Looking for work on a job site?

2008 Story Set

      Looking for work on a job site?
      Things you should know.

      I wrote this for a technical writer position - but it applies across the board.


      They provide a detailed, more than 100 words, multi-list compilation of everything you might ever possibly encounter if you were in the job today.
      When you see this, not only is it boring to read though, but it is a waste of your time. There are two issues.

      First - they are overly specific because the writer doesn't know how to write a job description. Which means, the company doesn't really know what a technical writer is or should be. That is not a good thing. You could end up in a job where there is a misconception of the task, impossible schedules, and a general lack of communication. Avoid these companies unless you are desperate.


      Second - they are overly specific because no one outside the company could possibly meet all this and that means they have someone inside that they plan on promoting but the law requires that they advertise the position.You will be wasting your time. Even if they interview you - they have a don't care casual attitude throughout (going through the motions) and they have no plans to put you onboard. Avoid these companies.



      A list of specific software down to the version - Also Overkill
      They are merely snap-shotting their existing list of software licenses and that means that they do not understand technical writing. This means the expertise that was there, is no longer, and you would be in a morass of misunderstood processes and procedures, or worse, in a place without any.

      For example, FrameMaker or Structured FrameMaker is sufficient. Specifying XML round-tripping comes with the territory. Calling out subset software like Wevbworks is not necessary. FrameMaker also supports translation.

      Office 2003, 2007 is sufficient - it is not necessary to list Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, etc. etc. (If they list VISTA - run.)


      If the list includes off-the wall software instead of Adobe Illustrator or Visio for drawing, this is also not good.



      If the web software is not Dreamweaver or other recognized well-accepted tools, this is also not good.



      InDesign is seldom listed - it is a memory hog.

      VISTA is buggy.

      RoboHelp is from Adobe.

Common interface, not hard to learn, prone to bugs.

      Agile, Documentum, Sharepoint are all database document library packages. You only need one.



      SecureMedia and Dita (with Sharepoint 2007) are secure controls. Dita and EMS (Documentum's people) provide single-source content management.



      Acrobat 7 is the last stable Acrobat product. 8 Pro and 9 Pro are having a lot of problems.



      OpenOffice only runs on PCs.



      You should, as a technical writer, be conversant with all of the above.

      Anything else is a miscellaneous skill. If they list a lot of stuff you know to be atypical, move to the next job posting. They are confused.

      Do you need to be able to program C/C++? Or just read it? Reading it should be sufficient. Jobs whose interviewers asked me about C/C++ wasted their time - I never had to do more than copy and paste it.


      Do you need to match every single item listed?
Not necessarily. If you have similar experience, that is enough. If you have other experience that might be useful, that helps too.



      DOE - Depends on Experience, which translates to - whatever low-ball number we can get you for.



      Other things: (This one is my favorite)

      Can you talk with engineers and technical people - well, do we engineers speak some other language? (Careful how you answer that!)

      Of course, there are also other giveaways. If they have listed lots of acronyms and you find yourself checking out Goggle - RUN!

      If they detail your responsibilities down to any and every task you might encounter - this is also a serious indication that they don't what a really good technical writer or especially a senior technical writer does. They are used to technical typists, and trying to upgrade. I'd run for these guys too! They have no clue what they are doing.

      That said - we all have to eat. If you get stuck in one of these horror shops, try to do it with dignity. Keep your resume updated, and be prepared to job-hop once the recession starts lifting.

 

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Copyright 2008-1984 Donnamaie E.White.
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