Re: more #$ -at- %#^&$# secretary stuff...

[George Mena <George -dot- Mena -at- ESSTECH -dot- COM>]

Hi Mary =D

Does it happen to me?  No, but I've been known to *volunteer* to do this
on more than one occasion. =D  After all, taking notes is part of my
tech writing process anyway.  And to me, taking and transcribing meeting
minutes is just another form of that process.  It's also one that
happens to benefit me, as it helps keep me advised on the state of the
project.

Further, I've been *more* than happy to make copies not only of meeting
minutes, but also of complete tech manuals for capital equipment in an
effort to support Line Maintenance.  I did *that* at my last permanent
job between 1994 and 1996.  I did it because there was a real need for
Line Maintenance to be supported as much as possible, especially being
as chronically short-handed and overworked as they were.

Because I was more than willing to be of service to Line Maintenance as
well as Product Engineering, Doc Control, Marketing, R&D, Human
Resources, Die Fab, Wafer Fab and Finance (the assembly and test
procedures I wrote supported seven product lines), the Line Maintenance
supervisor wound up being a tremendous ally for me when it came time to
making sure I got the support I needed when I found all the holes in his
department's procedural library.  That made him more aware of the
problems he and his charges had to deal with.

Since then, I've run into some people who say that that's too much for
one tech writer to take on and that "it's not my job."  I have a real
problem with people like that.  When you're the *only* tech writer
on-site as I was there, people will seek you out as a potential solution
to the unique problems they need solved.  Why not give of yourself?
Only good can come of it. =D

The idea is to be as versatile and useful to whatever company or
organization is paying you for your services.  In the end, the only
thing any of us, regardless of our occupation, has to offer is a product
or service to sell.  I sell my services.  All of them.

And yes, even though this company was losing over $1 million a month for
the first 6 months of 1996 at the time I was part of a Reduction in
Force, I'd still like to be back there.  The company's principal
scientist, a brilliant Russian national and someone who I now consider a
good friend, honored me a few months back when he showed me that he had
all the disks that were my procedural library in his office!  A lot of
good people are still there and I still wish I was working with them.  I
especially want to work for my Russian friend again, because he's worth
it.

Mary, I'm sorry if this isn't what you had wanted or hoped to hear.
This is just my reply to what you asked.

George Mena

> -----Original Message-----
> From: DURL [SMTP:durl -at- BUFFNET -dot- NET]
> Sent: Tuesday, May 12, 1998 10:57 AM
> To:   TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
> Subject:      more #$ -at- %#^&$# secretary stuff...
>
>         Went to talk to a potential client today. Talked to the
> Project
> Coordinator, the lead engineer....got past them, apparently, because
> they
> brought in the Project Manager.
>         He asked a few relevant questions (no cannonballs, no
> grenades)
> and then said, "Are you willing to take meeting minutes and make
> copies?"
>         Does this *happen* to you gentlemen?
>
>         Mary
>
> Mary Durlak  Erie Documentation Inc.
> East Aurora, New York (near Buffalo)
> durl -at- buffnet -dot- net
>
>
> &^~~~
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