Cleaning House

Lately, a new type of job posting seems to be emerging: the open call for resumes. Today I responded to one such posting, which asked for resume by technical writers, documentation specialists and medical writers possessing financial, biotechnology and/or pharmaceutical experience.

While my most recent positions have been in the financial sector, I have previously dabbled in biotechnology. Since none of my 8 or so existing cover letters mentioned my biotech work, I created a customized cover to go with my resume.

After sending off my application, I realised that when they emailed me a copy of my application, I could save the new cover letter for future use. I am pleased to announce that I am now prepped to apply for Scientific Writer positions.

I wound up being doubly thankful for the posting as a result. Not only did I get to apply to a position, but I also managed to identify a gap in my arsenal of job search tools. There's nothing like a little job search bonus, eh?

Happy job hunting everyone!

Winding Down

Most years, September is the month when companies crunch their numbers to determine whether they can hire a tech writer to do some quick and dirty short-term work. The resulting companies with a few spare dollars translates into job postings in October/November.

Come December 1 though, the job market takes a real nose-dive. There's no winding down slowly. Instead, you see a sudden drop in postings. Sure enough, this morning the job boards featured only re-postings of now-defunct positions.

Given this annual cycle, what's an unemployed tech writer to do? While you may find it near impossible to net a job in December, there are steps you can take to greatly increase your chances of being employed come January.

1. Devote your time to building/solidifying your network. Touch base with recruiters, tweet/blog away, and keep in constant communication with contacts on social networking sites.
2. Use this "down-time" to polish up your cover letter(s)/resume(s).
3. Learn that new skill/software that you've been meaning to pick up.
4. Avoid overlooking jobs based on their job title. Many positions feature funky titles slapped onto industry-standard descriptions.

In short, it's precisely when you're less busy with sending off resumes and following up that you can set the foundation for a great job in the new year.

Happy job hunting everyone!

Run Along Now

I tend to take that "ready for work if work had been offered" line of Unemployment Insurance rather seriously. As a result, I stick near my computer/phone during business hours, on the off chance that someone will contact me regarding a job.

But wouldn't you know it? Late Monday afternoon, I took the unusual turn of going across the street to the grocery for a few minutes, and returned to five voice mails and an email. The recruiter in question wanted me to interview the following afternoon. Naturally, I accepted.

The interview went well-enough. The interviewer and I seemed to get along, and more importantly, we seem to think very similarly. It was one of those interviews where you go to answer a question, and the interviewer subsequently adds details that you were thinking yourself. All in all, a very positive experience.

I will admit that when I spoke to the recruiter on Monday, I was a tad skeptical about her claim that I had to interview Tuesday, because the interviewer wanted to finish all first interviews this week. Sure enough, during the interview, the interviewer informed me that I was one of 10 candidates and that first interviews would be continuing into next week.

That said, I was pleased by what I heard during the interview, and really hope that I do make the shortlist. Of course, this early in the hiring process, who knows how things will pan out? But I am thinking good thoughts, as usual.

Here's wishing all my American readers a Happy Thanksgiving! :)

Happy job hunting everyone!

What's a Reasonable Commute?

It used to be, when I first moved to New York, that most people who lived in Manhattan refused to work anywhere but Manhattan. Indeed, while I was familiar with long commute times, most Manhattanites held this peculiarly vehement stance that they were born in Manhattan, and would live, work, and die in Manhattan. The notion of going even to Brooklyn or Queens to work induced shudders, if not a violent outburst. I was intrigued.

Certainly, for most people in North America, what constitutes a manageable commute depends on a person's circumstances. When I lived in the Southern US, I had no problem commuting almost 2 hours each way to work. Living in a region where things are very spread out, such a commute was expected. Similarly, many people in Connecticut and New Jersey spend 2 hours each day commuting to and from Manhattan for work. And such people deem their commute "doable".

This week, the few technical writing positions available are all in Jersey, and far into Jersey at that. Upon receiving a response from the recruiter for one of these positions, I was dismayed to learn during our conversation that the client would most probably reject my application. The reason? Since I live deep into my borough, the client wasn't considering people who would require a lengthy commute to travel on-site.

I can definitely see how a company might be concerned that someone hired who has a long commute might wind up finding the commute too difficult to sustain. But in the end, shouldn't that decision be made by the candidate when they are informed of the job location? If the candidate decides that the commute is manageable, why should a company presume otherwise.

I must admit that I was quite perplexed by the company's strategy. As unpalatable as a significantly long commute may initially seem to someone, in the end, work is work- that is, after all, why they pay you to do it! But if someone who offers to move closer to the job site is still rejected based on distance to the job site, then it doesn't bode well for anyone who lives outside a given 10 mile radius in the Tri-State area.

A very trying situation indeed. As for yours truly, I'm hoping that the other companies will be more tolerant during their hiring process. And in the meantime, until I receive more responses, I'm sending off my applications and hoping for a positive outcome.

Happy job hunting everyone!

Reference Check

Last Thursday, I received an email from the company in VA. They wanted me to submit references. Needless to say, I was quite excited that they were moving ahead with my candidacy, and promptly emailed them a list.

While I knew that I was in the "Selected" category, which HR told me means I'm under "serious consideration", I also knew that the company was holding a career fair on Saturday. So it was a bit premature to think that I was on a shortlist of any sort. Still, a positive turn of events, and I was thinking good thoughts.

As is only appropriate, I notified all of the references that I included in my list that they should expect someone from the company to contact them in the next few days. By Friday, a few people had received emails from one of the men I had interviewed with, asking them when over the weekend or Monday would be a good time to chat. As I entered the weekend, I was consequently hopeful that things would be a lock once they consulted with my references. Hopeful, mind you- not certain.

Then yesterday, I heard from a few people that they had either not received a response to their emails indicating their availability or not heard from the contact at the designated hour. That's when I knew something was up. Sure enough, this afternoon, I received the rejection letter.

Am I disappointed that I didn't get the job? Definitely. But I will say that upon considering how both the in-person interview (see Interview in VA ) and post-interview process went, I am less sad now about losing the opportunity than I would've been last week. In the end, I see clearly that the job wasn't meant to be and that the outcome is for the best. Onward and upward I say!

Happy job hunting everyone!

Amtrak's New Quiet Car Feature

On my recent trip to VA for an interview, I chose to take Amtrak. It had been about a year since I last travelled by train and I was pleased as punch to discover their a feature they've rolled out since my last trip: the Quiet Car.

Each train now has one car of the eight designated as the Quiet Car. Amtrak advertises the car as "a library environment", one wherein cell phone use is prohibited and talk must be kept to a whisper. Since I often find train travel a bit noisy, I decided to use the Quiet Car in both directions.

The silence greatly improved my travel experience. On the trip down, the silence helped me concentrate as I reviewed my interview notes, and on the trip back, I kicked back and watched the foliage whip undisturbed. Interestingly, the peaceful atmosphere seemed to cause people to be more careful while moving in the aisle; it was the first time ever while travelling that I wasn't constantly bumped as people walked around.

All in all, the feature really enhanced my trip. While I would definitely encourage people to give the Quiet Car a whirl the next time they take the train, be aware that the no cell phone policy and talking levels are strictly enforced; the conductor asked one woman to move to a different car after warning her to keep her voice down. But if it's peace and quiet you're after, I assure you- you'll be pleasantly surprised and may even want to start taking the train more often.

Happy trails everyone!

Interview in VA

This week I had an in-person interview in Virginia (i.e., a suburb of Washington, DC). My friend in Alexandria had been telling me for months that the VA tech writing is stable, with many jobs. So I was quite excited about my trip.

The first bump in the process happened when my departure train was delayed. That delay, combined with the cabbie who drove me from the station in VA getting lost, resulted in my interviews starting two hours late- at 6 PM. That's when the real fun began!

Interview #1 was a combo platter: the Project Manager for the team and the exiting Proposal Writer. The challenging part of that interview was shifting gears from the rather informal note that the interview started with (I was asked who my favourite hockey team was) to a more formal tone. You want to seem professional after all! Also, I found it hard to gauge what to stress in my answers, since the person you would expect to have been asking most of the questions, i.e. the Project Manager, was silent; it was the Proposal Writer who directed the interview.

Interview #2 was with VP who would be my direct supervisor. That session began at 8 PM and ran until almost 9:30 PM. I would summarise that experience as easily the most brutal interview I have ever undergone. Suffice it say that I felt as if I was being hazed in the military, although the ordeal actually gave me insight into his managerial style/methodology.

If I was to pick a common denominator to both VA interviews, it would be how vague they were. Whereas my phone interview a few weeks ago with "Mr. Challenging" (a different VP) had been rigorous, it was also highly focussed and detailed. I understood the gist of the questions, and could consequently feel confident while answering. Upon pondering the discrepancy for a few days though, I determined that the two VA interviews were vague on purpose. The team wanted to see how I deal with ambiguity. In other words, it was a deliberate attempt on the part of the interviewers to see how I would respond to their work environment.

Friends have asked me upon my return whether I was still interested in the position, if company should extend an offer. I have answered yes unhesitatingly, due to the following:

1. Every person I spoke to, save the VP, were downright nice. So overall, it seems like a relatively friendly and open environment. Plus, the verdict is out on whether the VP's personality in the interview was illustrative of his personality in general.
2. The product I would be working on would actually help people in the daily lives. That incentive stands in stark contrast to working on products/processes for banks or multinational corporations, where your work is predominantly serving to make the company richer. Sure, that's satisfying also, but I prefer to work where I can really make a difference in the lives of average Americans.
3. A permanent job opens to door to permanent jobs in the future. The primary impediment to my having been hired for permanent jobs to date is my contracting history. Until I get a permanent job and stay there for several years, nobody is going to believe my constantly uttered statement that I really want to stay and grow with a company long-term. And can you blame them? So while I'm not planning to get the job and vamoose, if several years down the line I find myself seeking employment again, the permanent job market will be open to me.

And that, in brief, was how my interviews went in VA. I'm thinking good thoughts, hoping that after they check my references they'll decide to offer me the job. Until then, I'm sending out resumes for other positions, and trying to remember what I learned from my experiences this week.

Happy job hunting!