I've been sending my resume abroad, to be more specific to Swedish companies. I run into some job offers that, in my mind, seemed to match my current qualifications. Unfortunately, they, politely sent me back an email saying my qualifications do not meet our needs/profile. What a bummer!! . Anyway, aside from these dismal responses :( what I want to empathize here it's their efficiency. Even if they are not interested in my application they reply to my job submission. In this way you don't fuel faint hopes, make pipe dreams and I think it's the correct and serious behaviour that a company should have. In Italy, generally, the human resource managers contact you only if they want to interview you...
Saturday, 12 December 2009
Tuesday, 8 December 2009
Stop writring guide, it's time for Video Guide !
In my role as IT consultant, one of my tasks is to write user guides for our products. It' s really boring, useless and it sucks definitely! at least when my chief says to me: please write the guide, I brace myself !
Why is it boring ?
Because you have to spell out every step that you take in order to make things run. You can't omit anything, to write it as comprehensible as it is possible is an asset , otherwise the end-user can't make it out!
You have to care about the details, take several snapshots hopefully none of your colleagues change the front-end in the meantime.
Why is it useless?
In my brief experience, I've run into several users that simply ignore the guide or skim through it. The final result is that they will contact you in anyway is possible and ask you for an explanation. Please do not ask them have you read the guide ? the obvious answer is no or they stammer to say something " I didn't find it".
Why does it suck?
if the reader has never written any guide, please try it just once and I'm pretty sure you'll agree with me.
Then what can we do ? I realized that we might pin down on video-guide. People have changed the way they interact with media over last years, generally there is no time to read a paragraph, sometimes the instructions are not clear, misleading and not up to date.
Why not use video-guides? End users, nowadays, are familiar with Youtube, they are accustomed to see short movies and probably they can get the information in much easier, more quickly and funnier way !!
With a video-guide it's very hard that they do not understand, images and voices can drive them to explore all the features of your products.
To produce a video-guide is simpler than writing one, I suppose it saves time (therefore it implies your company saves $$$). Some problems arise, of course. You shall guarantee that the user has installed on his computer a video-player, but it's not a big problem because you can provide it with your user guides. Maybe the toughest thing is to keep your video-guide up to date. Sometimes we need to update only a few lines or change some screenshot, how can we do it with a video ? I do not think it's easy to replace a frame with a new one.
Now I want to read your comments.
As user guide do you find a video-guide more handy than a written one?
As technical writer would you replace the traditional user-guide with a video guide ?
Why is it boring ?
Because you have to spell out every step that you take in order to make things run. You can't omit anything, to write it as comprehensible as it is possible is an asset , otherwise the end-user can't make it out!
You have to care about the details, take several snapshots hopefully none of your colleagues change the front-end in the meantime.
Why is it useless?
In my brief experience, I've run into several users that simply ignore the guide or skim through it. The final result is that they will contact you in anyway is possible and ask you for an explanation. Please do not ask them have you read the guide ? the obvious answer is no or they stammer to say something " I didn't find it".
Why does it suck?
if the reader has never written any guide, please try it just once and I'm pretty sure you'll agree with me.
Then what can we do ? I realized that we might pin down on video-guide. People have changed the way they interact with media over last years, generally there is no time to read a paragraph, sometimes the instructions are not clear, misleading and not up to date.
Why not use video-guides? End users, nowadays, are familiar with Youtube, they are accustomed to see short movies and probably they can get the information in much easier, more quickly and funnier way !!
With a video-guide it's very hard that they do not understand, images and voices can drive them to explore all the features of your products.
To produce a video-guide is simpler than writing one, I suppose it saves time (therefore it implies your company saves $$$). Some problems arise, of course. You shall guarantee that the user has installed on his computer a video-player, but it's not a big problem because you can provide it with your user guides. Maybe the toughest thing is to keep your video-guide up to date. Sometimes we need to update only a few lines or change some screenshot, how can we do it with a video ? I do not think it's easy to replace a frame with a new one.
Now I want to read your comments.
As user guide do you find a video-guide more handy than a written one?
As technical writer would you replace the traditional user-guide with a video guide ?
Sunday, 29 November 2009
How to dress for your job interview
Today's topic is focused, again, on a typical job issue. My intention is to lead you in our labour market, to unfold some typical issues and, indirectly, answer common questions about job in Italy.
Shifting today's topic, what to dress depends mostly on two factors:
Shifting today's topic, what to dress depends mostly on two factors:
- the position you've applied for
- the company
In my brief experience as an engineer I've always suited up before having a job interview. Honestly, I don't know if there is a real dress code I suppose there is a hidden consensus about a tie and a jacket for your job interview even though nobody has told you to put them on. Probably because I've always applied for consultant positions which requires a customer face role. In Italy a consultant is often thought as someone who suits up, is elegant. We care about our physical aspect too much. However you are not forced to dress a suit always. For instance, in my current company I'm free to dress as I wish when I work in our offices, but when I meet my clients I had to suit up.
In other circumstance I felt out of my comfort zone at my job interview because of my suit. I had a job interview with a Swedish telecommunication company that hold some offices in Italy, as well. When I was there, they immediately broke the ice and weren't formal at all. The line engineer who interviewed me dressed a simple T-shirt accompanied with blue jeans. They didn't make me feel embarrassed but you know, in some occasion you feel like a fish out of water.
Another example, during my interview for a consultancy company, aside from the fact that the manager was suited up, he clearly said to me: " we have a dress code to follow, just on Friday you do not have to respect it, Friday is called casual day."
Conclusion:
if you've applied for a consultant position you should suit up, but it's not compulsory. It's impossible to guess what best choice is, but in general it's advisable to be elegant, show that you are not scrubby, definitely!
In other circumstance I felt out of my comfort zone at my job interview because of my suit. I had a job interview with a Swedish telecommunication company that hold some offices in Italy, as well. When I was there, they immediately broke the ice and weren't formal at all. The line engineer who interviewed me dressed a simple T-shirt accompanied with blue jeans. They didn't make me feel embarrassed but you know, in some occasion you feel like a fish out of water.
Another example, during my interview for a consultancy company, aside from the fact that the manager was suited up, he clearly said to me: " we have a dress code to follow, just on Friday you do not have to respect it, Friday is called casual day."
Conclusion:
if you've applied for a consultant position you should suit up, but it's not compulsory. It's impossible to guess what best choice is, but in general it's advisable to be elegant, show that you are not scrubby, definitely!
Sunday, 22 November 2009
A call for more democracy in the tv world
Young guys and girls, with a brawny body, tattoos, tanned 365 days per year, call for more democracy in the TV world.
An entire society which, over last the years, has its fundamentals and pillars on the importance
of becoming popular, showing off. Youths who are obsessed by the idea to become famous, as the only turning point of their life, unique way for escaping from a common, ordinary life.
This pipe dream for some of them may be true, for the majority can't be.
The way for the success goes through a picture with a vip or an appearance in a Tv show, few minutes to show your face, smile and catch up Who is Who's attention.
Behind the faint hopes and ambitions of these guys, there is a restrict circle of decision maker people, who can give you a pass for the gate of your dream.
You could be taken aback to discover how important the image is in a country and to find out that is in the hand of just one person.
He is not a common man, he is someone who is in power, who represents an entire nation, whose abilities allowed him to become rich and start up a profitable business.
If I've managed to make these lines tempting you must see Videocray, a call for the democracy in the Italian Tv world.
An entire society which, over last the years, has its fundamentals and pillars on the importance
of becoming popular, showing off. Youths who are obsessed by the idea to become famous, as the only turning point of their life, unique way for escaping from a common, ordinary life.
This pipe dream for some of them may be true, for the majority can't be.
The way for the success goes through a picture with a vip or an appearance in a Tv show, few minutes to show your face, smile and catch up Who is Who's attention.
Behind the faint hopes and ambitions of these guys, there is a restrict circle of decision maker people, who can give you a pass for the gate of your dream.
You could be taken aback to discover how important the image is in a country and to find out that is in the hand of just one person.
He is not a common man, he is someone who is in power, who represents an entire nation, whose abilities allowed him to become rich and start up a profitable business.
If I've managed to make these lines tempting you must see Videocray, a call for the democracy in the Italian Tv world.
Monday, 16 November 2009
How to write an Italian resume/cv
Hi dears,
In this last period it seems I'm really concerned about the job and all the things related to it... it's true, definitely :)
Now, I'm going to give you some suggestions for writing an "Italian" resume.
Listing:
1) Use a standard template/format, we generally fill in the European resume template. It's available here. Broadly speaking, we don't have a lot of different CV styles, for instance I saw that in other countries there is a resume particularly suitable for executive manger or other for young graduate, we just use a standard format.
2) Write not more than two pages. Recruiters are always in a hurry, they just skim through the text and their attention is caught by some key words, therefore you do not need to make it long.
3) Pay attention to your hobby section, do not be neglect. A lot of times, even managers, have been interested in my hobbies.
4) Report your work experiences from the more recent to the less one.
5) It is not compulsory to add your passport picture. If there is no compelling reason or it's not explicitly required do not put your picture. Provide it only on demand.
6) In your languages skills section provide your listening, writing, speaking and reading capabilities. It might come in handy the self assessment grid with which you can assess your capabilities on your own. Also, this grid allows you to express your mastering of the Italian language (and eventually others) in a standard way.
7) At the end of your resume add your agreement for your personal information treatment according to our law. We write something like: "Ai sensi del d.lgs 30/06/2003 n. 196, autorizzo il trattamento dei miei dati personali".
8) Good luck :)
In this last period it seems I'm really concerned about the job and all the things related to it... it's true, definitely :)
Now, I'm going to give you some suggestions for writing an "Italian" resume.
Listing:
1) Use a standard template/format, we generally fill in the European resume template. It's available here. Broadly speaking, we don't have a lot of different CV styles, for instance I saw that in other countries there is a resume particularly suitable for executive manger or other for young graduate, we just use a standard format.
2) Write not more than two pages. Recruiters are always in a hurry, they just skim through the text and their attention is caught by some key words, therefore you do not need to make it long.
3) Pay attention to your hobby section, do not be neglect. A lot of times, even managers, have been interested in my hobbies.
4) Report your work experiences from the more recent to the less one.
5) It is not compulsory to add your passport picture. If there is no compelling reason or it's not explicitly required do not put your picture. Provide it only on demand.
6) In your languages skills section provide your listening, writing, speaking and reading capabilities. It might come in handy the self assessment grid with which you can assess your capabilities on your own. Also, this grid allows you to express your mastering of the Italian language (and eventually others) in a standard way.
7) At the end of your resume add your agreement for your personal information treatment according to our law. We write something like: "Ai sensi del d.lgs 30/06/2003 n. 196, autorizzo il trattamento dei miei dati personali".
8) Good luck :)
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