Technical writer position with L-Soft to document LISTSERV

Subject: Technical writer position with L-Soft to document LISTSERV
From: Eric Thomas <ERIC -at- SEARN -dot- BITNET>
Date: Tue, 24 May 1994 00:09:52 +0200

After reviewing the list description and recent postings and not seeing
any apparent conflict, I am taking the liberty of posting the following
job announcement to TECHWR-L, as it appears to be the ideal forum for
getting in touch with qualified applicants. I apologize in advance if
this was inappropriate.

The position in question is with the company that markets and develops
LISTSERV (the real one - the one that hosts TECHWR-L), and the task is to
rewrite LISTSERV documentation from scratch. The announcement was
previously posted to a number of LISTSERV-related lists, and we received
a number of applications, some encouraging and some not. However, none of
them was from a professional writer. Conversely, finding a professional
technical writer is not particularly difficult, but we are hoping to hire
someone who is already familiar with LISTSERV and will not end up burning
25-50% of a programmer's time just getting the raw information.

Well, it looks like I have just found a real bonanza - 900-odd technical
writers who are already familiar with LISTSERV :-) Since some of you may
have had a technical occupation in a former life, I am enclosing the
entire announcement, which also contains a number of more technical
positions, to give you a bit more background on the company. A technical
background might be a plus, depending on whether it would allow you to
read source code and figure out what the program does, but it is
certainly not a requirement. Your writing skills and style will be the
determining factors.

Eric

PS: We have only received one application for the Technical Secretary
position thus far. If you happen to know someone in the DC area who
might be interested, feel free to put him or her in touch with us.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
A number of positions are available or will become available shortly with
L-Soft international, Inc. ("L-Soft"). We are posting this announcement
to L-Soft related mailing lists because we believe the nature of our
business makes it desirable to recruit people who have prior experience
with computer networks and our products. For ethical reasons, we are
restricting this posting to mailing lists specifically targeted at L-Soft
products. While you are free to forward this message to lists or
individuals whom you think would be interested in one of the positions we
are planning to offer, we kindly ask that you refrain from reposting it
to public lists which are not in some way related to the positions being
offered. That is, please do not repost this message to a mailing list
about medical sciences just because the list is managed by LISTSERV. We
appreciate your cooperation.

*************************************************************************
***************************** S U M M A R Y *****************************
*************************************************************************

Positions being offered:

1. Application programmer, unix (one)
2. Application programmer, VMS (one)
3. Mailing list administrator (multiple)
4. Technical secretary (one)
5. Technical writer (consultancy/multiple)

Note: the positions are listed in alphabetical order; the numbers do not
correspond to any kind of priority scheme.

All positions except number 3 (mailing list administrator) are available
now. Position 3 will be filled as the need arises, probably 3Q94.

The positions are not rigid! When you turn in your resume, we will try to
determine how and when L-Soft could benefit from your involvement, rather
than aiming for the candidate whose profile best fits the specifications
we published. You may apply for several positions, and you may even
suggest a position that is not mentioned in this announcement, provided
that the work you propose to do is mentioned in the announcement. That
is, feel free to combine 3 and 5 if you have the corresponding
experience, but please do not apply for an accounting job that we have no
need for at the moment.

*************************************************************************
**************************** A P P L Y I N G ****************************
*************************************************************************

We will judge your resume on its contents rather than its form. We prefer
to receive applications by e-mail, because it makes it much easier for us
to scan through the replies. To apply, write to JOBS -at- LSOFT -dot- COM, using the
following subject field:

Subject: Application for position 3 - Mailing list administrator

If you apply for several positions, use:

Subject: Application for positions 1, 2 and 3

The exact format is unimportant as long as the number, preceded by a
blank (no '#' sign or equivalent), is present. The reason for this
requirement is that we expect to use database searches to process the
replies. There is no "punishment" for formatting the subject improperly,
but of course we are likely to miss your application when running the
database search.

You can also apply via mundane means, by writing (or FAXing) to our
Washington office:

L-Soft International, Inc.
3509 Connecticut Ave, NW
Suite 300
Washington, DC 20008-2402

FAX: +1 (301) 913-9849

In addition to your resume, we need to know when you would be ready to
start working for us, and, for consultancy or part-time involvements, how
much of your time you could spend working for L-Soft.

*************************************************************************
***************************** G E N E R A L *****************************
*************************************************************************

- All applicants must speak and write English fluently, so that they can
communicate with customers and with other L-Soft employees.

- Due to the international nature of L-Soft's customer base, knowledge of
languages other than English is always appreciated, regardless of the
position you are applying for.

- In general, L-Soft does not require technical employees to relocate,
although that is of course preferred. Please indicate in your
application whether you would be prepared to relocate or commute to the
DC area, or would prefer "tele-commuting", ie working at home using a
personal computer or workstation connected to the Internet. In that
case please describe the equipment you already have and give a cost
estimate for your Internet connection. L-Soft will, in principle, pay
for a SLIP/PPP Internet connection for employees that opt for
tele-commuting. If most of your work is to be done by telnetting to a
central L-Soft computer, we will expect you to purchase your own
personal computer, if you do not already have one. If on the other hand
that personal computer or workstation is your primary working tool, we
will usually pay for it (and it will remain with L-Soft when and if we
part).

- Non-US applicants are welcome, but will have to be employed on a
consultancy basis. Consultants will be expected to pay all taxes and
social charges related to their employment (and will consequently
receive higher pay than regular employees). Consultants are responsible
for making these calculations themselves, based on the laws and
regulations of their country of residence. The negotiations with L-Soft
will then be based on the amounts L-Soft actually pays.

- L-Soft's corporate strategy is to support its line of business products
on the systems and environments its customers want to run them on. This
requires an open mind and a genuine willingness to set aside one's
personal feelings and cooperate with other employees who may have a
very different background and thinking process. People who think the
solution to our customers' interoperability problems is to migrate
everyone to a single operating system need not apply.

- Regardless of the position, prior knowledge of our products is always
appreciated.

*************************************************************************
*************** Position 1: Application programmer, unix ****************
*************************************************************************

Profile: unix programmer with about 5 years of experience. Involvement
with multiple flavours of unix, or with systems other than unix, will be
highly appreciated. Good knowledge of sendmail, TCP/IP and the Internet
is required. Practical experience with development and/or support of
large applications is a plus. Willingness to work with mainframe/VAX
programmers to solve customers' problems is an absolute requirement.

Task: full responsibility for the technical support and development
aspects of the unix version of LISTSERV, and for maintaining L-Soft's
unix systems.

- Maintenance and development of unix-specific functions of the LISTSERV
library.

- Responsibility for porting the product to new unixes.

- Routine merge of unix-specific and system-independent code to build new
deliverables on all supported unix environments.

- Preparation of installation kits, makefiles, and corresponding
documentation.

- Customer support and assistance, for problems related to the unix
version.

- General-purpose system administration responsibilities (backups, patch
installation, etc).

Involvement: the tasks outlined above are expected to add up to a 50%
involvement. Applicants will be offered a full-time position if they
qualify under another of the positions being offered, or if they have
other suitable professional expertise. Consultants should note that
L-Soft can support up to a 100% involvement until 3-4Q94.

*************************************************************************
**************** Position 2: Application programmer, VMS ****************
*************************************************************************

Profile: VMS programmer with several years of experience writing
application-level code (not just DCL programs), and in particular
multi-process applications using system services and the RTL. This is not
a VMS administrator's job! Please do not apply unless you have genuine
programming experience. Knowledge of C and PASCAL is required, knowledge
of BLISS is appreciated. Willingness to work with mainframe/unix
programmers to solve customers' problems is an absolute requirement.

Task: full responsibility for technical support and packaging, and
partial responsibility for development of the VMS version of LISTSERV.

- Maintenance and development of VMS-specific functions of the LISTSERV
library, and of interfaces to specific mail systems (MX and PMDF).

- Routine merge of VMS-specific and system-independent code to build new
VAX and AXP deliverables.

- Preparation of VMSINSTAL kits and corresponding documentation.

- Development of various administration/configuration tools to bring
LISTSERV in line with the VMS "look and feel" for the system manager.

- Customer support and assistance, for problems related to the VMS
version.

Involvement: the tasks outlined above are expected to add up to a 50%
involvement. Applicants will be offered a full-time position if they
qualify under another of the positions being offered, or if they have
other suitable professional expertise. Consultants should note that
L-Soft can support up to a 100% involvement until 3-4Q94.

*************************************************************************
**************** Position 3: Mailing list administrator *****************
*************************************************************************

Profile: technical background and prior experience with the management of
large or multiple LISTSERV mailing lists. Programming experience and
foreign languages (if fluent) are highly appreciated.

Task: responsibility for the day to day administration of a number of
mailing lists, under the supervision of the Manager of Technical Support.
Depending on the applicant's programming skills, this could range from
processing of delivery errors and "first level" customer assistance to
"second level" customer support and development of "exits" to implement
sophisticated customers' requirements.

Involvement: anywhere between 25-100%. This position is expected to be
combined with one of the other positions, although that is not strictly
necessary.

*************************************************************************
******************** Position 4: Technical secretary ********************
*************************************************************************

IMPORTANT: This position is only available to applicants residing in or
willing to relocate to the DC area. Knowledge of languages other than
English, and in particular Spanish, is highly appreciated for this
position.

Profile 1: young, ambitious secretary with an interest in developing
computer-related skills in a company whose business is to sell group
communication software. Prior experience with computers (word processing
and other simple applications) is required, and experience with
electronic mail or mailing lists would be highly appreciated (but not
required).

Profile 2: applicant with dual background, such as technical/accounting,
technical/financial, and with prior experience with computers.

Task: general secretarial duties, including responsibility for sending
out and tracking invoices, depositing payments, keeping record of
expenses, etc. In addition, the applicant would be trained on-site and
learn the basics of electronic mail, mailing lists, and so on. This
training will hopefully make it possible for the applicant to perform
other, more specialized duties, such as mailing list administration,
technical writing/translation, sales, first-level customer support, etc.
This is a position with real career opportunities for someone with the
right mix of ambition and resourcefulness.

Involvement: in principle, full-time employment, although we will also
consider part-time applicants.

*************************************************************************
********************* Position 5: Technical writer **********************
*************************************************************************

IMPORTANT: All applicants must submit (or be prepared to submit on
request) a sample of some prior documentation work, preferably in the
area of electronic communication.

Profile: technical writer or user support person with a few years of
experience and prior knowledge of electronic mail, the Internet, and
LISTSERV. We will also consider applications from professional technical
writers without the pre-requisite experience. Native or near-native
English proficiency is a must. Knowledge of other languages is
particularly appreciated. UK residents are welcome to apply!

Task: full or partial (shared) responsibility for the documentation of
all L-Soft products, and in particular LISTSERV. L-Soft technical staff
will provide assistance as necessary, but the technical writer is
expected to be able to work on his own, given appropriate "raw"
unpolished documents to extract the information from.

Involvement: anywhere from 50-100%; multiple part-time positions may be
retained if there are enough suitable applicants. L-Soft's objective is
to complete the documentation as fast as possible, in "task force" mode,
and then retain the services of one technical writer on a part-time or
consulting basis, to update the documentation and write new manuals as
necessary.


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