Re: Tools versus skill set

[Keith Hood <klhra -at- yahoo -dot- com>]

The problem often is, the hiring company may have their operations wrapped around a particular tool. It may be that tool is the only thing they've found that can do X or Y or Z for them, or it gives them some kind of capability they think is vital. So they may have all their standard operating procedures tied to it. In a case like that, unfortunately, knowledge of that tool is a serious concern in the hiring process.

For assertions about how your friend is still the right person even if she hasn't used that particular tool, I think that kind of logical argument is better suited to a cover letter or an interview, if she can get that far in the process. Try to punch up the resume with experience she has that is related to the kinds of things done with this particular tool, experience that could be translated into this job. Try to figure some way to show how she's learned other things so they can expect her rampup time to be really short.


--- On Wed, 10/7/09, Tammy Van Boening <info -at- spectrumwritingllc -dot- com> wrote:

> From: Tammy Van Boening <info -at- spectrumwritingllc -dot- com>
> Subject: Tools versus skill set
> To: "TechWhirl List" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
> Date: Wednesday, October 7, 2009, 3:22 PM
> All,
> 
>  
> 
> I have a colleague who has a superb set of skills for a job
> about which she
> was recently contacted  - many, many years in the
> field in internal QC and
> auditing documentation, but the potential employer is all
> hung up about her
> lack of a single software tool. We all know that tools are
> secondary and
> that it's the underlying skills that are critical. (I can't
> tell you how
> many tool monkeys I have worked with during my career that
> couldn't write
> their way out of a paper sack! I at least had one potential
> employer
> recognize this and state "that he could get a trained
> monkey to learn the
> tool to produce OLH - he needed someone who understood the
> data flow of the
> product and how to appropriately chunk and organize the
> information" - I got
> the job, learned the tool and both sides were pleased.)
> That said, she is
> not giving up, and I am helping her in redoing her resume
> that truthfully
> and forcefully highlights her pertinent skill set. What I
> am looking for is
> any references/articles that you may have tucked away in
> your archives that
> provide a solid argument about why tools are frequently
> secondary - it's the
> person's talent that you want. I swear I remember reading
> an article about
> this topic in an STC journal (I think by the ubiquitous Mr.
> Hart) but for
> the life of me, I can't seem to dig it up.
> 
>  
> 
> Any and all references/links/ etc. are sincerely
> appreciated. I know that
> the many gurus and guru-esses on this list will have some
> guidance and
> insight.
> 
>  
> 
> TIA,
> 
>  
> 
> TVB
> 
>  
> 
> Tammy Van Boening
> 
> Owner/Principal
> 
> Spectrum Writing, LLC
> 
> email: info -at- spectrumwritingllc -dot- com
> 
> web: www.spectrumwritingllc.com
> 
>  
> 
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Free Software Documentation Project Web Cast: Covers developing Table of
Contents, Context IDs, and Index, as well as Doc-To-Help  
2009 tips, tricks, and best practices.
http://www.doctohelp.com/SuperPages/Webcasts/

Help & Manual 5: The complete help authoring tool for individual
authors and teams. Professional power, intuitive interface. Write
once, publish to 8 formats. Multi-user authoring and version control! http://www.helpandmanual.com/

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