RE: Not Sure

[<Jeanne -dot- Keuma -at- ch2m -dot- com>]

Go with your gut feelings.  It also helps to administer editing and
writing tests (using some of your firm's materials to check for
suitability) and tests in the software you use most often (e.g. Word,
Excel--and general typing skills).  We've been burned before with people
who had many years of experience (even managerial, and who may be very
nice people) but not in the relevant software and kinds of technical
writing/editing we do.

I don't know anyone who would WANT to call themselves "communication
generalists"-- it's probably too generic and says nothing about any
technical writing/editing experience...  Sounds like a PR person...  But
perhaps some firms use that term for their tech comm folks...

Jeanne 




-----Original Message-----
From: Tamara Reyes-Muralles [mailto:trm -at- telusplanet -dot- net] 
Sent: August 14, 2003 2:37 PM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: Not Sure



I was reviewing a woman's resume and she had writing experience. I
arranged a meeting with her, and by the end of the meeting, I was
confused and unable to pinpoint where her experience really was. She
said she was a communication generalist, specializing in media and
corporate relationships. I started to doubt her technical writing
experience when she told me that she felt technical writing meant
different things (who you talked to or where you worked). To her it
meant building manuals. She could not define technical communication,
and it really appeared she lacked technical writing knowledge.

Can someone tell me what a communication generalist is because I have
never heard of the term. Thanks.

Capture Technical Writing Service Inc.
Per Tamara Reyes-Muralles
(780) 433-9848