Re: Getting Hired...Opinion #2500

Subject: Re: Getting Hired...Opinion #2500
From: Ned Bedinger <doc -at- edwordsmith -dot- com>
To: Beth Agnew <beth -dot- agnew -at- senecac -dot- on -dot- ca>
Date: Tue, 23 Jan 2007 21:35:48 -0800

Beth Agnew wrote:

If that's all I had to go on for a job that sounded like it was something I wanted, I'd approach it this way. First, 1-2 years experience tells me they are looking for someone just past entry level, and will likely pay accordingly. They've said "IT experience writing training material", not "experience writing IT training material". To me, that's a significant difference. Sounds like they want someone who has an IT background but who also has dabbled in or at least done a little writing for training. They are not looking for an instructional designer, a techwriter specializing in training materials, or a technical trainer.

Your rationality, in this confrontation with insufficient information, seems right on to me. Sadly for our profession, employers might have better luck finding good candidates if they turn their critical eye toward their job descriptions, instead of jumping right to the fragging of resumes.
That may indeed be what they /want/, but that's not what they'll get based on that description. Based on that analysis (which may indeed be wrong, we're working with a paucity of information here), if I still wanted the job I'd make the first paragraph of my cover letter something like this: "Please accept my application for the position of IT training materials writer. I am an experienced technical writer with strong procedural knowledge who can customize teaching points for any audience." I would also place that last sentence on my 1-page resume (yes, that's all this requires because we have no info to work with, so we're just trying to get the employer's attention) where an objective might normally go. I might word it differently just to vary the message.

Seriously, Beth--if you pursued contract work every few months, with the understanding that you might be researching opportunities and sending resumes full time for weeks or months, would you create a targeted resume for each job?
It's much better to target what you know for sure or can make reasonably accurate guesses about.

I like to say "Choose your battles"--that is, when job descriptions fail to distinguish any requirements that differentiate one job from another, save the ammo and just send up a flare in the form of a generic resume. You never know but the job description might have been a flare sent up by someone looking for a flare in response.
Thanks,

--Ned

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References:
Re: Getting Hired...Opinion #2500: From: Mary Arrotti
Re: Getting Hired...Opinion #2500: From: Ned Bedinger
Re: Getting Hired...Opinion #2500: From: Gene Kim-Eng
Re: Getting Hired...Opinion #2500: From: Ned Bedinger
Re: Getting Hired...Opinion #2500: From: Gene Kim-Eng
Re: Getting Hired...Opinion #2500: From: Beth Agnew

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