TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Job Search Alternatives From:Laurie Rubin <lmr -at- SYL -dot- NJ -dot- NEC -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 15 Mar 1995 14:08:50 -0500
Bottom line, try all methods, don't get frustrated, and keep plugging. No one
method seems to work for everyone!
One method of networking that requires a little CHUZPAH (more aggressiveness)
is to keep your ears open and talk to anyone you meet -- friends, people in
service-related jobs (hair stylists, doctors, dentists, print shops, etc.),
people wandering the aisles in bookstores -- especially near technical
documentation --, even try to "eavesdrop" on lunch goers' conversations in
food courts that are centrally located in a commercial area.
At one point during a slow job search period, I used this method. I actually
got 5 leads (even one from the eavesdropping method -- you know, excuse me for
overhearing, but,...); in fact, this method of networking landed me one of my
successful, long term contracts (2 years): I had informed a friend of mine who
is a dental hygienist, who found out that one of her patients worked for a
company who was just beginning a job search for a tech writer!
Laurie