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Agreed. Speaking as a technical writing recruiter, I'm looking for a
mature, adult explanation of why you were let go (or why you left). I don't
necessarily care why someone let you go; the same situation may not develop
at my company. How you handle that situation, including how you represent
it to me in an interview, tells a larger story.
-Ryan
On Thu, Dec 20, 2012 at 8:38 AM, Fred Ridder <docudoc -at- hotmail -dot- com> wrote:
>
> When you are interviewing for a new job, it is *very* easy to volunteer
> too much information,
> and your statement about your postings to the STC Lone Writer's SIG hints
> that you may
> already have a tendency in this direction. (And remember that potential
> employers *do* have
> access in the archives to what you post here, and may also have access to
> the STC discussion
> list that you have just pointed them to.)
>
> In another posting, you explained that your old company needed to save
> money via a RIF and
> you were laid off in favor of a more junior (less expensive) coworker.
> Those are the facts
> of the situation and I would advise against saying a whole lot more than
> that even if your
> interviewer asks a follow-up question. If the interviewer *does* press for
> more information,
> they are often trying to expose any behavior or character flaws on your
> part that may have
> contributed to your own departure. A secondary goal may be to find out how
> inclined you
> are to talk about your employer's business practices, management style,
> and decision making,
> and it is never a good thing if you are perceived as someone who tells
> tales out of school
> (to use a British idiom).
>
> Unless you were dismissed for some particular malfeasance, there were
> undoubtedly a number of
> factors involved in the decision. Most companies (or at least most
> companies that have reasonably
> mature and rational management practices) understand this and will accept
> it if you simply say
> "it was a business decision".
>
> Keep it simple. Keep it factual. Don't make up stories. Don't speculate
> about motivations. Don't air
> dirty laundry.
>
> -Fred Ridder
>
>
> > So true...if you've seen my posts in the STC Lone Writer's SIG from
> > while I was there that's only part of it all.
> >
> > Robin
> >
> > On 12/20/12 2:35 AM, Lauren wrote:
> > > A big lesson here is to get a good back story. Sometimes, things do
> > > not work out but that does not need to be an employee issue. It could
> > > be that the employee had standards and the employer wanted to cut
> > > corners while the other TWs went with the flow. Honesty can work in
> > > the favor of the TW when such honesty is conveyed without some
> > > insecurity about why the job ended. Look at the good things that
> > > could have occurred if the job continued. These are the things the
> > > employer didn't want.
>
>
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--
Ryan Pollack
Senior Technical Writer | Click Security
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