RE: New TECHWR-L Poll Question

Subject: RE: New TECHWR-L Poll Question
From: Tom Murrell <trmurrell -at- yahoo -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Mon, 11 Dec 2000 08:53:36 -0800 (PST)

I had several queries from list members asking me to share my "tricks."
You know, when I wrote that earlier comment I meant to say that I
didn't want to hide anything from anyone but that I know--I mean I
know--that this topic has been done to death in the archives. I
remember being involved in several discussions of portfolios, their
relative merits, and how to spot phonies (either phony portfolios or
people who are claiming more expertise than they may actually have). So
I'm not being coy, just trying to be efficient. This list has a
wonderful archive and search capability. I recommend it. <g>

I will say that the person who suggested following up on statements
such as "I took the FrammerJam 5.0 Training Class" to find out if they
PASSED the class had a good idea. Back checking credentials of all
kinds is necessary. Check references, too; sometimes they'll give you
useful information (but not always).

Now, on the subject of multiple resumes and whether or not that's
ethical, I want to say this: EVERY resume I put out reflects what I
want someone to know about me at that time. I don't have several
resumes, but I do tailor my resume to each audience. I agree with John
Posada that I am the sum of my experiences, but I'm not going to dump
unrelated experiences on a prospective employer or client. I'm going to
focus on what would help that client or employer see the light: that
I'm the one they want to hire.

Having said that, there is one piece of information--invariably
unrelated to my technical communication skills--that I always include
in my resume. That's my service in Vietnam. If that's going to be a
problem, I don't suspect I'll want to work there. (And I suspect it has
been a problem for some.) So I do give what might be considered
extraneous information on my resume, but that's my choice. I don't do a
data dump of over 30 years of employment on someone. I don't think that
shows my writing ability very well.

But that's just my take.

=====
Tom Murrell
Lead Technical Writer
Alliance Data Systems
Columbus, Ohio
mailto:trmurrell -at- yahoo -dot- com
Personal Web Page - http://home.columbus.rr.com/murrell/

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