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Re: How do you differentiate yourself (UserFriendly)
Subject:Re: How do you differentiate yourself (UserFriendly) From:Jan Cohen <najnehoc -at- yahoo -dot- com> To:"Eric J. Ray" <ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com>, techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com Date:Tue, 27 Nov 2007 12:50:01 -0800 (PST)
The proof is in the pudding...
Personally, I believe it's a matter of the marketing aspects that have already been discussed, as well as being able to provide substantive proof of past accomplishments--which in this sense could be supported by one's marketing techniques. I think the key here is not to wait until you get your foot in the door to share those accomplishments, but rather inducing your target audience (the hiring folks) to want to view some of that "proof" before they even see you. For instance, many of the folks here have an online presence where they share much of what their talent has afforded them. In your case, Eric, that proof might be what you've done to establish and maintain techwr-l over the years. It certainly isn't a trivial accomplishment. Or perhaps you or the other writers maintain blogs, well written and structured, which include at least a few examples of past performance. If you can somehow convince a prospective employer to have a look at your
online work, it might just help you beat feet around your competition. Couple that with everything else you've done during your career (e.g., work history, skill set, education, professional org. memberships, references, etc.), and I imagine you'd end up with just about as complete a package as humanly possible.
Btw, knowing someone on the inside probably wouldn't hurt either ;^)
jan c.
----- Original Message ----
From: Eric J. Ray <ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com>
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Sent: Tuesday, November 27, 2007 9:23:50 AM
Subject: How do you differentiate yourself (UserFriendly)
All,
I saw today's User Friendly
(http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20071127&mode=classic)
and was struck by how much that resembles the perennial problem of
a good tech writer. How do you differentiate yourself (either
on the job or when looking for a job) when you have EXACTLY
the skills that many organizations need, and everyone else
thinks they have those skills too?
Food for thought,
Eric
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Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or
printed documentation. Features include support for Windows Vista & 2007
Microsoft Office, team authoring, plus more. http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList
True single source, conditional content, PDF export, modular help.
Help & Manual is the most powerful authoring tool for technical
documentation. Boost your productivity! http://www.helpandmanual.com
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