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3. To business: while I am ALL for companies hiring freelance agencies (and
of course, WritePoint excels among its very capable peers)...companies that
need full time technical writing work are more likely to hire an in-house
person for a variety of reasons which I don't want to go into because -
hey, why argue with someone who wants to hire our services.
4. Rachel, Shmuel is right - be positive about your abilities. Do the best
you can to provide your company with the best services they can offer.
Especially in Israel, more than most places, there is incredible day care
available, and employers understand very clearly that human beings tend to
want to have families and understand what that involves. I don't think the
issue is your materity leave. By Israeli law, that is a given. Once you
have made known that you are pregnant, the company cannot legally fire you.
Once you finish your maternity leave (which again is a given right here
with 3 months of full salary), why would the company want to get rid of
you?
5. If the company needs 2/3 of a technical writer or less, than all the
campaigning you may do will not help because they will save money by not
hiring a full time technical writer. Assuming the need is there - which you
can prove to them by presenting them with all the materials you are going
to assemble now, your company will be very happy to get back an expert in
their software and save the learning curve needed to train a new person.
HTH,
Paula
-----Original Message-----
From: Shmuel Goldstein [mailto:Shmuel_Goldstein -at- packetlight -dot- com]
Sent: Tuesday, June 25, 2002 11:56 AM
To: 'Tsrouya Rachel-BRT022'; 'techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com';
'techshoret -at- yahoogroups -dot- com'
Subject: RE: [Techshoret] Campaigning for a job
It is simple in concept, yet difficult in practice:
Why should I (Motorola) spend about $100,000 a year (this amount is used as
a rule of thumb for the cost of an employee) on you, when I can fire you
and
save the $100,000?
OK, when I need writing done, I'll hire DG-Tech, or Tech-Tav, or
Write-Point, or DocuStar, or LiveLinx, or Eyal Klein, or any of the other
qualified free-lancers or companies, pay them $40 to $60 an hour depending
on exactly what I want done, as I need it? Say, I need only 100 hours a
month of actual writing work (average), then I'm spending about $60,000 a
year. Great.
You are even more expensive when you go out on maternity leave, and will
not be able to stay late because you've got to go home and take care of the
kids.
Now, if you (Tsrouya) can answer that question, whether explicity or
implicitly, and say, "Hey, I'm cheaper" or "Hey, I'm more cost-effective",
for instance because you don't have to re-learn the system for every
project, then you will have a job.
If not, then go work for DG-Tech, or Tech-Tav, or Write-Point, or DocuStar,
or LiveLinx, or Eyal Klein, or any of the other qualified technical writing
companies in Israel.
This sounds tough, and it is. But this is the way I see it.
Keep the portfolio, it's *always* worth keeping it up to date, and take
Paula's advice in to account, it always pays to show how great you are.
Also
note her positive attitude, that's vital.
As for being a working mother, it is difficult, but I know that, for
example, Caroline Tabach manages with this, you might want to bend her ear
for advice.
Oh, and b'shaa tova with the birth, and may it be healthy and happy, and
don't worry about work while you're taking care of your kid. Enjoy him/her
(them ?!? - hey, my wife and I have twins, ya wanna see pix?)
Shmuel Goldstein
Manager, Technical Publications
PacketLight Networks, Ltd.
Kfar Saba, Israel
Ph: 972-9-764-4229
Cel: 972-50-726-749
Shmuel_Goldstein -at- PacketLight -dot- com
-----Original Message-----
From: Tsrouya Rachel-BRT022 [mailto:rachel -at- motorola -dot- com]
Sent: Tuesday, June 25, 2002 11:29 AM
To: 'techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com'; 'techshoret -at- yahoogroups -dot- com'
Subject: [Techshoret] Campaigning for a job
Hello list peers!
I am curently beginning a three month process of preparing myself to
heavily
campaign for my job. I will be leaving on maternity leave soon, and I
understand that when I return in October, I will have until December to
convince my current employer that he needs me. I am the only technical
writer here, which you might think would make my campaign easier, but no.
So, in other words, I have my maternity leave time to take advantage of,
prior to meetings with management in order to organize my thoughts and
proof.
Currently I am:
Writing a style guide for the department - the engineers are responsible
for
a large portion of documentation and are expected to write in good English
style, therefore I believe that the style guide can show my initiative and
concern for good documentation
Creating a portfolio -- to show what I've done here, and also just in case
...
Collecting emails of "thank-yous" and "good jobs" to show that the
engineers
need and appreciate me.
What else can I do in your opinion to prepare for the upcoming campaign?
What kind of tools (in other words, weapons) should I bring with me when I
approach management in Oct./Nov.?
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