RE: BS-ing your way into a Tech Writing job (was: The Tech Writin g World)

[John Posada <JPosada -at- book -dot- com>]

>> I was talking to an ex-manager of mine about job
>> hunting. He told me I am
>> too honest and I had to learn to Bull S**t. He said he
>> landed and held every job he ever got by BS-ing his
>> way in. Act like you know what you're doing
>> and then fake it until you do know it.
>
>I wonder if that's how technical writers got a bad
>reputation.

Or why so many are out of work when they could be successfully employed

He's only part wrong, or maybe the term BS is too strong. Maybe
self-assurance and confidence would be better terms.

My take on this is that when you are interviewing, the prospective employer
wants someone who can do the job. They know that someone walking in is not
going to know how to do everything called on, know all the technology used,
and know all the applications to which they're being exposed. 

However, nobody wants someone who is so non-committal that when asked "Can
you do this?", they say "Maybe, if I have this, that, if I get this, that,
and with all of that, I'll try but no commitment, because after all, I've
never seen this stuff before."

So, when interviewing, sure...you need to be clear about not knowing how to
do something if you know, with a doubt, you cannot do it. If I walked in and
was asked "Can you write a JAVA API document and have it in my hands in 30
days?", I'd say probably not...I'm not a JAVA programmer. However, if I
think what I'm being asked to do is within my ability to learn it while I
produce, then my answer is "Yes" without qualifications.

Besides...it isn't BS if you perform. It is only BS if you don't. If he was
fired from every job that he BS'd into, then it was BS. If you excelled at
those jobs, then it wasn't BS...it was confidence.

John Posada
Senior Technical Writer
Barnes&Noble.com
jposada -at- book -dot- com
NY: 212-414-6656
Dayton: 732-438-3372
"Alright, nobody move! I've got a dragon here, and I'm not afraid to use it"
---------- Donkey

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