Re: Why are companies now requiring techical writer candidates to be SMEs?

["Chuck Martin" <twriter -at- sonic -dot- net>]

"Andrew Plato" <gilliankitty -at- yahoo -dot- com> wrote in message
news:195079 -at- techwr-l -dot-  -dot-  -dot- 
>
> > For example, what would hiring managers who posted a job such as the one
> > above think of a cover letter asserting that subject matter expertise in
the
> > particular product or product type may in fact be detrimental to
developing
> > better and more useful documentation? That a certain unfamiliarity of a
> > product will actually elicit areas in which the resulting documentation
> > needs to focus (and also provide information for future improvements in
> > product design)?
>
> Ignorance is not an asset. Never has been, never will be.

Sure it is. Everyone is ignorant--about far, far more things than we can
possibly be knowledgable about.

Ignorance without the capability or willingness to learn is what's not an
asset.

>
> A writer is not good to an employer if they are ignorant of the
technologies or
> products that company makes. Being a "user's advocate" does not mean the
writer
> is clueless about the technology and can therefore "sympathize with the
users."
> A true user's advocate knows the technology inside and out and can explain
> those details, with tremendous depth of insight, to users in a concise and
> effective manner.

Both of these are misconceptions. User advocacy requires the capability to
understand user goals--which usually have nothing to do with a particular
company's product. I could spend a bit of time explaining here, but instead
will refer you to Alan Cooper's book "The Inmates are Running the Asylum,"
where such concepts are explained clearly and in detail.

>
> The job description you posted sounds perfectly normal to me. Company's
are
> wising up and demanding that technical writers have technical and industry
> skills. Its a good trend. Writers with strong tech and industry skills are
> simply more qualified.
>
I still suggest that there is a difference between "technical and industry"
skills and actual experience in the comapny's specific line of business. I'd
be curious to know in just how many jobs you--or anyone--has taken over the
years have you had previous experience documenting either that company's
products or one of it's direct competitors (for that is essentially what is
requested).

I'll answer that one for me: never. Yet that has never kept me from
producing high-quality documentation within product deadlines. How can I
make the claim of "high quality?" Not from winning any STC competitions, but
from both peer praise and from exemplary mentions in published product
reviews.

--
--
"I don't entirely understand it but it is true: Highly skilled carpenters
don't get insulted when told they are not architects, but highly skilled
programmers do get insulted when told they are not UI designers."
     - anonymous programmer quoted in "GUI Bloopers"

Chuck Martin
User Assistance & Experience Engineer
twriter "at" sonic "dot" net      www.writeforyou.com



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