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Volume 24, Number 2
October 2007
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October Meeting: Staffing and Interviewing
Expert Jack Molisani Visits LSC

by Jim Korth, PR Committee member

“As someone who has sat on both sides of the interviewer's desk (as a technical writer and documentation manager), I was always surprised how many technical writers didn't realize what a valuable tool their portfolio was,” said industry staffing veteran and long-time writer, Jack Molisani. “Writers who had fantastic samples didn't leverage the samples effectively.”

“Over the years, I tried not to make the same mistake and developed a methodology that walks a potential employer down a path of understanding that I am a professional in my field, I really have done what I claim, and I can solve the problems they are having because I've already done that for other candidates. Plus, I discovered a final critical step that would lead to the next step.”

Mr. Molisani will be the featured speaker at the Lone Star Community’s October meeting. His talk is entitled “ Portfolios and Interview Strategies: How to Ace a Tech Communications Job Interview.” The dinner meeting is scheduled for 6:15 PM, Thursday, October 4, 2007 at the Crowne Plaza North Dallas/Addison Hotel, 14315 Midway Road, Addison, Texas.

If you’ve ever interviewed for a position you didn’t get, chances are you didn't achieve each of the critical steps needed to receive an offer. As a follow-up to his informative, entertaining presentation on "The Top 10 Mistakes Writers Make When Looking for Work," Jack will show how a portfolio is not just a sample of your work. It is a tool you can use to control an interview and achieve four specific objectives that result in a job offer. “It is not a passive way of showing samples,” Jack continued, “it is a very exact, very proactive way of using your portfolio to steer the interview exactly where you want it to go…”

The critical steps of Jack’s methodology include:

  • Establish that you are professional in your field
  • Ensure the interviewer knows you know what you are talking about
  • Show that you really have done what you say you have
  • Show how you can solve the problems they are experiencing

The presentation includes what to put in a portfolio, how to get things to put in your portfolio, and most importantly, how to use your portfolio to ace a job interview.

Jack Molisani is an Associate Fellow of the STC, president of the Aloha STC chapter, and was the chair of the STC Year 2000 Region 7/Region 8 Pan-Pacific conference in Hawaii. Jack has worked as a project officer in the Space Division of the U.S. Air Force and as a documentation manager of a multi-million dollar software company. After years of hands-on technical writing, Jack went on to start ProSpring Technical Staffing, a staffing agency that specializes in providing permanent and contract technical writers.

Details

Thursday, October 4, 2007, 6:15 to 8:00 p.m.

Crowne Plaza Hotel North Dallas-Addison
14315 Midway Road
Addison, Texas

Need directions!

Reservations (Reservations made after 5pm
on October 1 are subject to a $5 penalty)
Click to register for the meeting now!

Dinner (with reservations):

  • $20 STC members or
    Students with student ID
  • $25 non-members

Program Only Attendance (with reservations):

  • $5 for STC
    $10 for non-members
  • FREE for students with valid student ID