RE: A cautionary tale

["Hart, Rowena" <Hart -at- SelkirkFinancial -dot- com>]

I never leave my portfolio with potential
employers simply because the document only
reveals half (or less) of my skills as
a writer.

During an interview I like to give a
"guided tour" of my portfolio. I describe
the terrain of the project, i.e. deadlines,
development issues, and interesting
documentation deliverables. I also talk
about the challenges I faced as a writer,
i.e. quality of specs, last-minute changes
to the product interface or functionality.
I wrap up by discussing the content, design,
and development decisions I made that
affected the look and feel of the document.

My goal is to get the interviewer to look
at the document in a realistic business
context. Without that, the document is
just a bunch of words on paper. The
person looking at the document has no way
to assess the complex array of research,
planning, scheduling, and interpersonal
skills I exercised to create the document.

If an employer wants to keep my portfolio
I usually suggest that I return for another
interview/meeting. If that doesn't fly, I
either politely decline or leave a copy.

Cheers,

Rowena

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