying a technical writer from a large mammal such as a
whale. These agencies get their opportunity - then I seek a new agency, and
if I come back to the original agency where the blue whale ( a very large
mammal) and technical writer confusion existed I make sure I get a different
agent from that agency to represent me.
You can tell when they have trouble telling if you are a technical writer
when they start asking questions such as:
* How much plankton do you need?
* Will you need transport or do you always travel with a pod?
I hope this information helps to answer your question.
regards and thanks,
Sean O'Donoghue-Hayes
EAA - User Information Shared Services - MC49 (49.17)
> Although I prefer full-time work, the job search hasn't turned up much
> and I'm starting to look at contracting gigs. I've never done
> contracting before. When you see that several contracting firms have
> posted up info on a job board for what obviously seems to be the same
> position, should you try your foot in the door at all of them or what?
> I'd assume once you speak to a company and they say they want to forward
> on your info to the client you'd want to stick with them, but is there
> anytime this is not the case?
>
> Victoria
>
*** Deva(tm) Tools for Dreamweaver and Deva(tm) Search ***
Build Contents, Indexes, and Search for Web Sites and Help Systems
Available now at http://www.devahelp.com or info -at- devahelp -dot- com
TECH*COMM 2001 Conference, July 15-18 in Washington, DC
The Help Technology Conference, August 21-24 in Boston, MA
Details and online registration at http://www.SolutionsEvents.com
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
