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> -----Original Message-----
> From: Lin Sims [mailto:linda -dot- sims -at- verizon -dot- net]
> Sent: Tuesday, January 29, 2002 12:52 PM
> To: TECHWR-L
> Subject: Re: Applying On-Line
>
>
> Actually, my interpretation of what he was saying is that TWs
> who don't use
> Word correctly won't use other tools correctly, either, and
> that they may be tool-
> ignorant and -phobic to boot. (My apologies to Glen if I have
> misinterpreted him.)
>
> My point is that this is an overgeneralization.
I'll grant you that it is an over-generalization that even I don't
follow when interviewing tech writing candidates. (But they better be
prepared to field some pointed questions about the tools they use and
how.)
When I consider all of the executive secretaries and marketing people
with whom I have worked, the mess they created in Word, and my
one-on-one training/conjoling/lecturing, there was a strong correlation
between _not_ using styles and their tool-ignorance & tool-phobia.
> A lack of skill or knowledge in
> using Word styles is not the same thing as not understanding
> how structure makes a document easier to maintain,
Correct. But they certainly don't get any brownie points from me if I
see that their resume isn't easy to maintain.
> and you do yourself and
> your candidate a disservice if you place too much emphasis on that.
Not really. Over the course of my tech writing career, I have spent far
too much time fixing up other people's documents with styles BEFORE I
could even look at their document for content.
The last thing I want to do is to re-work my techpubs co-worker's
document to get it to conform to the company standards.
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