atw: Re: ethics and skills
- From: Terry D <morgan4four@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 26 Feb 2004 15:23:06 +1100 (EST)
--- Matilda Reich <matildar@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: >
Terry,
> As a writer recruiter, what do you mean by "a
> shortfall of referees"?
> Regarding soft-copy of a writers work, I believe
> when it comes to whole
> works a writer can only have a hard-copy version to
> demonstrate because the
> copyright belongs to the employer.
> Matilda Reich
>
Firstly, a caveat: I am not a professional recruiter,
though I have hired, or been involved in recruiting,
writers on several occassions. I've also worked with
lots of writers. Of those, there are only a few I
would choose to hire - though circumstances
(desperation, lack of complexity of work...) may
extend that list.
For me, a shortfall of referees happens when I don't
know the referees or the writer. Many a person working
with writers has little understanding of what makes a
good writer. As an example, my last boss had little
understanding of MSWord or what the technical folk
within the organisation wanted from the writers. In a
way, that was good 'cos the writers worked fairly
autonomously. Among the writers, however, the
technical, language and computer skills were vastly
different. When it came time for a rate review, this
boss thought that I and my fellow-contractor colleague
should be paid similarly, despite the fact that I had
to spend a good deal of my time helping this colleague
and fixing his mistakes. It may have been a
negotiating ploy, and is probably related to the fact
that soon after I left the company they retrenched
about 15% of the workforce. Regardless, I would not
trust any reference from this boss.
I have also seen and heard references for people that
were total fabrications negotiated to get rid of poor
staff at minimum cost. Very unethical and leaves the
next employer in a vexed position.
So, if I don't know the referee or writer, I prefer to
make up my own mind about an applicant.
The two easiest ways are a small test or a look at a
softcopy of some work. I only need a couple of pages -
but the softcopy will show if they know about styles
and formatting, which is not always obvious from
looking at hardcopy. Besides, I think you'll find that
copyright applies to both soft and hard copies of
documents.
Cheers,
Terry
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