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> Glenn wrote:
>
> > I'm rather anal about consistent use of styles in Word.
> Surprisingly,
> > we've recently received several resumes from applicants who
> re-defined
> > the normal style multiple times as well as other styles.
> This bugs me
> > and immediately marks the candidate down a few pegs. I mean, if they
> > can't use styles consistently within a single document,
> what makes me
> > think they'll use styles consistently with our style guide
> so that our
> > manuals and single-sourcing efforts have fewer problems?
> (Proper use of
> > styles is the only way to get Word to do numbered and bulleted lists
> > correctly.)
> >
> > Hence, if you have a tendancy to use Word fast and loosely
> and are quick
> > with the Bold, Italic, and bullet buttons, hide that with a PDF.
> > Otherwise you'll be flamed (unknowingly).=20
Kevin wrote:
> To me the above advice is only pertinent if the job you're
> applying for requires you to use Word, and expects a level of Word
> expertise.
This is where I disagree. FrameMaker uses formats; Interleaf uses
components; Word uses styles; WordPerfect had something else; HTML has
CSS classes. They are different words for the same thing. Although the
steps to define them and use them differ, their goal is the same:
consistent documentation and the re-usability of definitions.
Right or wrong, if the candidate for a technical writing position
doesn't use Word - a common tool of our trade - correctly, they won't
use the other tools correctly either. Right or wrong, I extrapolate that
their tool-ignorance and tool-phobia isn't limited to Word's features.
Regardless of which tool we prefer, Word is so common-place that it
cannot be ignored. Whether we are experts or not, others will assume
that we - the tech writers - are. We will always have a need to use more
of Word's features than others.
We're not talking about elaborate bells-and-whistles in Word. We're
talking about something that is fundamental to its proper usage. I
should be able to expect this from a decent technical writing candidate.
Rebecca wrote:
> I should spend the time defining styles for a two-page one-off
> document in a program I hardly ever use at home?
Yes.
First of all, styles have saved me many hours of tweaking. I could make
a change in one place and instantly propogate the change through.
Secondly, just because I hardly use Word at home doesn't mean that it
doesn't rear its ugly head at work regularly. I haven't had a tech
writing job that didn't have Word in the workflow somewhere, even if it
was a spec from an engineer. Time spent re-working these documents to
use styles consistently often pays short and long-term dividends. It
makes conversion easier. More importantly, it can be used as a better
basis for all other doc's coming from that engineer.
Thirdly, you are mistaken if you think that your resume document is a
one-off. If you can find this document before your next job search,
you'll re-use parts of it. When family members or friends have need of a
good resume, this will be their template. In any event, consistent use
of styles is going to make any re-purposing easier.
Whenever I've worked on a highly formatted document, it was rare when I
didn't use again in some manner even if it meant deleting all of the
text and just keeping the styles.
So what we have here isn't just the demonstration that you know how to
use the tools of the trade properly. Spending the time to define styles
shows that you know how to organize and plan to make your efforts more
efficient the next time around.
Tech writers are admonished to know their audiences. You have fair
warning about what some tech writers look for. Your resume in Word can
reveal a lot... maybe too much. Don't let fast-and-loose cost you an
interview.
And as I mentioned in an earlier posting, you don't know what fonts I
have installed or my normal style. What looks great on your machine
could be one step away from garbage formatting on mine. Styles can help
minimize that.
Glenn Maxey
Technical Writer
Voyant Technologies, Inc.
1765 West 121st Avenue
Westminster, CO 80234-2301
Tel. +1 303.223.5164
Fax. +1 303.223.5275
glenn -dot- maxey -at- voyanttech -dot- com
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