RE: Advice for Job Seekers

["Murrell, Thomas" <TMurrell -at- alldata -dot- net>]

> From: 	Davidovic[SMTP:davidovm -at- pathcom -dot- com]
> 
> Are interviewers at all interested in an applicant's motivation? Why they
> do
> writing as work? Why they're attracted to particular fields? Or is it all
> skill and no soul?
> 
> Milan Davidovic
> Toronto
> 
I'm tempted to say that I don't care about your soul as much as I care that
you will do the job, contribute positively to the team, and be an all-around
asset to the company.  However, I do care that you care enough to do your
best as much as I care that you have the tools necessary to do the job at
all.  You can be the best writer and the best technician in the world, but
if you don't care about the quality of your work and getting the job done on
time, you won't be any good to me.

If I'm any kind of interviewer, I should be able to get reasonably close to
understanding what you claim your motivations are and what attracts you to a
Tech Writing job.  But what I care most about is that you can do the job and
be an asset to the team getting the job done.

In the realm of stories from interviews, it occurs to me that I interviewed
someone who was highly recommended for his technical abilities and his
communications skills.  He had worked as a writer/trainer earlier in his
career, but his most recent work was in the area of on-site technical
support.  So I asked him why he wanted a job as a Technical Writer.  His
answer was that it was the best way to network into a company to find the
kind of job he really wanted.

Silly me, I wanted someone who wanted to be a Technical Writer.  I passed on
this gentleman.

Tom Murrell