Re: to show samples or not??

[Garret Romaine <GRomaine -at- MSMAIL -dot- RADISYS -dot- COM>]

Emily Sopensky had some great comments about showing samples. She summarized
with this:

>What I never do is let them keep any samples-UNLESS  it's totally my
property
>and is relatively easy to reproduce. Do leave them with something. Even if
>you don't get the job this time. You are far more memorable to the
potential
>client if you leave them with something they can refer to later-besides
your
>resume.

I agree, with a caveat:  remember the line that goes, (and here I'm
struggling) "There is no greater urge than the urge to mark up another
writer's copy."  I once left a collection of articles and samples behind
after an interview for an editing position with an environmental consulting
firm. I really wanted that job, and I had tons of credentials, pertinent and
advanced degrees, loads of technical expertise, and I thought the interview
went well. The only down side was that they were way behind on the
technology curve, and I was a little bummed that I wouldn't even have a PC
on my desk. It was a red pen job, if you will. Anyway, I didn't get the
offer, and when I finally got my samples back, two months later, the $%&#&
editor had marked up my published work! In fact, it was covered with
"blood."

What the editor didn't understand was that the paper I worked for was
heavily edited by the owner (it's an old joke, but freedom of the press is
guaranteed only to those who own one). So what went to press was as much his
as mine. And being a protege of journalist Jack Anderson, his edits were
usually right on -- for example, the piece with the most "blood" on it
actually won some nice writing awards and was very well suited for the
audience. But this editor took the time to just trash every sentence. Yes,
it was replaceable, but the comments written in the margins were totally off
the wall;  stupid, really, and painful, too.

I always wondered if I should have taken the samples with me. Or, maybe I
also flunked the editing test they gave me, and it just didn't matter. Oh,
well. The editor they hired instead of me lasted about two months, but by
then I had found a better home. With *two* PCs on my desk, and Internet
e-mail access as well. Still, woulda, coulda, shoulda... I guess my advice
would be to consider who you're leaving your samples with. And if they're
editors, tell them to use post-it notes if they want to make comments.

Garret Romaine
RadiSys Corp.
gromaine -at- radisys -dot- com