Re: Certification: Ernest and Scribbler

[Wade Courtney <wade -dot- courtney -at- gmail -dot- com>]

I totally agree with this. I want no part of stc certification,
especially with this economy. I want to be known for my experience and
results, not by the alphabets that follow my name.

On 07/18/2010, Keith Hood <klhra -at- yahoo -dot- com> wrote:
> Caution: there follows a rant based on totally non-scientific personal
> feelings.
>
> As a job seeker in the technical writing field, I don't want any kind
> of STC certification to become important in the minds of people who
> make the hiring decisions.  There are already too many ways in which we
> are being hurt by things that make the decision making process quicker
> and easier for the people doing the hiring.
>
>
>
> The problem is, anything that makes the decision making easier for the
> hiring companies must do so by denigrating the experience, personal
> characteristics, and human qualities of the person seeking the job.
> The things that make it easier for the deciders work by reducing the
> initial stages of the hiring processes to nothing but a mechanical
> process that involves no consideration of the actual person who put in
> the application.  Too often today, when it comes to getting that first
> interview, nothing matters but whether or not you have the right
> degree, or the right software tool listed on your resume.  There are
> already too many ways in which deciders try to reduce the decision
> process to doing nothing but checking off boxes on their lists.  We
> who are looking for jobs do NOT need to give hiring deciders yet another
> excuse to make decisions based on nothing but the question of whether
> or not someone has the "right" piece of paper on their wall.
>
>
>
> The idea that the STC may be doing something good for technical writers with
> this certification business is, in my opinion, ludicrous.  It is is
> cannibalistic.  It amounts to the STC saying we think if you can't pass our
> certification you don't deserve the job title, and we'll throw you away in
> the hiring decisions.  It makes me think the STC thinks it is in the
> business of protecting its industry at the expense of the practitioners.  It
> is too easy to realize the effect of such a certification would be not
> helping TWs find work, but culling the herd.
>
> I thought the purpose of the STC was to enhance the public and professional
> image of tech writers, and give them support that could help them in their
> careers.  And they apparently think the way to do that is to do things that
> limit the field for the hiring deciders even before an application is
> filled.  Since when is it the STC's business to offer to do the
> corporations' work for them?  The STC is not helping anyone by giving
> employers yet another excuse for throwing out job seekers' resumes without
> thinking about the actual candidate.  The idea behind this certification
> idea may be good but the real world effect of it would be self-destructive.
>
> I don't want the STC or anyone else doing something that may affect my
> chances of finding another job for reasons that I don't agree with, that
> they didn't ask me about, that I had no input on, and that are arguable at
> best.  I am a damn good tech writer and I'll prove that to anyone who offers
> me any kind of test.  I don't need or want the STC doing something that
> affects my marketability without my leave and for reasons that having
> nothing to do with me.
>
>
> If a person tasked to do the hiring is not willing to actually *think*
> about the applicants, that person should ask to be relieved of the task
> and let someone else do it.  Trying to make the hiring process even
> more mechanical and less humanized than it already is is grossly unfair
> to the job seeker.  The hiring process is difficult and time consuming for
> the people doing the hiring?  Tough bananas - they knew the job was
> dangerous when they took it.  It sure can't be any worse than the death
> march projects they expect us to work.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
> Gain access to everything you need to create and publish information
> through multiple channels. Your choice of authoring (and import)
> formats with virtually any output. Try Doc-To-Help free for 30-days.
> http://www.doctohelp.com/
>
>
> ---
> You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as wade -dot- courtney -at- gmail -dot- com -dot- 
>
> To unsubscribe send a blank email to
> techwr-l-unsubscribe -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> or visit
> http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/wade.courtney%40gmail.com
>
>
> To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
>
> Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-  Visit
> http://www.techwr-l.com/ for more resources and info.
>
> Please move off-topic discussions to the Chat list, at:
> http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/listinfo/techwr-l-chat
>
>
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Gain access to everything you need to create and publish information 
through multiple channels. Your choice of authoring (and import)
formats with virtually any output. Try Doc-To-Help free for 30-days. 
http://www.doctohelp.com/


---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- 

To unsubscribe send a blank email to 
techwr-l-unsubscribe -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
or visit http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/archive%40web.techwr-l.com


To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com

Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-  Visit
http://www.techwr-l.com/ for more resources and info. 

Please move off-topic discussions to the Chat list, at:
http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/listinfo/techwr-l-chat