Education Evening Recap: Get a job! Or, at least learn how to get one

The Southwestern Ontario Chapter of the Society for Technical Communication hosted an Education Evening on February 9 at the University of Waterloo, which was designed to help job seekers learn about finding–and keeping–a job. The evening’s five speakers, Margie Yundt, Kate O’Donnell, Susan Malcolm, Cheryl MacDonald, and Janice McVey, used their considerable and varied professional expertise to address a diverse range of topics, all related to employment within the technical communications sector.

Kate O’Donnell, an independent contractor since 1993, spoke about her expertise in this area. She answered questions about how technical writers might consider marketing both themselves and their businesses, and was able to use her insider’s perspective to address both the advantages and disadvantages associated with contract work. Janice McVey, a managing partner for the Dean group, explained the role that recruitment specialists and agencies like the Dean Group could (and do!) play in helping independent contractors market themselves, as well as the more traditional role of recruitment agencies as matchmakers in helping companies and qualified individuals to find each other. To hear what Kate and Janice have to say for themselves, go to YouTube.

Margie Yundt, a Manager at Research in Motion who has considerable experience with interviewing and hiring, spoke about hiring practices at specific companies. Get a sample of Margie’s advice.

Cheryl MacDonald, Research Manager at The Economical Insurance Group, and Susan Malcolm, Career Consultant at the Wilfred Laurier Career Development Center, addressed resume construction, and pointed participants to websites they have found particularly useful for job-seekers.

All speakers touched on interview strategies, portfolio building, the importance of a well-crafted resume and overall interview preparedness.

As a service to the community, the SW Ontario Chapter of the STC hosted this evening for free. The extensive publicity resulted in a high attendance by non-STC members. The informal progression style of the meeting allowed all of the participants to have in-depth conversations with the speakers and ask individual questions. Participants left the evening having gained a better understanding of the technical writing job market and self-marketing strategies to improve chances of landing (or keeping!) that job.

Many thanks to Rhonda Lee for providing the YouTube videos.


By Katherine Heyland