Hiring
Over the past few years, blogger Cammy Bean has conducted an open survey of her instructional designer readers asking whether they have a degree in instructional design.
The latest survey results indicate:
- 61.45% responded that they do not have a degree in Instructional Design
- 36.92% indicated they have a graduate degreein Instructional Design
- 1.64% indicate that they have a non-graduate degree in Instructional Design
The results may suggest that employers typically do not make having a degree in Instructional Design a top priority for learning professionals they hire. Those that do have a degree requirement are more likely to stress a graduate degree in the field than a Bachelor’s degree.
Connie Malamed, of The eLearning Coach, has compiled a top 10 list of what she believes are the qualities, knowledge and skills the ideal instructional designer should possess or develop. Her list focuses on instructional design for eLearning.
10 Qualities of the Ideal Instructional Designer
What do you think are the most important skills an instructional designer should have to be an effective in an elearning position? Leave a comment.
Find an Instructional Designer through WAI
If you’re an HR, Documentation or Technical Communications Manager, when you finally get the approval to hire one or more contract technical writers you’ll want to go about it the right way in order to avoid problems and ensure success.
This timeless article, written by Writing Assistance, Inc.’s President, Scott Hartmann, provides insight on what managers need to do before and during the process of bringing in new contract technical writing professionals, from creating an appropriate job description to where to find qualified candidates, what to look for in assessing fit for your job or project and the contract itself.
Read: Hiring Contract Technical Writers
Related
Which Skill Sets Are Important for Technical Writers?
Getting Buy In for Hiring Technical Writers in Tough Times
Have you had to hire contract technical writers in the past, or are you in the process of looking for technical writers now? Please post a comment and share your thoughts.
Event: Workforce Planning Conference 2010
When: Monday, June 14 through Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Location: Chicago, IL
Sponsored by the Human Capital Institute (HCI), the second annual 2010 Workforce Planning Conference is designed with senior executives in HR, talent management and planning in mind. Since the economic downturn began, planning for future workforce needs has become more difficult than ever.
The conference is set to discuss the issues of workforce planning in challenging times. According to HCI:
“Rapid reorganizations, whether through downsizing or M&A activity, have made it difficult for companies to understand their current talent pool. Developing a hiring plan that accounts for a wide range of future scenarios is even harder. While many firms see the downturn as an opportunity to build a competitive advantage by acquiring top talent, this effort must be carefully guided by strategic workforce planning, with careful attention being paid to the alignment of talent with future business goals.
Conference Links
Conference Brochure
Meet the Presenters
Register Online
Also of Interest
Potential Position Descriptions for Information Engineering Professionals
What to Consider When Hiring a Technical Writer
As the economy starts heating up, the demand for contract technical writers is likely to be strong. As a rule, in the early stages of economic recovery temporary workers are first to get hired. This makes it easier on employers who may still be uncertain how robust the recovery will be and how long it will take to fully recover to the point where business resumes its once-steady growth.
When it comes time to resume permanent hiring, if the company needs to add a full-time technical writer to its documentation team, it can be very beneficial to convert a successful and highly-valued contract technical writer to permanent status. This saves employers time and money in the recruiting and hiring process.
In this article, Writing Assistance Inc.’s founder Scott Hartmann provides valuable insight into how to go about hiring a contract technical writer, including the development of an appropriate job description and what to look for in contract technical writing applicants. His insights will provide guidance not only to those needing to hire contract technical writers, but to those who may be considering the possibility of adding one or more permanent technical writers to their team.
Read: Hiring Contract Technical Writers
Related topics:
LinkedIn, like other forms of social media and social networking sites, is growing increasingly popular as an effective way to recruit employees.
While recruiters are still using big job board websites, like Monster.com, CareerBuilder.com and CraigsList.com to find applicants to fill job vacancies, contacts from these “traditional” sources often include hundreds of resumes from unqualified applicants and plenty of spam.
In her article, Use LinkedIn for Recruiting Employees, Susan Heathfield, About.com Guide to Human Resources provides specific insight from several recruiters on how they are using LinkedIn to find qualified applicants for open positions. And, as she correctly points out:
“The potential for LinkedIn and other social networking sites to play a major role in your employee recruiting strategy increases as millions of potential employees profile themselves on these sites each year.”
Source: Use LinkedIn for Recruiting Employees
For Applicants: Social Media – Are You Missing Out?
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If you have a group of stressed out and overworked technical writers and need to add to your staff, hiring the right technical writer can be a challenge. In his Considerations for Hiring Technical Writers, Philip Rastocny provides some tips on the hiring and interview process and what you might look for in exceptional technical writing candidates that will best fill the needs of your group of technical writers.
In Rastocny’s article, the scenario is this:
Your department is growing … things are starting to get out of control … your staff is about to mutiny. So it is time to expand your group. You already know what skills you need to handle the tasks, but what other assets can you get at the same time? Characteristics of a technical writer vary from individual to individual, and knowing what to look for before the interview process begins is half the way to hiring the right individual the first time.
Read: Considerations for Hiring Technical Writers
Get a Technical Writer from WAI
by Aparna Datta
With our economy still on the down slope, it is difficult for technical managers to justify keeping an excessive amount of technical writers on their staffs, let alone hiring new ones. In many cases, managers feel they don’t even need writers, arguing that everyone has writing ability. Of course, today’s technical writers not only write, they also perform many other tasks: programming, web development, training, and so on. Add to that the fact that many are also highly trained and certified in other areas besides writing.
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by Karen O’Keefe
The technical communications profession involves a unique mix of technical and communication skills, which is not easy to find. Most managers have had the experience of interviewing and subsequently hiring a candidate who later turns out not to be the right person for the job. This situation begs the question of how to identify which candidate is a good fit for a given position. The answer is that there are five key activities that make the difference between a successful hiring decision and a not-so-successful one. We have all been on both sides of the interview, and this article will attempt to make you, the interviewer, more successful.
This article covers five key activities, including:
- Writing a Detailed Job Description
- Making Sure the Setting/Environment is Conducive
- Conducting a Programmed Interview
- Using Multiple Interviewers
- Considering Testing
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