atw: Re: samples of work requested at interview
- From: "Warren Lewington" <wjlewington@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 14 Aug 2012 15:17:25 +1000
I explain that I have permission to take items with me but I do not have
permission to freely distribute them due to confidentiality and security
issues. This is usually acceptable.
A couple of years ago I did send some stuff through to a so and so with the
caveat that none of it was to be sent on to anyone else or printed.
Please... Sure enough, about two months later, I was called by someone who
said: "so and so sent me some of your work and I thought I would give you a
call."
I never got that work they were talking about (they wanted someone to go and
explain how to create a template like mine for free.).
So I would NEVER send out work I have done to anyone again. Frankly any
technical writer who does distribute work they have done for clients and do
not own property rights to runs a serious risk of legal proceedings against
them. There is a grey area where you show it but take it back. Especially if
you have permission from staff of the organization. Bear in mind that that
staff permission counts after they have left.
Wassa.
From: austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Bob Trussler
Sent: Tuesday, 14 August 2012 15:03
To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: atw: samples of work requested at interview
This has happened twice now. An organisation has requested that I send them
copies of my previous work - as SOFTCOPIES!
We have . decided to request examples of written work before we progress to
interview.
One or two examples of some user guide or instructional material you have
developed would be much appreciated.
This is a great idea BUT as I work for government departments, most of the
work that I do is confidential in one way or another.
In the past, I have taken a bundle of carefully selected printed copies of
my work to an interview.
I don't keep a copy of seriously confidential documents for personal use,
because I am simply not allowed to. In many offices, you cannot copy to a
USB memory stick or CD or whatever so taking a softcopy cannot be done.
Does the person requesting the sample documents understand confidentiality?
Do they consider the situation if it was reversed and I gave a softcopy of
their documents to another organisation, maybe a competitor?
What do other people do in this situation?
Bob Trussler
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