atw: Re: Strange job advertisements/skills combinations




Matilda said:
> I took Christine's comment that you do have to sell yourself....
> taking a manual to an interview in which you had a smaller part
> to play in its production than you would have liked may make the
> difference between getting the job or not. Anyone who takes the
> risk of bluffing about their skills takes a chance, but if you
> only state 'exactly' what you did in your last job how are you
> ever going to progress your skills?

'Bluffing' is a rather kindly word for it.

I guess it's possible that an employer might just look at
the sample and say, "This is great -- you're hired!", but
surely most employers, and all the sensible ones, will want
to ask questions about it. Which parts of this manual were
you responsible for? How did you collaborate with the other
contributors on this project (writers, SMEs, illustrators,
editors, managers, ...)? Why did you choose this structure/
layout? How did you achieve this effect here?

If I caught someone at an interview claiming work they
didn't do, I'd class it not as bluffing but as lying.
There's no way I'd hire someone like that.

By comparison, candidates who can talk thoughtfully and
honestly about their past projects, however modest, are
half-way there. If they lack some necessary skill, well,
that's a small problem, easily overcome.

> I agree with another comment posted that it's good to
> show an employer the standard of manual you most
> admire and seek to emulate.

The next time I want to make a good impression at an
interview I'll remember not to drive there in the car I
actually own but to stop by an unattended car park and
pick up one I admire...

;^)
---
Stuart Burnfield
Information Developer
Australian Programming Centre

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