Re: Employers' Mistaken Job Requirements

[Suzette Seveny <sseveny -at- PETVALU -dot- COM>]

I just wanted to add a comment to this message, because I believe things might
be changing.

I recently received a phone call from a major company, looking for a tech
writer for a long term contract.  I won't name the company.  We discussed some
of my background, etc. and at one point I asked "What particular tool skills
are you looking for?", believing that most companies placed a lot of importance
on tools.  The response?  Really doesn't matter what tools you know.  We are
interesting in your writing skills, and you can either learn the tools we
currently use, or recommend different tools.

Even though I wasn't thinking of changing jobs, this one is definitely worth a
go-see.  You never know!

Suzette Seveny
Markham, Ontario, Canada
sseveny -at- petvalu -dot- com or suzette -at- yesic -dot- com
------------------------------------------------------------------
DISCLAIMER:
Any opinions expressed are MY opinions.
Feel free to have your own.
Let's agree to disagree
But Please - Don't Flame Me.

Curiosity killed the cat, but for a while, I was a suspect.

On Wednesday, January 27, 1999 4:46 PM, Elizabeth Vollbach
[SMTP:bethvollbach -at- EARTHLINK -dot- NET] wrote:
> Hi. I used to read TECHWR-L regularly, then stopped for a few years. So
> I'm sure during the time I was gone you must have discussed this. It's
> such a big concern of mine, though.
>
> How can we convince employers who are looking to hire a tech writer that
> their primary concern should not be with the software programs a tech
> writer has experience using? that a technical writer is not, primarily,
> a typist?
>
> I got a copy of FrameMaker and taught it to myself in less than a week.
> I got a copy of FrontPage 98 and taught it to myself in a week. I
> learned Visio by myself in less than a day. I haven't done the same with
> RoboHelp because it's so darned expensive, but I know this would be a
> similar case.
>
> How can we convince employers that today's software is easy and can be
> learned quickly, and a good technical writer can't be defined by her
> software experience? A good writer is a good writer, right?
>
> But take a look at the want ads. Every tech writer ad specifies right
> away which software the tech writer should have experience with and
> which degree they should have. Somehow employers see value in a college
> degree, but why when their other concern is just software experience?
>
> Beth
>
> --
> http://www.evansplumbing.com
>


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