STC PMC Newsletter August 2011

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About Us Events Membership
News & Views
August 2011
It was a pleasure seeing many of you a couple of weeks ago at our
summer social event co-hosted by the UsabiityNJ chapter. It was a nice
turnout with nice weather (with brief shower) and Janet and I were pleased
to host everyone.
Now that Summer is slowly passing (too quickly for some of us), it's time to
get back into the STC swing of things. To start things off, our first meeting
of the season is coming up in a few short weeks (September 13). We're
glad to have Brookwood Trainingdemonstrate some of the latest Adobe
tools that many of us use or would like to know more about. You'll be
receiving announcements about this and other upcoming events, so
please save those dates.
Also, our annual competition preparations are ramping up. You
can submit entries or volunteer as a judge. Stay tuned for more
information!
Todd DeLuca
President, STC-PMC
Join STC

2. The Benefits of Staffing Agencies
By Katie Wilson
For those of you currently seeking employment, you might consider working
with a staffing agency. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are
four types of staffing agencies:
 Employment placement agencies list employment vacancies and
place permanent employees
 Temporary help services or temporary staffing agencies provide
employees, on a contract basis and for a limited time, to clients in need
of workers to supplement their labor force
 Executive search services or headhuntersprovide search,
recruitment, and placement services for clients with specific executive
and senior management needs, and
 Professional employer organizations providehuman resources and
human resources management services to staff client businesses
For job seekers, staffing agencies can provide help in securing the right job
or in finding a temporary job. Many agencies provide services such as
interview help (either one-on-one interview practice or packets with interview
advice) and job preparation. They also offer other benefits, such as
insurance and flexible opportunities (such as work-to-hire, temporary, or full
time).
Staffing agencies may also have access to companies not listed on regular
Internet searches because they have access to companies that outsource
their recruitment. With all the current cutbacks that have been made, it is
very likely that many companies no longer have the resources to go through
a full hiring process; so they will turn to staffing agencies for a cost-efficient
way to fill that gap. For the job seeker this means that staffing agencies are
another viable resource for finding a job.
People Skills Are Essential For Success
By Edna P. Smith
A few years ago, a manager told me there are three things you need to
know to be a successful technical writer; technical skills and knowledge, job
knowledge, and product knowledge. At first I did not completely agree with
her, but over the years, I have come to some level of agreement. I have
added one important component. In order to be a
successful technical professional, whether you are a writer, a developer,
an editor, or a manager, you need those three things and you also
needpeople skills.
Of all these skills, I believe people skills are the most important. People skills
include how you conduct yourself, how you interact socially with others, and
how well you communicate with others. If you possess the technical
knowledge, know your role, and also know your company and product, but
you are not able to get along with others and communicate intelligently and
effectively about the work, that is a problem. If no one wants to work with
SEPTEMBER 2011
Chapter Meeting
Adobe Tools Showcase
Tuesday, September 13
6:30pm - 8:30pm
Jacquie Beck, SVP at Brookwood,
will provide product demos of
Adobe tools such as Photoshop,
Captivate, and Acrobat.
Giant Community Center,
Willow Grove, PA
Details & Register
OCTOBER 2011
Chapter Meeting
Technical Communicator
to Project Manager and
Beyond
Thursday, October 13
6:30pm - 8:30pm
Senior Member Karen Flam will
discuss job titles, branding
yourself, and using social media to
achieve your career goals.
La Salle Montgomery County,
Metroplex, Plymouth Meeting, PA
Details TBA

3. you, how effective can you be as a professional?
Good people skills are essential. Communication is essential.
Miscommunications have started wars. Lack of communication or
miscommunication can cripple a project.
You must be able to work with different people. You must have social skills
to navigate through the diversity of your immediate workgroup and
department, and the company as a whole. Many companies offer soft skills
training and provide a culture that supports developing professional
relationships. However, the majority of the companies I have worked for
have ignored this valuable area. Building productive teams that mature over
time adds value not only to the workforce, but to your company and product
as well.
Some useful books to help develop people and communication skills
include:
 The EQ Edge – Steven J. Stein, Howard E. Book
 The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Stephen R. Covey
 How to Win Friends and Influence People – Dale Carnegie
 The Feeling Good Handbook(specifically the chapters on communication) – David D.
Burns
 Who Moved My Cheese – Spencer Johnson
Check with your company for training opportunities. It takes more than soft
skills training, you must also use the skills as often as possible. Having a
notebook on your shelf full of knowledge is not good enough. Those skills
need to be put into practice, proactively. Strive to make those new skills
habitual (it takes approximately 21 days to establish or break a habit).
In addition to developing people and communication skills, follow Stephen
Covey's idea of 'sharpening the saw' or continuous improvement. Once you
have knowledge, continue to build on that knowledge and seek opportunities
to enhance yourself and your personal knowledge base. People
underestimate how important people skills are. Getting along with others
and communicating effectively are essential skills, not just at work, but in life.
September 2011 Newsletter Publication Schedule
The publication day for the newsletter is the last Wednesday of each month
with the deadline for content the Wednesday before publication.
The next STC-PMC newsletter will be published on Wednesday, September
28, 2011. The deadline to submit content is Wednesday, September
21, 2011. Submit all content and questions to:
Newsletter Editor

4. JOB HIGHLIGHT
Technical Writer, Contract
A Technical Writer is needed to:
 Generate training materials, user
documentation, process flows, and functional
specifications
 Function as the expert on the assigned project
 Work with staff and business partners to identify
and maximize opportunities to use information
and technology to improve product and business
processes
This position is ideal for a writer who would also like to gain
knoweldge in user design.
For more details on the position, visit,
STC-PMC Careers Page
For information, contact;
Steve Crider
crider@e-primary.com
610.862.0155
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STC Philadelphia Metro Chapter
PO Box 214
Lionville, Pennsylvania 19353
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STC Philadelphia Metro Chapter · PO Box 214 · Lionville,
Pennsylvania 19353