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Re: Marketing tech writers and consulting companies
Subject:Re: Marketing tech writers and consulting companies From:Katav <katav -at- YAHOO -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 11 Mar 1999 03:30:10 -0800
I, too, work for a consulting company (DMR; no secret).
As with your company (SOUNDS like DMR), my local branch is
'coder-centric'- it needed me for a specific project and - true to the
recruiter's and tech director's words - kept me after. I /have/ been
on the bench (up to 3 months) and always was assured the job was safe.
(I'm still here, so I guess it was.) Given that I WAS on the 'bench' 3
months, I was not reluctant to take a 'quickie' (couple of weeks) job
some 50 miles from my front door. On the other hand, if I had to
travel >30 miles each way to work on a long-term contract, I might
grumble a bit. I always am given the chance to refuse a job, but --
being a wise person -- I know that too many refusals would be the end
of my career with any company. If I were in your office, I'd gently
remind the client execs, tech director, and business manager that
while I really like working for ABC Company, the trips to the tulies
is a killer ... cite milage and travel time. If you still get sent to
Never-Neverland, update your resume.
ONE OTHER THING - make certain everyone knows you are versatile. (More
[closer-to-home] job opps.) I came on board as a 'technical writer'
(one of my hats). Since I have headed up a Y2K project and I am about
to become (on the company checkbook) a certified recovery planner (to
go with the disaster prevention planning I have done). When 'benched,'
I went to vendors' conferences and generally made myself available,
useful, and obvious.
I also put my resume on the WWW - and let everyone at DMR know where
it was located ... the main page clearly stated I was a DMR employee
available on contract from DMR.
You (and other TWLrs) are welcome to continue this discussion with
this scrivener off-list.
BTW, I once travbeled 60 miles (90 minutes in cruise control mode)
each way to a permanent job - that turned out to be not so permanent
after all. Another story.
==
Katav ( katav -at- yahoo -dot- com )
''Despise not any person and do not deem anything unworthy
of consideration, for there is no person without his hour,
and no thing without its place'' {Ben Azzai [Avot 4:2]}
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