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Optimizing your Portfolio North Bay STC 3

Overview. ContextGoalsWhat should be in your portfolioHow to display your portfolioWhat to do if it's proprietaryQ

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Optimizing your Portfolio North Bay STC 3

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    1. Optimizing your Portfolio North Bay STC 3/17/2011 © 2011. Content Rules, Inc. All rights reserved.

    2. Overview Context Goals What should be in your portfolio How to display your portfolio What to do if it’s proprietary Q & A

    3. Context My experience 2 yrs’ journalism and marcom, 8 yrs’ tech pubs (as staff TW, Pubs Mgr, contract TW), 16+ yrs’ tech comms recruiting My role Matchmaker, advisor, champion My sources (1) industry hiring managers, (2) research into trends, (3) job descriptions, (4) candidates

    4. Goals Keep you sane Let you secure work reliably and efficiently Give you ideas and hope Anticipate and address issues

    5. Portfolios Overview Role of a Technical Communicator’s portfolio What to include How to present it What to do if it’s proprietary How to build a dev-doc portfolio What if you’re new to tech writing?

    6. Your Portfolio’s Job Prove your resume’s claims Prove you understand your audience Prove you know the tools Prove you can organize, write, and deliver

    7. What to include Three kinds of software doc content Procedural Conceptual Reference Three contexts for delivering that info Linear prose Task-based help Instructional

    8. What to include, pt 2 Prove you can organize, write, & publish: a table of contents conceptual material procedural material reference material a glossary an index

    9. What to include, pt 3 What sells best? Clear, crisp, friendly prose (for end users) Screenshots, illustrations (for all) Code examples (for developers) Detailed, complete instructions (devs, admins) Use cases (for all)

    10. How to present it Keys to effective portfolio presentation: Accessibility Relevance Context

    11. Accessibility Put it online LinkedIn profile (box.net, Creative Portfolio Display app) Website you control (private directory, private user/pw) Email (YouSendIt.com for large attachments)

    12. Relevance Based on HM’s requirements: Explain how you approached similar challenges Explain what you delivered and why Discuss what you learned Identify how you succeeded

    13. Context Identify your role in content development Explain circumstances Accessible SMEs, stable product, well-defined features, understanding of audience, authoring tools, schedule, protection? Pinpoint its strengths, weaknesses What would you do differently next time?

    14. But it’s proprietary! Bring solutions to achieve mutual goals Have prospect sign an NDA too Neuter proprietary content Redact Ask ex-boss for permission Ask IP owner’s Legal Dept for permission Take names, addresses, SSNs

    15. Build a Dev-Doc Portfolio Create your own rewrites of public domain doc See synergistech.com/dev-doc-portfolio.shtml for eg’s Demonstrate familiarity with technical subject material understanding of audience's needs working knowledge of authoring tools, and motivation, initiative Create before-and-after samples

    16. But don’t… Don’t say “I can learn anything; just teach me.” Don’t say “I can’t show you my samples.” Don’t make your inexperience (with their product, technology, tools, culture, dev environment) their problem. Do minimize their risk!

    17. If you’re new to the business Read the Catch-22 article www.synergistech.com/catch22.shtml Find ways to show Initiative Motivation You can overcome the gap in subject-matter knowledge You’re a good investment, not a liability

    18. Interested? Intrigued? Let’s talk. Andrew Davis, recruiter 408-395-8178 ext. 105 C: 650-271-0148 andrewd@contentrules.com www.contentrules.com/jobs

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