Recruiting and Mentoring Usability Specialists  

The author’s company is continually looking for people to add to our professional staff of usability and documentation specialists. To overcome the challenges posed by geographically distributed offices, and to ensure new hires can become productive quickly, Tec-Ed takes a structured approach to screening, qualifying, and selecting new hires and then uses a hands-on, building-block approach to train them in our usability methodologies.

Shroyer, Roberta. STC Proceedings (2001). Careers>Management>Mentoring>Usability

Skills Are Still Not Enough  

While it is obvious that a trainee technical editor needs to learn editorial skills and techniques, it is less obvious but not less important for the trainee to acquire certain attitudes in and toward his or her work as an editor. Viewpoints and work patterns that characterize experienced editors provide a basis for concepts appropriate to training a novice editor. They also provide a basis for comparing changes, over time, in what a technical editor needs to know, and how those needs have been affected by developments in the job context of technical editors over the past 30 years.

Zook, Lola M. STC Proceedings (1996). Careers>Mentoring

A Study of Mentoring, Communication, and Leadership from the Protege's Perspective  

This paper presents the results of a survey of leaders in a variety of occupations concerning their mentoring experiences as proteges. Proteges primarily sought friendship and support, guidance and advice, and increased self-confidence and self-esteem, followed by job-related skills and professional insights. In general, proteges learned or got these things, although many also noted learning 'people management' skills. Direct, one-on-one discussions were used most often to communicate, while observation of role modeling ranked high for learning. Integrity and honesty were the most highly sought characteristics in a mentor, followed by willingness and ability to mentor, and then by interpersonal skills.

Farmer, Bruce W. STC Proceedings (1993). Careers>Mentoring

Training Techniques for Interns/New Hires in Information Technology  

This paper provides discussion and recommendations for designing and implementing an internship program for undergraduate students majoring in the computer science and/or information technology arenas. These same techniques can also be used to acclimate new hires to the technological environment within your company. The paper uses the internship program used by IBM’s Disbursements Application Support area (i.e., payroll and travel) as a reference and also discusses the importance of having enterprise-wide support in supporting interns and new hires. Throughout this paper, “intern” and “new hire” can be used interchangeably. Topics discussed in this paper include 1) Campus interviewing, 2) Assignment of technical mentors, and 3) Sample code for selected applications.

Maggiore, Jim. STC Proceedings (2002). Careers>Education>Mentoring

Trust and Respect Form the Foundation for Mentoring

We are all mentors to someone at some point in our lives. And interestingly, we may not even know it at the time. I was quite surprised one sunny day to be introduced by an IABC colleague as "her mentor" when we encountered one of her co-workers as we left a restaurant.

McCauley, Mary Ann. Communication World Bulletin (2007). Careers>Mentoring>Business Communication

What I Did for My Summer Vacation: A Case Study of a Partnership Between a Product Information Department and a Local High School   

The Unisys Mission Viejo facility and the Capistrano Valley High School, both in Mission Viejo, California, were able to achieve a mutually beneficial partnership when an English teacher (Anthony Pastizzo) with an unusual perspective on learning and a Product Information manager (David Robinson) with a strong commitment to education got together. Mr. Pastizzo's summer internship in the Unisys Product Information department led to high school student internships in many departments. Other positive results may also follow. The internships also produced some unexpected positive results within the Unisys facility.

Larsen, Marc R., Anthony Pastizzo, David Robinson and Melanie Silver. STC Proceedings (1999). Careers>Internships>Mentoring

Making the Mentor Partnership Work: Part Two (For the Mentor)

When you act as a mentor, you're agreeing to serve as an ad hoc advisor and sounding board to someone less experienced in the career world than you.

Chroust Ehmann, Lain. TECHWR-L (2008). Careers>Mentoring

Making the Mentor Partnership Work: Part One (for the Mentee)

Few people enter the work world with a ready-made mentor. Instead, you need to actively pursue finding one--and take good care of her once you find her.

Chroust Ehmann, Lain. TECHWR-L (2008). Careers>Mentoring

Developing Mentoring Programs for Technical Writers

Mentoring is an effective strategy that can contribute significantly to the career development of employees. It provides a cost-effective work-based learning strategy to achieve career development outcomes for individual employees. It is an effective method for the transference of professional, technical and management skills.

Singh, Alok Kumar. Indus (2008). Careers>Mentoring>Writing>Technical Writing

Mentoring Another Writer

Some thoughts on what it takes to effectively mentor another technical communicator.

DMN Communications (2008). Careers>Mentoring>TC>Technical Writing

Mentoring in Technical Communication    

Reports on an online survey of 158 technical communication teachers who were asked about their experiences with mentoring. Finds a divergence between the academic mentor's experiences in mentoring and previously reported research on the protégée's mentoring experiences. Argues that risks are inherent in mentoring and proposes a new model that acknowledges them.

Zimmerman, Beverly B., Paul Danette and Katherine Cook Pritchard. Technical Communication Online (2009). Careers>TC>Mentoring