atw: Re: Strange job advertisments/skills combinations
- From: "Matilda Reich" <matildar@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 26 Feb 2004 12:41:51 +1100
On-the-spot testing has never bothered me.....except where proficiency with
specific software tools are concerned.
I once had a six month contract to churn out a commercial grade user guide
for a billing system. I was interviewed by the company who never tested me
on anything before I accepted the role. I was thrown in the deep end and in
first two months had to rely on intermitent help from the permanent
technical writer who always acted impatient with me when I had a question to
ask. I wrote (by myself) two of the software modules user guides and have
hard copy of these user guides to demonstrate what I had done - but it was
bloody hard work.
Matilda Reich
----- Original Message -----
From: BIRTLEY-KENT,Christine <Christine.BIRTLEY-KENT@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, February 25, 2004 11:03 AM
Subject: atw: Re: Strange job advertisments/skills combinations
> Yep, sure, but I get so offended at this kind of 'testing' that my
> responses are always a 'test' for them. If they don't 'get it' I don't
> want the job.=20=20
>
> Here's a new business for unemployed technical writers - creating and
> selling downloadable test answers, small manuals etc suitable for job
> tests and interviews - for a fee of course.=20=20
>
> ...my point being - who knows who has written and edited what? How many
> of you have taken beautiful manuals to interviews that were designed,
> written or edited by someone else?
>
> ck
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: sheetal_laviena@xxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:sheetal_laviena@xxxxxxxxxxx]=20
> Sent: Wednesday, February 25, 2004 10:55 AM
> To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: atw: Re: Strange job advertisments/skills combinations
>
>
>
> CBK, I have come across tests where the applicant was asked to write a
> procedure to fit a light bulb.
>
> I think these questions are more to see if you have an eye for detail,
> your writing etc...they may not always be 'trick questions'......do you
> think in your case, an assumption at the beginning of the procedure
> would have done the trick?
>
> Joe, I do agree...but I have to say that tech-writers do have some sort
> of a standard turnover...don't know what it exactly is...but in my
> previous company......4 new windows with a maximum of 8 new fields in
> them was the expected turnover for a day.
>
> Regards and thanks,
> Sheetal Laviena.
>
>
> =20
>
> "BIRTLEY-KENT,Christine"
>
> <Christine.BIRTLEY-KENT@de To:
>
<austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=
> =20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20
> wr.gov.au> cc:
>
> Sent by: Subject: atw:
> Re: Strange job advertisments/skills combinations=20=20=20=20=20=20
> austechwriter-bounce@freel
>
> ists.org
>
> =20
>
> =20
>
> 25/02/2004 10:45 AM
>
> Please respond to
>
> austechwriter
>
> =20
>
>
>
>
>
> Good point - it does provide the opportunity to show off.=3D20
>
> I was once asked to write a 'test' to demonstrate my writing skills for
> a potential contract. Guess what - how to make a cup of coffee. I sent
> them a beautifully laid out questionnaire asking what type of coffee
> (instant, plunger etc), what coffee making facilities, where, whether
> the milk or sugar were available or had to be acquired etc etc. I
> didn't get the role.=3D20
>
> cbk
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: joe_zolin@xxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:joe_zolin@xxxxxxxxxxx]=3D20
> Sent: Wednesday, February 25, 2004 10:24 AM
> To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: atw: Re: Strange job advertisments/skills combinations
>
>
>
> Yeah, I hear what you say, CBK, and I'm not saying bja's concerns aren't
> relevant..
>
> IMNSHO though, I like the ad. If taken from the perspective that they
> might actually know what a tech writer does, and know what a good tech
> writer should produce, it would act as a magic filter system...
>
> Say fer instance a newbie applies and states they can produce 20 pages a
> day... immediate fail... unrealistic self-expectations.
>
> Say perhaps a reasonably experienced tech writer applies and stating
> they can produce 5 pages per day, but does not mention that this can
> vary depending of difficulty of app, availability of SMEs and variations
> in toolsets provided by company... Fail again, seemingly unaware of the
> variations from task to task.
>
> Then someone like bja, or cbk comes along, states a range of possible
> page-per-day results, lists the possible factors affecting production
> rate, queries the need for such a tight skill set... Immediate second
> interview because these people obviously have what it takes to
> realistically assess and plan for a task...immediately exhibiting the
> level of tech writer knowledge and skill required for a serious tech
> writing job...
>
>
> Sure as hell would cut through the several hundred wanna be applicants.
>
>
>
>
>
> Joe Zolin
> Technical Communicator/Tech Comms MYOB
> E-mail: JOE.ZOLIN@xxxxxxxxxxx
> Phone (work): (03) 9222 9992 Ext. 7429
>
>
> =3D20
>
> "BIRTLEY-KENT,Christine"
>
> <Christine.BIRTLEY-KENT@de To:
>
<austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>=3D20=3D20=3D20=3D20=3D20=3D20=3D20=3D20=3D20=
> =3D20=3D20=3D20=3D20=3D20=3D
> 20=3D
>
=3D20=3D20=3D20=3D20=3D20=3D20=3D20=3D20=3D20=3D20=3D20=3D20=3D20=3D20=3D20=
> =3D20=3D20=3D20=3D20=3D20=3D20=3D20=3D20=3D20
> =3D20
> wr.gov.au> cc:
>
> Sent by: Subject: atw:
> Strange job advertisments/skills
> combinations=3D20=3D20=3D20=3D20=3D20=3D20=3D20=3D20=3D20=3D20
> =3D
> =3D20=3D20=3D20=3D20
> austechwriter-bounce@freel
>
> ists.org
>
> =3D20
>
> =3D20
>
> 25/02/2004 10:11 AM
>
> Please respond to
>
> austechwriter
>
> =3D20
>
> =3D20
>
>
>
>
>
> >Keep smiling, not everyone is out ta get ya!=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20
>
> Nonetheless, it is still impossible to quote a pages per day rate
> without assessing the environment for which you are developing those
> pages. My rate can vary from 1 to 16 depending upon degree of
> difficulty and quality expectations.
>
> Perhaps someone who is applying for work in Melbourne will apply and let
> us know what happens. It doesn't hurt to stay informed.
>
> There is an ad in Canberra at the moment asking for an e-learning
> developer. The third requirement is:
>
> 3. Provision of an eLearning tool that has an inbuilt tool to track
> learning administration and can interface with Aurion and meet IT
> infrastructure requirements=3D3D20
>
> How can anyone provide this tool without first knowing the
> infrastructure and other variables? And how many training developers
> are software vendors? Realistically they need to be asking for someone
> with 'the skills to find' an appropriate eLearning tool....
>
> I would be interested to know if these people get inundated by the wrong
> type of applicants too.
>
> ck
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: joe_zolin@xxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:joe_zolin@xxxxxxxxxxx]=3D3D20
> Sent: Wednesday, February 25, 2004 9:45 AM
> To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: atw: Re: New Pay Scales for TWs?
>
>
>
> I thought they were asking how many pages a day you could produce, not
> the expected charge rate per page.
>
> Direct quote from ad:
> "please quote an approximate pages-per-day rate"
>
> Still vague, though, but I've got a feeling that bja migyht be jumping
> the gun a bit here.
>
> Also, consider the reasons for not stating company name... If the
> company actually said who they were, there would be flock (or should I
> say
> murder..) of agencies descending upon them trying to get the listing and
> subsequant placement fee for their own.
>
>
=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D=
> 20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3
> D20
> =3D
> =3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20
> =3D3D20
> =3D3D
>
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> 20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3
> D20
> =3D
> =3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20
> =3D3D20
> =3D3D
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> =3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20
>
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> 20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3
> D20
> =3D
> =3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20
> =3D3D20
> =3D3D
>
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> 20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3
> D20
> =3D
> =3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20
> =3D3D20
> =3D3D
> =3D3D20
>
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> 20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3
> D20
> =3D
> =3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20
> =3D3D20
> =3D3D
>
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> 20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3
> D20
> =3D
> =3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20
> =3D3D20
> =3D3D
> =3D3D20
>
=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D=
> 20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3
> D20
> =3D
> =3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20
> =3D3D20
> =3D3D
>
=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D=
> 20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3
> D20
> =3D
> =3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20=3D3D20
> =3D3D20
> =3D3D
> =3D3D20
>
>
> Joe Zolin
> Technical Communicator/Tech Comms MYOB
> E-mail: JOE.ZOLIN@xxxxxxxxxxx
> Phone (work): (03) 9222 9992 Ext. 7429
>
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