Interview Checklist

When you sit down with the hiring manager, that's the point where you see if this is really what you want and they see if you are what they want. If you prepare yourself ahead of time, you'll do well. You can find a wealth of information on the Internet about interviewing. The following is a checklist of items to consider in preparing yourself, during the interview and follow up after the interview.

Young, Rich. IABC (2006). Careers>Interviewing

The Interview Process for Technical Communicators  

Making a hiring decision can be one of the most important decisions made by a manager. You have a technical job to fill that requires high level skills. You also have a group dynamic and corporate culture to consider. The interview process is a set of tools and techniques for gaining information about a potential hire and making an informed decision. This workshop provides a supportive forum for learning from each other’s hiring and job hunting experiences. We also have a wealth of resources to draw upon throughout the interview process. A bibliography will be available for all participants.

Johnson, Jennifer Ramirez and Lee Anne Fernandez. STC Proceedings (1998). Careers>Interviewing

An Interview with Peter Morville and Lou Rosenfeld, Information Architects

An interview with Peter Morville and Lou Rosenfeld covering the topic of what the information architecture is, how information architecture relates to usability, and the challenges faced when constructing a successful information architecture.

Evans, Meryl K. Digital Web Magazine (2002). Careers>Information Design

Interviewing Basics Help You Focus on Content

Interviewing is an excellent primary source of information for any research project. Interviews with subject-matter experts can expose the most up-to-date information and introduce new material that may shatter your originally held ideas about a subject.

Goldberger, Dalya. Writer's Block (1997). Careers>Interviewing

Interviewing for a Job  

Effective interviewing begins with knowing where interviewing fits within the process of finding a job.

Lund, Arnold M. HFES (1995). Careers>Interviewing

Interviewing for Performance  

The author discusses how managers can best prepare for an interview to ensure that the perfect candidate for the job is selected. The article also includes charts that can be used to assess a candidateï¿ï¿ï¿s performance in key areas such as tool skill level, knowledge of online help, and analytical ability.

Bailey, Elizabeth. Intercom (2006). Careers>Management>Interviewing

Interviewing: What Questions Are Illegal?

Discrimination in hiring is illegal. But how do you know when an interviewer is discriminating? Our FAQ on illegal interview questions prepares you before you're in the hot seat.

iVillage.com (2001). Careers>Interviewing>Discrimination

Introduction: Four Carrots and a Stick  

We must understand that if we graduate engineering students who have a full complement of communication skills, we will better prepare them to be more effective professionals as well as highly valued citizens. Clear communcation and clear thinking are mutually reinforcing. Together they are a powerful combination that will serve well the individual, our nation and world in the exciting years ahead.

Dowell, Earl H. LLAD (1999). Careers>Collaboration>Professionalism>Engineering

Introduction to Interaction Design

I recently ran into a fellow STC member, Jennifer Square, in the elevator of a large company where I am contracting. We didn't have much time to catch up, so Jennifer e-mailed me later. Her e-mail signature contained an intriguing new job title: interaction designer. I had heard of interaction design but had never known anyone who actually did the work. I wondered what disciplines it encompassed. Was it just something that all good Web designers did anyway, unconsciously? How did it differ from information architecture? Did I do this in my job without realizing it? Was it something I could list on my résumé? In this column, I will define interaction design by comparing it to information architecture, a related field.

Leonard-Wilkinson, Theresa A. W-edge Design (2003). Careers>Web Design>Interaction Design

The IRS' 20 Questions for Independent Contractors

Independent contractors who don't know about — or who ignore — the relevant aspects of current contractor tax law are endangering their own livelihood and pose a significant threat to their client companies. They're complex, arbitrary, and inconsistently applied, but knowing the rules can keep you and your clients safe. So here they are, in a nutshell.

Synergistech.com (2000). Careers>Freelance

Is It Time To Update Your Resume?

If a recruiter called you today with your dream job, would you be prepared to send out an up-to-date resume right away?

Walker, Deborah. STC Puget Sound (2006). Careers>Resumes>Advice

Is Technical Writing a Viable Career Option?

Ever thought about what goes into creating the user manuals or instruction brochures of your music system, mobile phones or even the car maintenance guides? Most of us just manage to glance through the item, leave alone going into the technical details.

Jasrotia, Punita. IT People (2002). Careers>Writing>Technical Writing

Is Technical Writing Right For You?

Times are tight, and as a writer, maybe you find yourself looking for a new way to use your love for words in a way that generates a more steady stream of income. You come across articles and ebooks on technical writing and wonder if it may be right for you. You already know technical writers penned every owner’s manual for all the gadgets and gizmos, appliances and machines in your every day life. Did you also know they prepare reference manuals, product specifications, assembly instructions, parts lists, help screens and website text? Add to that all the mountains of information they create for businesses – employee handbooks, policy manuals, training manuals, and other documents specific to that type of business. If your only ambition is to see yourself on the NY Times Bestseller List, obviously technical writing isn’t for you. On the other hand, if you have ever had to wade through a user guide that was so vague or so far over your head that you thought I could have written a better book than this, technical writing may be worth considering.

Sommer, Diane. About.com (2003). Careers>Writing>TC

Is the Freelance Writing Life for You?

Freelancer writers tend to develop something of a superior attitude at times. Some of us feel that we are a cut above our brothers and sisters who work as employees.

Usborne, Nick. Excess Voice (2004). Careers>Freelance>Writing

Is the Independent Life for You?  

Frick lists thirteen questions for people who want to know if they have the personality to succeed at self-employment.

Frick, Elizabeth A. 'Betsy'. Intercom (2001). Careers>Freelance

Is the Internet Really Collapsing?

The sky is falling. It has been falling for about a year now, and it feels like it won’t stop falling until every business associated with the Internet is dead, dead, dead.  What is happening now happens with every new explosion of technology. When the sky has finished falling, it will leave behind an industry with far fewer, but much healthier players. And then things will get better than they ever were.

Tognazzini, Bruce. Nielsen Norman Group (2001). Careers>Web Design>User Interface

Is There Intelligent Life Outside the City? A Personal View on Some of the Dos, Don'ts and Elephant Traps in Freelance Consultancy    

Offers comprehensive advice to information professionals considering taking up self-employed freelance information consultancy. Draws attention to the risks associated with leaving the protection offered by corporate employment, alongside the benefits of empowerment through being self-employed. Emphasizes the need for prior business planning and offers advice on business name, web presence, logos, business cards, professional subscriptions, the need to have an accountant and register for value added tax, and dealings with banks and with the local Business Link. Advises against acquiring company status, joining trade groups, untargeted advertising, brochures and mailshots, and professional indemnity cover. Suggests ways of seeking work through networking with contacts, advises on the risks associated with imprecise agreements with clients, and emphasizes that the most important aspect of successful self-employment is self promotion.

Newgass, Oriole. Business Information Review (2007). Careers>Consulting>Freelance

Is This Ethical? A Survey of Opinion on Principles and Practices of Document Design    

In a national survey, 500 technical communicators and 500 technical communication teachers were asked to assess the ethics of seven document design cases. According to the 455 respondents, manipulating typography and leading to fit more or less information on a page and using persuasive coloring or spacing are ethical practices, while the manipulation of pictorial illustrations and the distortion of graphics are unethical. Opinion on using typography to decrease readability is divided. In five of the seven cases, women are consistently more lenient or men consistently more strict in their answers: common practices, specifications, reader's responsibility, writer's responsibility, writer's intentions, consequences, judgments, principles, and insufficient information. The explanation most often given was consequences, indicating a 'goal-based' philosophy of ethics.

Dragga, Sam. Technical Communication Online (1996). Careers>TC>Document Design>Graphic Design

ISO Procedure Development: Using Kickoff Meetings as a Project Management Tool  

ISO procedure manuals are sophisticated, dynamic documents that are developed as the result of a complex process. This panel focuses on an often overlooked but critical aspect of project management—the kickoff meeting. Kickoff meetings bring together all the key people and issues from the beginning, thus mitigating rework and problems later in the project. Kickoff meetings can be used to introduce and manage the ISO procedure development process: empowering the ISO procedure-development team, gathering information to capture best practice, and reviewing and validating information.

McCulley, Stephanie and Janice J. Rowan. STC Proceedings (1994). Careers>Project Management>Standards

It's a Marathon, not a Sprint: Managing Your Technical Writing Career  

I've trained for and run three marathons. My marathon experiences taught me lessons that can be applied to going the distance in a technical communication career. Going the distance requires a willingness to “get going,” continually work on the basics, cross- train, avoid being distracted by what was and what could be, and learn from experience.

Harvey, Michael. STC Proceedings (2003). Careers>Advice>Writing>Technical Writing

Ivory Tower or Real World?

One man's career transition from academia to the technical writing. He dicusses foiled ambitions, crossing over, what is shared, Is it different, and Is it a matter of worth?

Thurston, John. Writer's Block. Careers>Advice

Job Bank

A list of positions currently available for technical communicators in Western Canada.

STC West Coast Canada. Careers>Job Listings>Regional>Canada

Job Descriptions and Job Details

Job-descriptions.org is a free resource for job descriptions and job details. Our website currently contains over 13,000 job descriptions. These jobs are divided into categories, then divisions, then groups and finally the job descriptions themselves.

Job-descriptions.org. Careers>Management>Interviewing

Job Futures for Authors and Writers (including Technical Writers)

A discussion of career prospects in writing, including technical writing.

Human Resources Development Canada (2003). Careers>Writing>Technical Writing>Canada

The Job Hunt: Rich Uncle vs. Monster.com

I'm now going to tell you the #1, surefire way to land a job with a great salary and benefits whenever you're ready to start working.

Berkowitz, David. WebWord (2000). Careers>Interviewing