Re: About proprietary writing samples

["Richard G. Combs" <richard -dot- combs -at- voyanttech -dot- com>]

Anonymous wrote:

> I am putting together a writing portfolio for some upcoming interviews;
> however, I have been informed that many of the samples are proprietary,
and
> cannot be shared with other companies.
>
> The problem is this...I'm looking at having an empty portfolio, because
> virtually all of my samples would be considered proprietary.
>
> How do I go about giving an example of what I have done, without
> compromising the policies of my previous companies?  <snip>

Are you on good terms with the previous companies? The best solution is to
get permission to use some agreed-upon materials as samples, perhaps with
some agreed-upon restrictions (e.g., you may show hard copies, but you may
not leave them). If you left a previous employer/client on good terms,
arrange a meeting with the appropriate decision-maker, explain your need,
and see if they can't accomodate you.

As an alternative, people have suggested in the past that you rework some
proprietary material to genericize it and remove company-specific or
confidential information. It's still best to talk with the owners first,
however. For one, it may save you much work. For another, it ensures that
they're comfortable with your plan for making the samples generic and with
your choice of writings (their view of what's safe to share and yours may
differ, and they own the material).

HTH!
Richard


------
Richard G. Combs
Senior Technical Writer
Voyant Technologies, Inc.
richardDOTcombs AT voyanttechDOTcom
303-223-5111
------
rgcombs AT freeDASHmarketDOTnet
303-777-0436
------








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