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Re: How To Choose A Good TW Was Re: Giving a surprise test to interviewees?
Subject:Re: How To Choose A Good TW Was Re: Giving a surprise test to interviewees? From:David Neeley <dbneeley -at- gmail -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Mon, 21 Mar 2005 20:06:04 -0600
Tony,
Just as many others here, I have been both employee and employer.
On the job, frankly I don't really *care* whether or not a colleague
or job applicant has a "purpose driven life"...so long as when working
he or she has a dedication to getting the job done and the skills to
carry it off, including the skill of getting along with the other
people in the organization.
Thus, it would not occur to me to *ask* "what makes them unique as a
techwriter." After all, techwriting skills are not something in which
uniqueness is seen as a valuable commodity. Competence, yes. Talent,
of course...but as I have said, every manager that is blessed with a
truly exceptional techwriter would much rather have a complete clone
of that individual than be confronted with a prima donna who wants to
talk about his "uniqueness."
If someone conducting an interview asks me "what makes me unique" it
is relatively easy to answer...but I would be wondering why they are
wasting time with irrelevancies. But then, interviewing meaningfully
is a skill that not everyone has mastered--although it comes in handy
when dealing with SMEs, in my experience.
David
>
> Very few people can answer the job interview question:
> "What makes you unique as a X?" with any degree
> specificity.
>
> To ask why this question is so important is to ask:
> "Of what importance is a purpose driven life?"
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