Clueless (was Re: software tools)

[<neilson -at- windstream -dot- net>]

Joanne Wittenbrook wrote:
> Your office may not be of the "cluless" variety. Unfortunately I have dealt with a lot of "clueless" recruiters. I've also gone through preliminary interviews where I have been asked if I know Adobe.

It works (oops, I mean fails) the other way up, too. I've gotten a lot of e-mail and phone calls from folks looking for Oracle, Sybase and Teradata DBAs, simply because I recently prepared documentation for an audience consisting of same. I made the mistake (I guess it was a mistake) of mentioning this fact on my resume. When I mention documenting C++ or Java APIs, I get calls to hire me as a programmer.

I'm afraid I'm not very nice to these people. I ask them, "Have you read my resume?" I get no answer.

Sheesh! Double sheesh. Sometimes I believe that tech writers between jobs are spending all their free time trying to guess how to get past filters, filters that are looking for the new name for old technology you've been using for 20 years. Got Unix but not Linux? Sorry. Got BSD and SUSE but not RedHat? Sorry. Mention Red Hat when they want RedHat? Sorry. Complain on the phone interview that you can't figure out what they want? Sorry.

Lotsa youse guys can write about almost *anything*. Maybe like me you've read the Merck Vet Manual for breakfast, and know your way around med terminology, performed medical procedures including injections and surgery on animals, have a science degree and good knowledge of Latin and Greek roots of medical words. So, how about writing for a pharmaceutical company? Sorry, no experience.

I'm whining too much. Triple sheesh.


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