Re: Speaking of having "lots of references"
-Who can a technical writer use as a reference if his (it's my husband's quandary, not mine)immediate managers (in all his jobs, believe it or not) have been incompetent? His current manager's manager is not incompetent, but does a reference of that sort carry any weight?
Not many people will know whether the manager is incompetent, so it might not matter. However, to be on the safe side, what about other managers, such as the CTO, whose departments have had to work with the writer? Going up the hierarchy can't hurt, either. Even if the immediate manager's superiors can't speak to many things, they can say that writers have delivered their material on time and been generally reliable.
That may not sound like much, but, in my experience, a reputation for being reliable is much more important when you're job-hunting than anything else - yes, even more than producing quality work. Assuming that you're basically competent, meeting deadlines and doing what you say you'll do makes a much greater impression than excellence in documentation.
Why? Perhaps because few non-writers (and many writers) aren't especially competent to judge docs. Another reason may be because there are so many writers - especially contractors - who aren't reliable.
-How can he ask at his current job for references without telling them he's looking for another job?
Tricky. Maybe this is where a reference from other departments' managers come in handy?
Better yet, concentrate on references from the job before, if possible.
-How can he get references at all, if most of his managers have been incompetents? Would it help him to join STC and could his contacts there be used as references?
I can't see how joining the STC would help. For one thing, few people outside the field know what the organization is, and the few who do won't be impressed by it. But, more importantly, for a reference to be meaningful, it needs to come from someone you've worked with.
However, perhaps winning a contest might brighten a resume, or a judge's comments could be used with permission as a letter of reference (so, all you need to do is go out and win a contest. Simple, right? :-) ).
Not having viable references makes applying to places like Microsoft awkward, because it asks for references up front.
Fortunately, not every company is the same. References have certainly helped me, but some companies never use them and seem almost indifferent to them. Possibly, a good portfolio explains why - so long as the interviewers have no reason to doubt that a portfolio contains only your work, it's better proof of your ability than a reference.
--
Bruce Byfield 604.421.7177 bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com
"Sometimes it seems unimaginable
That the game could get that rough,
But the stage is set and the exit's barred,
And the makeup won't come off."
- Al Stewart, "Carole"
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