Scary responsibility in job ad

Fri Oct 7 09:39:52 PDT 2011

Milan,

I have not written about this experience but I certainly will. I held the
position for about five years and left the company more than 15 years ago.
Given my background at the time, it seemed ordinary...like all tech writer
were surely doing the same things.

Let me add that I documented and learned to operate engine analyzers, brake
testers, gas analyzers, emissions testing programs, torque testers, every
kind of power tool, every kind of hand tool, battery starting and charging
systems, dynamometers and many other speciality tools. I also learned to
work with CAD systems and became a passable illustrator. We were all focused
on making great products and my contribution was improving support
materials. I respected the engineers and technicians for their knowledge and
they most always demonstrated the same respect for my area of expertise. I
had a super manager, was paid well and learned something new everyday.
Degrees aside, I come from a working-class background and value the work of
every individual.

Mollye

-- 
Mollye Barrett | ClearPath, LLC
414-331-1378  | mollye at clearpath.cc  |  www.clearpath.cc
http://www.linkedin.com/in/mollyebarrett | http://www.twitter.com/mollye
Skype: mollyebarrett

2011/10/7 Milan Davidović <milan.lists at gmail.com>

> Have you written on this one in more detail anywhere (e.g. blog,
> newsletter)? Or do you know of a more extensive account on something
> similar by someone else?
>
> --
> Milan Davidović
> http://twitter.com/altmilan
> http://altmilan.blogspot.com
> http://ca.linkedin.com/in/milandavidovic
>
>
> On Fri, Oct 7, 2011 at 12:04 PM, Mollye Barrett <mollye at clearpath.cc>
> wrote:
> > OK, can we agree that if we didn't want the responsibility we would not
> > apply for the job?
> > If we did want the responsibility, how would we meet the challenge?
> > I worked with a group of 50 engineers and 8 automotive technicians. I was
> > tasked with improving the content provided by engineers. This required
> > establishing relationships and and processes. To be sure, some engineers
> > were more willing than others. I created standards, provided examples and
> > worked with people one-on-one. The automotive  technicians all became
> > technical writers with their own area of automotive speciality.Years
> later,
> > they are all employed as technicians who write for auto manufacturers.
> Some
> > engineers improved greatly, some not at all. My performance reviews
> always
> > included a recognition of the improvements or how I would handle the
> > challenge. I was responsible for tracking individual improvements and
> shared
> > the progress with my supervisor. He developed a role for me as the
> > documentation approver. I could reject poor content if I made solid
> > recommendations for improvement.
> > This position was one of the best I've ever had and I learned a ton.
> > Did every engineer become a stellar technical writer? No.
> > Did most improve their writing? Yes.
> > Did the overall technical documentation improve? Based on usability
> scores
> > and user feedback, absolutely.
> > Call me Silly, but it would have been my loss if I had dismissed the
> > position because I thought it was hopeless. We make our won choices.
> >
> > Mollye Barrett
> > ClearPath, LLC
> > 414-331-1378  | mollye at clearpath.cc  |  www.clearpath.cc
> > http://www.linkedin.com/in/mollyebarrett | http://www.twitter.com/mollye
> > Skype: mollyebarrett
> > On Fri, Oct 7, 2011 at 6:20 AM, Writer <generic668 at yahoo.ca> wrote:
> >>
> >> What I object to is putting the burden and responsibility on the tech
> >> writer, rather than where it belongs...on the engineer. I've worked with
> >> very few engineers who wanted to improve their communication skills or
> who
> >> even cared. Richard, in your case, you were asked by people who were
> >> motivated to learn, and that's great; however, your experiences do not
> >> reflect mine. Most engineers I've worked with just want to do what they
> are
> >> told to do; they don't want to discuss it or describe it.
> >> IMHO, this requirement is setting the tech writer up for failure. Just
> >> because the company wants the engineers to communicate more effectively,
> it
> >> doesn't mean that the engineers want to, are motivated to, or would
> >> willingly cooperate with such "coaching".
> >> Nadine
> >>
> >> ________________________________
> >> From: "Combs, Richard" <richard.combs at Polycom.com>
> >> To: Writer <generic668 at yahoo.ca>; framers <framers at lists.frameusers.com
> >
> >> Sent: Thursday, October 6, 2011 6:52:17 PM
> >> Subject: RE: Scary responsibility in job ad
> >>
> >> Writer wrote:
> >>
> >> > A local company listed this as one of the responsibilities in a job ad
> >> > for a technical writer:
> >> >
> >> > "coach engineers to improve their writing skills"
> >> >
> >> > It makes me laugh and cringe in equal measures.
> >>
> >> I'm really surprised at the overwhelmingly negative reaction to this ad.
> >> Coaching engineers is cited as just one of the responsibilities; without
> >> seeing what the others are, I have no opinion of the ad as a whole, but
> this
> >> specific responsibility certainly doesn't make me laugh, cringe, fear
> for my
> >> future, or get defensive about my profession.
> >>
> >> I'm asked (yes, often by engineers) language/grammar/writing questions
> >> fairly frequently, and in the past when things weren't so busy, I did
> the
> >> occasional short presentation on some language/writing issue at the end
> of a
> >> team meeting. These were well received, and I often got follow-up
> questions.
> >>
> >> The engineers I know are intelligent people who understand the value of
> >> communicating clearly. They want to improve their writing skills in
> order to
> >> communicate more effectively with each other, managers, and other
> >> departments (sales, support, etc.), as well as with me.
> >>
> >> IMHO, sharing what I know with people who see the value of learning it
> >> makes me more valuable. And it's rewarding for me, not cringe-inducing.
> >>
> >>
> >> Richard G. Combs
> >> Senior Technical Writer
> >> Polycom, Inc.
> >> richard.combs at polycom.com
> >> 303-223-5111
> >> ------
> >> rgcombs at gmail.com
> >> 303-903-6372
> >> ------
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
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> >>
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> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
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