I’m a Brit, so things may be different where you are. I worked as a tech scribe in the IT industry for a million years, both as a full-time salary slave and on contract.
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I’d suggest that instead of going for a full-time job, you consider working for yourself as a freelance contractor. It’s a MUCH better life.
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Take with you as many examples as you like of your completed work. This must include AT LEAST the last three things you worked on. In each case, if the deliverable was a physical book or manual, take a copy. If it was something less tangible, like a complete help text system, then print out 20-30 of the panels / screens, on the best colour printer you can beg, steal or borrow for the purpose, and then bind them some way so you can present them neatly and talk through the work you did and how you did it. Be sure to include the top introductory screens and the main menus, so that anyone flicking thru can at least get a sense of what you were doing. If there were any bits you were specially proud of or that show off your incredible talents especially well, include them.
Stay clear of any excuses about why you worked on some great project but you have nothing to show for it. ‘It was a top security / confidential project so I can’t show you any of it’, ‘I wasn’t allowed to keep my own copy’ and so on. This sounds sappy and you could just be making it all up. If you mention you worked on something, the interviewer wants to see your work. If you’ve got nothing to show, don’t mention it. Mention the last three things you worked on that you DO have something to show for. You can mention other stuff in passing later on in the interview.
- Mental preparation. Be ready to describe SUCCINCTLY the last three jobs you’ve had, or last three projects you’ve worked on, so that you can give the interviewer a snappy, comprehensible description in each case, and he instantly gets a feel for what you’ve done. Long-winded, rambling summaries suggest your work will be equally full of waffle. Interviewer may be interested in WHO you were working for, at what level in the company. Hint: the higher up the greasy pole your boss was, the better the reflected glory for you.
Be sure to have your employment details learned - who you worked for, when, what the aim of the project was, what your role was.
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For each piece of work or porject you are going to mention, be ready with a pithy summary of why you were happy and enthusiastic to work on it and why you found it enjoyable and satisfying to participate in it. Lie about this if you have to. NO NEGATIVES. Good things to mention: great team, good social side to the job, good leader, big challenge, it stretched you, big achievement, very positive and productive outcome, you’ve had good feedback from end users who said your documentation really helped them blah blah blah. A couple of good anecdotes won’t hurt.
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Put yourself in the position of the poor sap interviewing you. He has been told to find the right candidate. It’s taking up his time, and it’s a big responsibility. Most of the people he sees will be time-wasting idiots. If he chooses someone who turns out to be a bad choice, it reflects badly on him, and he has to go thru the process again. So just give off the vibes that he’s looking for.
Chief among these is ENTHUSIASM for the job, for the work. You have to impress him that you LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this tech writing business and can’t wait to get stuck in and work for him. You don’t want to do anything else. You are committed to this trade. You adore it. You get a big kick out of it. It’s what you LOVE to do. It’s better than sex. That’s the kind of gist he should take away from the interview.
Second, is plain old fashioned competence based on EXPERIENCE. He wants to feel that, in terms of being able to do the job, you are a sure thing, a safe bet, a no gamble, a gold-plated, gilt-edged certainty.
Third, is TEAM PLAYER. You will fit in, you’re nice, you get on with people, you’ll settle in to the office and mix well. You’re not an introverted prawn, and you’re not an egotistical star or a loud mouth who wants to stand out and make special demands.
Fourth is COMPLIANCE. You respect authority and hierarchy. You do as you’re told, and don’t make waves or create a fuss.
Fifth is PRIDE in what you do. You like to get things done, and done well. You pay more attention to your work, delivering it right and on time, than to how many hours you put in or wat time it is. You’d rather skip the occasional lunch than miss a deadline. You don’t let people down, and you aim for your work to be work you can take pride in. You’re not a tedious perfectionist, because things are rarely perfect in the real world, but you want to make sure your work is up to the standard that you demand of yourself, and that the company needs.
Sixth is BALANCE. You have a life. Work is important, but it’s not everything. You know how to relax, enjoy yourself. You have friends and/or family. You don’t live at the office.
I was rarely asked to demonstrate comptence with any given software package. The usual deal was that I said which packages I could use and backed it up with my portfolio / experience. I was given the job or contract on a probation period (1 month, 6 weeks, 3 months… it varied) during which I was expected to demonstrate the claimed competencies. If I couldn’t, I was out.
If you ARE asked to demonstrate your competence with a given piece of software, make sure it IS just a test and that you aren’t being asked to do some real work unpaid. That’s a no no. You work, you get paid. No real test should involve more than a few minutes while someone asks you how you would do this or that, and you show that you know the answers.
Good luck.