Orange County STC Newsletter

www.stc.org September 2009 Vol. 48, No. 9

This Issue:

Technical Illustration Tools, Part 2 1

President’s Message 2

Next Meeting 3

Editor’s Desk 4

Choosing Typefaces 6

EduNotes 10

Society Pages 11

OCSTC Employment Information 11

Orange Juice— Membership News 13

Meeting Review 15

Orange Slice— Calendar of Events August Meeting Topic 16

Technical Illustration Tools, Part 2By Mark F. Wilk, OCSTC Member

I n this second installment of my series covering popular technical illustration programs, I’ll review Arbortext IsoDraw, distributed by Parametric Technol-

ogy Corporation (PTC)—the company that sells Pro/ENGINEER.

IsoDraw—My First ImpressionIsoDraw has a decidedly minimalist look, with a white background and isometric grid, which might suggest that its functionality could also be limited. Nine menus line the top of the screen (see Figure 1): File, Edit, Ele-ment, Objects, Text, Window, Macros, Ext, and Help. The draw-ing tools are on the left side of the screen, which include tools for lines, ellipses, fillets, rotation, text, dimensions, and call-outs. The bottom left corner is home to the zoom, grid alignment, magnetic points, and show dimensions tools.

Importing 3D FilesIsoDraw doesn't offer a true 3D drawing environment. However, you can manipulate 3D CAD data imported from other programs. When you import a 3D file (see Figure 2), it appears in the front view; one click puts the file in the standard isometric orientation. You can rotate around an axis or an edge using 3D tools. Once the final orientation is set, there are several methods

for moving the indi-vidual parts along an axis to create an exploded view. While in 3D mode, you have options for cutaways and transparencies. When everything is in the final position, click the Camera tool to convert to 2D mode for cleanup.

I found 2D conver-sion results somewhat less than perfect (see Figure 3). Some details, including rounded

Figure 1. Graphic Interface

Figure 2. Imported 3D Data from SolidWorks or Pro/ENGINEER.

Continued on Page 5 >

2  •  September 2009

President's MessageBy Betsy Malone, OCSTC Chapter President

Chapter Contacts

OCSTC P.O. Box 28751 Santa Ana, CA 92799-8751

Chapter Fax: 949.830.7585

Web site: http://www.ocstc.org

Administrative CouncilPresident, Betsy Malone, pres@ocstc.org

Past President, Bruce Giddens, ipp@ocstc.org

1st Vice Presidents, Programs, Jane Baker and Suzanne Madison 1vp@ocstc.org

2nd Vice Presidents, Membership, Penny Marco and Pat Olsen 2vp@ocstc.org

Treasurers, Sima Staav and Shannon Summers, trea@ocstc.org

Secretary, Neala Covell, sec@ocstc.org

AppointeesTechniScribe Managing Editor, Jennifer Gardelle, techniscribe@ocstc.org

Public Relations, Open

Education, Bill Darnall, edu.bd@ocstc.org

Education, Brian McCaleb, edu.bm@ocstc.org

Scholarship Chair, Carrie Damschroder, carried@hotmail.com

Webmaster, Jeff Randolph, erandolp@ix.netcom.com

Employment Manager, Betsy Malone, betsybythebeach@roadrunner.com

Committees Nominating Committee:

Bill Darnall, edu.bd@ocstc.org

Adrienne Escoe, aescoe@escoebliss.com

Larry Lockie, larry@write-connection.com

Bruce Giddens, ipp@ocstc.org

Join the OCSTC Challenge

You’ve no doubt heard the news about the financial

health of the STC. Member-ship nonrenewals and low conference attendance have contributed to STC's financial downfall. President Cindy Currie and her team have been working on a recovery

plan to meet the nearly $1.2 million deficit they’re facing.

According to the STC, they spend roughly $250 on each member per year—that’s more than is collected through annual dues—to provide services and activi-ties. The STC must stop subsidizing activities in order to recover and regenerate. Throughout the last half of 2008 to present, roughly $1 million in expenses have been cut—which is a good start. See STC.org for more information about their expense cuts to date.

Since May, your chapter leaders have been participat-ing in numerous conference calls, tweeting, blogging, and emailing suggestions to generate ideas on how to recover and regenerate STC's finances. Their regenera-tion plan should have been announced by the end of August.

As part of this plan, the STC has asked the chapters to do the following (and the OCSTC has complied):

Develop a zero-based budget for the next 18 • months by August 17, 2009 that assumes a 60 percent renewal rate and no funding from STC headquarters for one year. (They previ-ously gave back $25 of your membership fee to the OCSTC to subsidize programs and activities.)

Review chapter bank accounts and determine • which funds are needed to conduct pro-grams for the remainder of 2009–2010. Any fund surplus should be sent to the STC. As it stands, all our funds go toward speaker fees, student-member support, Web site renova-tions, and public relations materials. (OCSTC isn’t against supporting the STC, but we’ve allocated our budget as instructed.) The STC might come back to us and ask for our mon-etary support, and in that case, the OCSTC council will rework the budget and decide how they can help.

At the individual member level, the STC has talked about increasing the annual membership dues to $250. Because they realize that this can be a financial burden

Continued on Page 14 >

September 2009  •  3

Next MeetingTopic: Making the Most of Networking OpportunitiesSpeakers: Jolynn Atkins and Sven Johnston, Shelby Gordon, Manal Richa, Mitch Seigel, and Brenda White-sides.

When: Tuesday, September 15, 6-9 p.m.

Where: Doubletree Club Hotel 7 Hutton Centre Drive Santa Ana, CA 92707 714.751.2400

Cost: Members with reservations $24

Students with reservations $18

STC member, speaker-only $10

Nonmembers with reservations $29

Walk-ins, or those registering after

the deadline $33

No-shows billed $24

Reservations:

Due by midnight, Sunday, September 13

Registration:

Online at http://www.ocstc.org/dinres.asp

Directions to the Doubletree Club HotelMap of the I-405 and SR-55 area. The star below indi-cates the hotel location. Parking is FREE.

If you would like to receive e-mail notifications about upcoming OCSTC meetings, visit http://www.ocstc.org/list_redirect.asp.

Click Join. This list broadcasts only meeting notices and STC announcements

Announcing the 2009-2010 STC Spotlight AwardsFor Excellence in Technical Communication

Showcase your talent!Enter your work in any of these categories: Technical Publications Online Communications

ENTRY DEADLINE: September 30, 2009$75 per entry for STC members, $100 for non-membersDiscounts for multiple entriesEnter before the early entry deadline, August 31, 2009, and receive a 33% discount o� your entry fees! For more information, entry forms, and rules, see the competitionweb site at www.stcspotlightawards.orgOr contact Suzy Hosie at shosie@wote.com

Be a Judge!

See the best work ofthe year, set high standards, and make your resume shine

Save the date for the awards banquet:Mark March 6, 2010,on your calendar today!

4  •  September 2009

Publication PoliciesTechniScribe is published 12 times a year as a benefit to the members of the Orange County Chapter of the Society for Technical Communication. The goal of the publication is to reflect the interests, needs, and objectives of OCSTC members. TechniScribe strives to be an advocate for, and an inspiration to, technical communicators by keeping them connected to each other and to opportunities for professional growth.

Articles published in this newsletter may be re-printed in other STC publications if permission is obtained from the author, credit is properly given, and one copy of the reprint is sent to the Techni­Scribe managing editor.

Submission InformationThe editorial team retains and exercises the right to edit submitted and requested material for clar-ity, length, and appropriateness.

When submitting material, please remember to:

Include a 25-word biography about yourself.

Send articles in Word (doc, docx), Rich-Text For-mat (RTF), ASCII (txt), or in the body of an e-mail message.

Send material to the managing editor (techni scribe@ocstc.org) five weeks before the date it will be published.

Editorial StaffManaging Editor Jennifer Gardelle Copyeditor Teresita del Sol Copyeditor Anne Stratford Copyeditor Barbara Young Proofreader Michael Opsteegh Proofreader Suzanne Madison Proofreader Sima Staav Web Version Jeff Randolph

Monthly Advertising Rates1/4 page $40 1/3 page $45 1/2 page $60 Full page $80

Subscriptions$10 a year to members of other STC chapters.

PrinterPrintWorks, Irvine, CA

Editor's DeskBy Jennifer Gardelle

Recently, Guy Ball wrote a great article called “Smart

Volunteering” in which he advised people to go out and volunteer. Hmm… sounds like the “right” thing to do, but I'm busy all day, and maybe I don't have time to lend a helping hand after a long day at—or looking for—work. Well, as he pointed out, volunteering isn’t only

good for organizations, it's also good for you. You not only help your favorite organization and stay con-nected with your peers, but you can also sharpen your current skills or acquire new skills that will help you later.

Last month, I wrote about how we can beef up mem-bership. This month, I'd like to discuss volunteering and why it's so important. I don't intend to reiterate what Guy wrote, but I'd like to expand on it, from an organization's point of view.

Why do we, or any anyone for that matter, volunteer our time? At the end of a long day, it sure would be nice to go home and have nothing to do but relax. But there's something about our favorite organization that makes us want to work a little more. For some, the attraction is networking opportunities or hanging out with friends. For others, it satisfies deep-seated “control issues.” But my point is that whatever the reason, there is one. Plus, as Guy pointed out, we’re getting something out of it, too. It’s a win-win situa-tion all around. But most important, for all of us, to some extent, it's our way of making what we feel is a strong organization even stronger.

If you're reading this newsletter, one of your favorite organizations is probably the OCSTC, and there are plenty of volunteer opportunities available here. One quick and easy way to volunteer, of course, is to write an article for TechniScribe. However, you can also volunteer to join the council. If you’d like to be part of a great team and help out, please contact me at tech-niscribe@ocstc.org or come to a council meeting on the first Tuesday of the month at the Airport Executive Suites in Irvine. There’s always room for volunteers, so “come one, come all.”

One of Our Own Continues to ShineWill Kraft, a former member of the OCSTC, is contributing regularly to MaximumPC maga-zine. He’s writing about Linux and open-source software, which is along the same lines of what he wrote for TechniScribe. Great job, Will, and may you enjoy continued success!

September 2009  •  5

Technical Illustrator Tools< Continued from Page 1

edges, highlights, and other “soft” lines, were re-moved along with the 3D information.

The pulley I used as a test file lost all detail except the holes and outside edges. However, I was able to redraw all the missing elements using the 2D toolset.

One rather exciting feature allows the finished illus-tration to retain the link to the original CAD file, such as Pro-Engineer or SolidWorks. When the source CAD data is revised, the illustration updates automatically, at the same time.

2D Isometric Drawing ToolsThe primary mission of IsoDraw is to import 3D data from CAD programs and turn it into isometric line art as automatically as possible. You can draw from scratch in IsoDraw, but the environment is noticeably unsophisticated. The flat, 2D drawing environment reminded me of working on the drawing board 20 years ago with the exception of one surprising tool, the perspective rotation tool. This tool allows you to rotate a line or a whole part in what is basically the approximation of 3D space. Without this tool, it would have been much more difficult to rotate a com-plex part off the isometric axis. Alternatively, I found myself wishing for a tool to copy a line at a specific distance along an isometric axis. The existing Parallel Paths tool was strictly orthographic, which rendered the offset distance inaccurate when used it on an iso-metric drawing.

Drawing in 2DI used my birdhouse drawing (see the August issue of TechniScribe) to see how well the drawing tools worked. There are two ways to start the front face of the birdhouse:

Create an orthographic front view and use • the Extrusion tool to snap it into the isometric

view. This tool also lets you extrude the shape to the desired depth, or

Draw the front face using the Rectangle tool • in the isometric view and use the Move tool to copy the shape for the birdhouse‘s back wall (see Figure 4).

The Move tool has a dialog box with an adjustable arrow, or you can type in degrees and distances. The rectangle and its copy become grouped using this method, so you must convert them into elements and then ungroup them, taking a little extra time.

I now had to place the hole in the center of the front face of my birdhouse. With Show cursor info enabled, I could select endpoints, grid points, and center points, making it easy to draw a vertical centerline. I then used the line’s endpoint to place the center of the ellipse.

I used the same method to create the perch. You can select and drag an ellipse along the isometric axis to create a cylinder. The Delete Part tool removes the el-lipse’s hidden half.

Now it was time to rotate the side walls out by 15 degrees to achieve that “birdhouse” look (see Figure 5). The Rotate Perspective tool did the job by going beyond most of the other 2D drawing tools. By plac-ing an ellipse on the endpoint of the line to specify the plane of rotation, I was able to rotate the line to the desired position in isometric space. I'm always look-ing for ways to save time, but when I tried to select all the lines to be rotated in the same direction, I found the software would allow only one at a time.

Once the lines were rotated, I had to extend them to

Figure 3. Results of 2D Conversion

Figure 4. Drawing the Front Wall and Duplicating it for the Back

Continued on Page 9 >

6  •  September 2009

résumé doesn’t adequately match your skills to the employer’s desired qualifications or if your résumé is poorly laid out.

Outside of résumés and cover letters, you should devote some time finessing the type in your manuals, interactive help, web pages, annual reports, proposals, white papers, and whatever else you may be writing. All of your documents and projects should be pleasant to look at and innovative enough to attract and hold your readers’ attention. After all, type is all around us on billboards, signs, web pages, cell phones, and television, and your documents are competing against all of these media for your readers’ eyes.

The Importance of White SpaceThe space around letters and words is as important, if not more important, than the shapes of the letters themselves. Just as the most legible type doesn’t call attention to itself, the best use of space is inconspicuous. Space is of the utmost importance be-cause readers don’t read words letter-by-letter, but rather rec-ognize word shapes. If your letters, words, or lines are set too closely together, the reader will have difficulty scanning your text and may give up if it’s too troublesome.

Poor spacing can also inadvertently cause your reader to misun-derstand your text. Graphic designer, Nigel French, relates an amusing anecdote about type with inappropriate spacing in his book, InDesign Type. When he was a boy, he saw the sign for a new video store called FLICKERS. The sign was set in all caps, and the letters were spaced so closely together that, from far off, the L and the I looked like a U. While the video store owner may have done this intentionally, you don’t want the type on your résumé to inadvertently mislead your reader in this way.

Type BasicsTypography, like many art forms, is relatively subjective. Un-derstanding the basics, however, will help you train your eye to appreciate the subtitle qualities of good typography.

The principles that apply to graphic design also apply to typog-raphy. Keep in mind that headings and body text should provide sufficient contrast, typographic elements should provide sufficient repetition to aid the reader’s ability to quickly navigate your text, your text should be aligned with other elements of the page, and elements of type that belong together should be in relatively close proximity when compared to elements that don’t belong together. For a thorough rundown on contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity (could create an interesting acronym there), refer to Robin Williams’ The Non-Designer’s Design Book, which should occupy a prominent place in every technical communicator’s library.

Key concepts that are specific to typography include x-height, leading, and kerning.

serif descender

ascender

x-height

baseline

cap height

Choosing Typefaces< Continued from Page 6

5 The basic anatomy of type. Understanding a few fundamentals is essential to understand-ing how type works. Pay close attention to the x-height, the height of ascenders, and the depth of descenders. The typeface used is Adobe Caslon.

Continued on Page 8 >

John W. Smith123 Any Street

Newport Beach, CA 92660949/555-1234

jwsmith@techwriter.org

Objective

Position as Technical Writer at ABC Global Corp.

Highlights of Qualifications

Possesses excellent verbal and written communication skills• Excelled in a course on teaching technical writing• Demonstrated ability presenting information and managing a class•

Work Experience

123 Software, Irvine, CADocumentation Specialist 2006 to Present

Develop user-friendly manuals for complex software products• Create articles for the online company knowledge base• Develop techniques for single-sourcing the user information that applies to multiple products• Organize and edit the company’s online and email newsletter• Develop a style guide for consistency throughout the user documentation• Edit press releases and marketing collateral• Develop training materials•

Ebenezer Bank, Irvine, CATechnical Writer 2004 to 2006

Managed project workflow for the Documentation department• Managed staff of two technical writers • Wrote and edited policy, procedure, and user guides• Tracked documentation updates for bank business units• Made final decisions regarding language and style based on standard practices• Managed and maintained the bank’s online documentation library, which consisted of thousands of • manuals, forms, and other documentsInterviewed and worked closely with subject matter experts throughout the bank• Updated the document navigation system, comprised of over 160 menus, making it easier for • corporate and branch offices to access the technical documentation residing on shared servers

Education

Whatsamatta UniversityDegree: Bachelor of Arts—English 2003Certificate: Technical and Professional Writing 2003

Choosing Typefaces for Your Résumé and Cover LetterBy Michael Opsteegh, OCSTC Senior Member

A couple of months ago, a colleague (and close friend) asked me to give her some constructive criticism on her résumé. I looked it over, and gave her some feedback,

made some comments on the content and language, and was fairly confident that her qualifications would land her a job—that is, if anybody would look at her résumé in the first place.

John W. Smith123 Any StreetNewport Beach, CA 92660949/555-1234jwsmith@techwriter.org

Position as Technical Writer at ABC Global Corp.• Possesses excellent verbal and written communication skillsExcelled in a course on teaching technical writing

• Demonstrated ability presenting information and managing a class

•

123 Software, Irvine, CADocumentation Specialist

2006 to Present

Develop user-friendly manuals for complex software products

• Create articles for the online company knowledge base

• Develop techniques for single-sourcing the user information that applies to multiple

• productsOrganize and edit the company’s online and email newsletter

• Develop a style guide for consistency throughout the user documentation

• Edit press releases and marketing collateral

• Develop training materials

•

Ebenezer Bank, Irvine, CATechnical Writer

2004 to 2006

Managed project workflow for the Documentation department

• Managed staff of two technical writers

• Wrote and edited policy, procedure, and user guides

• Tracked documentation updates for all business units

• Made final decisions regarding language and style based on standard practices

• Managed and maintained the bank’s online documentation library, which consisted

• of thousands of manuals, forms, and other documentsInterviewed and worked closely with subject matter experts throughout the bank

• Updated the document navigation system, comprised of over 160 menus, making

• it easier for corporate and branch offices to access the technical documentation

residing on shared serversWhatsamatta UniversityDegree: Bachelor of Arts—English

2003

Certificate: Technical and Professional Writing

2003

Objective

Highlights of Qualifications

Work Experience

Education

I don’t think that it’s hard to imagine that, with skyrocketing unemployment, hiring managers are inundated with applications and résumés. When managers are busy and stressed (and they always are), they’ll look for any excuse to skip over your résumé. If your résumé looks boring, uncreative, or unattractive, it’s more likely to get lost in the mountain of other dull, unattractive résu-més. The better a résumé the more likely it is to attract the hiring manager’s attention.

As a technical communicator, you’re expected to demonstrate to prospective employers that you’re creative, you’re able to com-municate information clearly and interestingly, and you’re an expert in the areas of aesthetic and informative document design. After all, if the hiring manager is going to consider entrusting you with creating communications in the company’s name, he or she is going to want to see that you can create an attractive and compelling document that people will actually want to read. As a point of professional pride, spend some time massaging the typography within your résumé and cover letter.

Importance of TypeExcept for certain situations within graphic design, type’s main purpose should always be balancing the readability and leg-ibility of your message. Your type should always be appealing and inviting to the reader. Text consisting of decorative fonts or clashing typefaces turns your reader off. Your use of typography can directly affect whether a prospective employer even bothers to read your résumé.

Perhaps I’m shallower than the next person. If I board a crowded train, and there are only two open seats available, one next to a good-looking person and one next to an uggo, I’m going to choose the seat next to the attractive person every time. That could just be me, but I’m willing to bet good money that you’d do the same. People, by nature, are more attracted to pretty things than they are to less-fortunate-looking ones. Don’t let your typog-raphy make your résumé the ugly person on the train.

Looks aside, bad typography can obscure the meaning or tone of your message. When your message is “hire me,” you want your message to be as clear as possible. By the same token, awesome, stunning typography won’t land you a job if the content of your

5 Two versions of the same résumé. The back-ground résumé uses only Arial, while the fore-ground résumé uses Gill Sans for the headings and Bell for the body text. Which résumé do you find more compelling? The text should appear to be an even gray color, while the headings should provide sufficient contrast to enable the reader to quickly scan the résumé. If you want a closer view, download this issue from the OCSTC web site and zoom in on the PDF.

Continued on Page 7 >

5 White space and word shapes. Readers recognize words by their shapes. The word cat has a different shape than dog. Words set in all caps slow the reader down because the lack of ascenders and descenders causes all the words to have a similar rectangular shape. The typeface used is Century.

6 Reading word shapes. Because we read by word shapes, ascenders play a vital role. Appro-priate amounts of white space between lines of text and around letters allows the reader to scan the tops of words and recognize their shapes quickly. The typeface used is Hypatia Sans Pro.

September 2009  •  7

résumé doesn’t adequately match your skills to the employer’s desired qualifications or if your résumé is poorly laid out.

Outside of résumés and cover letters, you should devote some time finessing the type in your manuals, interactive help, web pages, annual reports, proposals, white papers, and whatever else you may be writing. All of your documents and projects should be pleasant to look at and innovative enough to attract and hold your readers’ attention. After all, type is all around us on billboards, signs, web pages, cell phones, and television, and your documents are competing against all of these media for your readers’ eyes.

The Importance of White SpaceThe space around letters and words is as important, if not more important, than the shapes of the letters themselves. Just as the most legible type doesn’t call attention to itself, the best use of space is inconspicuous. Space is of the utmost importance be-cause readers don’t read words letter-by-letter, but rather rec-ognize word shapes. If your letters, words, or lines are set too closely together, the reader will have difficulty scanning your text and may give up if it’s too troublesome.

Poor spacing can also inadvertently cause your reader to misun-derstand your text. Graphic designer, Nigel French, relates an amusing anecdote about type with inappropriate spacing in his book, InDesign Type. When he was a boy, he saw the sign for a new video store called FLICKERS. The sign was set in all caps, and the letters were spaced so closely together that, from far off, the L and the I looked like a U. While the video store owner may have done this intentionally, you don’t want the type on your résumé to inadvertently mislead your reader in this way.

Type BasicsTypography, like many art forms, is relatively subjective. Un-derstanding the basics, however, will help you train your eye to appreciate the subtitle qualities of good typography.

The principles that apply to graphic design also apply to typog-raphy. Keep in mind that headings and body text should provide sufficient contrast, typographic elements should provide sufficient repetition to aid the reader’s ability to quickly navigate your text, your text should be aligned with other elements of the page, and elements of type that belong together should be in relatively close proximity when compared to elements that don’t belong together. For a thorough rundown on contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity (could create an interesting acronym there), refer to Robin Williams’ The Non-Designer’s Design Book, which should occupy a prominent place in every technical communicator’s library.

Key concepts that are specific to typography include x-height, leading, and kerning.

serif descender

ascender

x-height

baseline

cap height

Choosing Typefaces< Continued from Page 6

5 The basic anatomy of type. Understanding a few fundamentals is essential to understand-ing how type works. Pay close attention to the x-height, the height of ascenders, and the depth of descenders. The typeface used is Adobe Caslon.

Continued on Page 8 >

John W. Smith123 Any Street

Newport Beach, CA 92660949/555-1234

jwsmith@techwriter.org

Objective

Position as Technical Writer at ABC Global Corp.

Highlights of Qualifications

Possesses excellent verbal and written communication skills• Excelled in a course on teaching technical writing• Demonstrated ability presenting information and managing a class•

Work Experience

123 Software, Irvine, CADocumentation Specialist 2006 to Present

Develop user-friendly manuals for complex software products• Create articles for the online company knowledge base• Develop techniques for single-sourcing the user information that applies to multiple products• Organize and edit the company’s online and email newsletter• Develop a style guide for consistency throughout the user documentation• Edit press releases and marketing collateral• Develop training materials•

Ebenezer Bank, Irvine, CATechnical Writer 2004 to 2006

Managed project workflow for the Documentation department• Managed staff of two technical writers • Wrote and edited policy, procedure, and user guides• Tracked documentation updates for bank business units• Made final decisions regarding language and style based on standard practices• Managed and maintained the bank’s online documentation library, which consisted of thousands of • manuals, forms, and other documentsInterviewed and worked closely with subject matter experts throughout the bank• Updated the document navigation system, comprised of over 160 menus, making it easier for • corporate and branch offices to access the technical documentation residing on shared servers

Education

Whatsamatta UniversityDegree: Bachelor of Arts—English 2003Certificate: Technical and Professional Writing 2003

Choosing Typefaces for Your Résumé and Cover LetterBy Michael Opsteegh, OCSTC Senior Member

A couple of months ago, a colleague (and close friend) asked me to give her some constructive criticism on her résumé. I looked it over, and gave her some feedback,

made some comments on the content and language, and was fairly confident that her qualifications would land her a job—that is, if anybody would look at her résumé in the first place.

John W. Smith123 Any StreetNewport Beach, CA 92660949/555-1234jwsmith@techwriter.org

Position as Technical Writer at ABC Global Corp.• Possesses excellent verbal and written communication skillsExcelled in a course on teaching technical writing

• Demonstrated ability presenting information and managing a class

•

123 Software, Irvine, CADocumentation Specialist

2006 to Present

Develop user-friendly manuals for complex software products

• Create articles for the online company knowledge base

• Develop techniques for single-sourcing the user information that applies to multiple

• productsOrganize and edit the company’s online and email newsletter

• Develop a style guide for consistency throughout the user documentation

• Edit press releases and marketing collateral

• Develop training materials

•

Ebenezer Bank, Irvine, CATechnical Writer

2004 to 2006

Managed project workflow for the Documentation department

• Managed staff of two technical writers

• Wrote and edited policy, procedure, and user guides

• Tracked documentation updates for all business units

• Made final decisions regarding language and style based on standard practices

• Managed and maintained the bank’s online documentation library, which consisted

• of thousands of manuals, forms, and other documentsInterviewed and worked closely with subject matter experts throughout the bank

• Updated the document navigation system, comprised of over 160 menus, making

• it easier for corporate and branch offices to access the technical documentation

residing on shared serversWhatsamatta UniversityDegree: Bachelor of Arts—English

2003

Certificate: Technical and Professional Writing

2003

Objective

Highlights of Qualifications

Work Experience

Education

I don’t think that it’s hard to imagine that, with skyrocketing unemployment, hiring managers are inundated with applications and résumés. When managers are busy and stressed (and they always are), they’ll look for any excuse to skip over your résumé. If your résumé looks boring, uncreative, or unattractive, it’s more likely to get lost in the mountain of other dull, unattractive résu-més. The better a résumé the more likely it is to attract the hiring manager’s attention.

As a technical communicator, you’re expected to demonstrate to prospective employers that you’re creative, you’re able to com-municate information clearly and interestingly, and you’re an expert in the areas of aesthetic and informative document design. After all, if the hiring manager is going to consider entrusting you with creating communications in the company’s name, he or she is going to want to see that you can create an attractive and compelling document that people will actually want to read. As a point of professional pride, spend some time massaging the typography within your résumé and cover letter.

Importance of TypeExcept for certain situations within graphic design, type’s main purpose should always be balancing the readability and leg-ibility of your message. Your type should always be appealing and inviting to the reader. Text consisting of decorative fonts or clashing typefaces turns your reader off. Your use of typography can directly affect whether a prospective employer even bothers to read your résumé.

Perhaps I’m shallower than the next person. If I board a crowded train, and there are only two open seats available, one next to a good-looking person and one next to an uggo, I’m going to choose the seat next to the attractive person every time. That could just be me, but I’m willing to bet good money that you’d do the same. People, by nature, are more attracted to pretty things than they are to less-fortunate-looking ones. Don’t let your typog-raphy make your résumé the ugly person on the train.

Looks aside, bad typography can obscure the meaning or tone of your message. When your message is “hire me,” you want your message to be as clear as possible. By the same token, awesome, stunning typography won’t land you a job if the content of your

5 Two versions of the same résumé. The back-ground résumé uses only Arial, while the fore-ground résumé uses Gill Sans for the headings and Bell for the body text. Which résumé do you find more compelling? The text should appear to be an even gray color, while the headings should provide sufficient contrast to enable the reader to quickly scan the résumé. If you want a closer view, download this issue from the OCSTC web site and zoom in on the PDF.

Continued on Page 7 >

5 White space and word shapes. Readers recognize words by their shapes. The word cat has a different shape than dog. Words set in all caps slow the reader down because the lack of ascenders and descenders causes all the words to have a similar rectangular shape. The typeface used is Century.

6 Reading word shapes. Because we read by word shapes, ascenders play a vital role. Appro-priate amounts of white space between lines of text and around letters allows the reader to scan the tops of words and recognize their shapes quickly. The typeface used is Hypatia Sans Pro.

8  •  September 2009

X-HeightThe x-height of a typeface is the measurement from the baseline to the median (the height of a lowercase x). You may have noticed that the x-height varies from font to font. (If you haven’t noticed, don’t worry, we’ll examine some examples in the next two install-ments of this article.) Fonts with larger x-heights require more line spacing.

LeadingLeading is the space between lines of type. Technically, lead-ing is measured from baseline to baseline. The default leading is approximately 120 percent of the point size of the type. For example, 12-point type would be set with a leading of 14.4 points (written as 12/14.4). The default isn’t always appropriate because in addition to type size, you must also consider x-height and line length. I can’t offer a formula for determining the amount of line spacing required for comfortable reading; it’s a matter of aesthet-ics. As you consider the proper line spacing, take the following factors into account:

Font Size.• Normal text of 10 to 12 points is generally set with one to two points of line spacing. Smaller fonts require more line spacing to be legible. Likewise, large heading or display type will likely require less leading in proportion to the text size.

X-Height.• The distance between the baseline and median of lowercase letters. The larger the x-height, the more leading is required because the reader needs more space to recognize the word shapes.

Line Length.• Longer lines of text require more line space to prevent the eye from reading the same line twice. Lines of 75 characters or more should be double-spaced. Keep your body text between 35 and 70 characters for easy reading.

KerningKerning is the space between two characters. Depending on the shapes of the characters, if they look like puzzle pieces that fit together (like the T and the Y in the figure to the right), they may need to be scooched closer together to create a more even text color. By text color, I mean the gray that body text creates on the page when glanced at from afar. Glaring white spaces between characters can distract the reader. Kerning reduces those white spaces. Proper kerning is a tedious task, so you may want to focus any manual adjustments on heading or key text.

Kerning isn’t enabled by default in Microsoft Word. To kern text in Word, open the Font dialog box and click the Kerning check box on the Character Spacing tab.

Next Issue: Type & FontsThis issue, we looked at how important type is to getting your résumé noticed, the basics of type, and white space. The next installment in this series will cover readability and legibility, type styles, and fonts.

Choosing Typefaces< Continued from Page 7

unkerned type

kerned type

6 Kerning. Kerning is the adjustment of space between two letters. Kerning is intended to make the space between letters even. In the example below, the first instance in not kerned while the second is. Notice the T and the Y fit more closely together in the kerned type. The typeface used is Adobe Caslon.

A Note on Text Résumés. Increasingly, we’re forced to enter our résumés as plain text into a job database, which accepts no formatting. You should still take the advice from this article to create a PDF or print résumé. Following your elec-tronic submission up with a hard copy to the hiring manager might help you stand out. Also, bringing a couple of copies to the interview is a nice touch.

15 pts

12 ptstype size

leading

6 Type Size and Leading. The point size of type is measured from roughly the bottom of the de-scenders to the top of the ascenders. The leading is the amount of space between lines of type and is measured from baseline to baseline. The exam-ple below is 12-point type set on 15-point leading (or 12/15). The typeface used is High Tower.

September 2009  •  9

meet up with the top line, but there was no Extend tool. So, I had to change the line length in the Object Attributes menu and then use the Trim tool to trim it to the intersecting line. This seems very inefficient. I added the peak by snapping a center line to the midpoint and extending it to the peak’s height. Then, I was able to draw lines from its endpoint to the end-points of my rotated lines and copy them to the back wall.

Creating the RoofThe extra challenges of drawing in 2D became evident when I started creating the roof. The roof line doesn’t lay on an isometric axis, so you can't just measure the roof’s length because you must take visual foreshort-ening into account. I had to resort to using the ellipse as a measuring device, an old trick from precomputer days.

First, I copied the lines from the front face peak to cre-ate the roof’s front overhang. Next, I placed an ellipse centered on the endpoint of the roof line to create the overhang for the side of the roof (see Figure 6).

Then, I lengthened the line to the edge of the ellipse using the tedious method of changing the attributes of the line to lengthen it, then trimming it to the edge of the ellipse.

Once the roof lines were the right length, I drew the side of the roof by connecting the front and back endpoints. I had to use the ellipse again to measure the roof’s height because I was still working on a non-isometric axis.

I couldn’t draw a line perpendicular to an existing line on the isometric plane, but I was able to use the Rotate Perspective tool to copy a line rotated at 90 degrees, so I could finish the roof.

Drawing the worm was the final step, and the Bezier curve tool was very useful for this task. However, the resulting curves were not as fluid as with some other programs.

Bells and WhistlesAn important characteristic of a professional illustra-tion is the use of thick and thin lines. All outside edg-es are rendered with a thick line while interior lines use a thinner line weight. IsoDraw lets you change from thick to thin simply by double-clicking the line. Also, an automatic feature applies the appropriate line weight to rectangles and ellipses, depending on which direction you drag them (see Figure 7) . However, I found it distracting trying to remember on which side

Figure 5. Rotating the Side Walls

Figure 6. Using Ellipses to Measure the Roof Extension

Figure 7. Finished Birdhouse with Worm

Technical Illustrator Tools< Continued from Page 5

Continued on Page 12 >

10  •  September 2009

EduNotesBy Bill Darnall, Cochair, OCSTC Education

A controlled glossary is a managed list of selected terms. By contrast, an uncontrolled glossary is an

unmanaged list of selected terms. Personally, I suspect that most glossaries have at least some degree of ca-sual management. The formal definition of a glossary, according to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, is, “A list of difficult or specialized words with their definitions, often placed at the back of a book.” From experience, we know that glossa-ries of technical terms often include acronyms and abbreviations as well as elements of corporate style and punctuation.

RequirementsHere’s a scenario to which you may relate.

Your manager asks you to build a glossary • and to keep it up to date.

You understand that the controlled glossary • must include terms associated with a family of new products. The product-development cycle is two years.

Your manager tells you that the glossary is for • the exclusive use of company personnel.

The glossary is to be easily accessible via the • company network.

ActionsDepending on your approach to things, you may sit down and create an instant spreadsheet. However, let’s assume that you take a more structured ap-proach.

First, create a realistic set of requirements. Once you have the requirements, you can draft a policy state-ment that establishes the need for the glossary. As soon as practical, a corporate executive should sign the simple policy statement. The policy will justify your job and will charter a multidepartment work-ing committee. You need to draw on all company resources. For example, Marketing, Manufacturing, Quality, and Engineering have different information needs and requirements. Committee members will be able to direct you to the appropriate subject-matter experts (SMEs). You’ll also need written procedures for gathering and managing glossary information. Step-by-step procedures will provide consistency for you and for other writers who will create and main-tain the glossary.

In summary, you’re responsible for making specific information readily available to anyone in your com-

pany who needs it. Based on your experience, you understand that the glossary project responsibilities include user analysis, content acquisition, informa-tion architecture, content management architecture, content management, and content accessibility.

Developing RequirementsDevelop answers to the following ques-tions before you attempt to write either policies or procedures. Add additional questions that may be appropriate to your particular situation.

User AnalysisWho are the users in your company? What are the departmental needs? How will users interact with information in the glossary?

Content AcquisitionHow will you acquire the words and terms for the glossary? How will you document your sources? Will everyone in the company be allowed to make sugges-tions?

Information ArchitectureWill you use a single or a layered structure to present the information? In what format (on screen and/or printed) will glossary terms appear to the user? Will there be a need for reference links?

Content Management ArchitectureIn addition to specific terms, what other elements of information will be stored, updated, and accessed? What type of storage will be used (flat-file spread-sheet or indexed database records)? How will you archive revisions and revision history?

Content ManagementWhat is the physical location of the storage system? Who will enter, update, and maintain the informa-tion to be stored? What criteria will the committee use to include terms? Will there be file-size constraints? How will you support graphics? What is the security, backup, and failure-recovery strategy?

Content Accessibility and User InterfaceHow will users access the information? What will the user interface look like? How can IT help you meet your goals? Will there be a print capability? If yes, will all printed documents carry a revision level?

ConclusionThe creation and maintenance of a controlled glossary is a project unto itself. Use project management meth-ods and techniques to ensure that the glossary meets all of the requirements and is highly effective.

OCSTC Employment InformationOur job listing is entirely online at the OCSTC web site. Pages are updated as jobs are submitted.

Staff Jobshttp://www.ocstc.org/employme.asp

Contract Jobshttp://www.ocstc.org/contractme.asp

Free Job Postinghttp://www.ocstc.org/jobsubmit.asp

InquiriesIf you have an inquiry, e-mail our employment manager, Betsy Malone, at betsybythebeach@adelphia.net.

Society-Level Job ListingsSTC maintains job listings on the Internet. You can download the listings from the STC web site at http://jobs.stc.org.

September 2009  •  11

Society Pages

STC Mission StatementSTC advances the theory and practice of technical communication across all user abilities and all media.

Positioning StatementSTC helps you design effective communication for a technical world through information sharing and industry leadership.

The Society for Technical Communication (STC) is the world’s largest organization for technical com-municators.

Its more than 14,000 members include writers, edi-tors, illustrators, printers, publishers, photographers, educators, and students.

Dues are $60–175 per year. Membership is open to anyone engaged in some phase of technical communi-cation, interested in the arts and sciences of technical communication, and in allied arts and sciences.

Society for Technical Communication 9401 Lee Highway, Suite 300 Fairfax, VA 22031-1803

703.522.4114 (voice); http://www.stc.org

TechniScribe Copyright and Trademark StatementOCSTC invites writers to submit articles that they wish to be considered for publication. Authors retain copyright to their work and implicitly grant a license to this newsletter to publish the work once in print and to publish it once online for an indefinite period of time. In your cover letter, please let the editor know if this article has appeared elsewhere, and if it has been submitted for consideration to other publications.

The design and layout of this newsletter are copy-righted as © STC, 2009.

Some articles might refer to companies or products whose names are covered by a trademark or regis-tered trademark. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Reference to a specific product does not constitute an endorsement of the product by OCSTC or by STC.

ColophonTechniScribe is written using Microsoft Word, and laid out using Adobe InDesign CS3 for Windows. Gill Sans and Palatino Linotype are used for heading and text fonts. PDFs are produced using Adobe Acrobat Professional 8.

TechniScribe relies on the following editorial refer-ences for style: American Heritage Dictionary, Chicago Manual of Style, and Words into Type.

12  •  September 2009

the thick line would appear, so it was easier to check the line weights after the art was finished.

Normally, a technical illustration will have a white shadow behind the flow lines. IsoDraw has this one down pat. You can choose to have shadows automati-cally added to centerlines when you create them. It doesn't get any easier than this.

Another notable feature is the large library of pre-drawn hardware, which will appear in the drawing to match the size and orientation of a preselected ellipse. IsoDraw also easily shades parts for a more finished look. You can create animations in both 2D and 3D modes, showing the door opening on a controller box or the explosion of the parts of an assembly, for exam-ple. One other special feature of note is the Shaft tool (see Figure 8). With it, you can automatically create a shaft of varying diameters, create gears and adjust the direction and number of teeth on a gear wheel. This is a remarkable tool for a technical illustration program. It might be said that IsoDraw spans the gamut from stone clubs to laser weapons.

Importing and Exporting files in IsoDrawIsoDraw imports 3D data from many CAD programs using IGES, VRML Wavefront, and AutoCAD data us-ing DXF and DWG. Once imported, you can manipu-late the 3D data extensively before it’s finally stripped down to a 2D format. It will also import 2D informa-tion in all the standard formats included with most graphics programs, such as, EPS, CGM, JPG and GIF and many others. The program will also export all the popular formats in addition to some that are relatively unknown. It’s clear that this program will import files from all the popular CAD programs and export files to any conceivable graphics or publication software.

Figure 8. Gear shaft created with IsoDraw Shaft Tool.

ConclusionSo far, I’ve explored two of the three programs I plan to review for this series—Auto-trol Tech Illustrator and Arbortext IsoDraw. Which program is considered better will depend on users’ needs. Tech Illustrator shines as a drawing program, with a full 2D axono-metric toolset and a CAD-like 3D work environment. If you want to build a drawing from the ground up, Tech Illustrator provides the tools for the job. Con-versely, if 3D CAD data is already available, and you need to turn it into a technical illustration with as little fuss as possible, IsoDraw might be the better answer. You can explode, rotate, and cut away the data to reveal hidden parts very easily and without any real training. After converting the art into a 2D drawing, a minimum amount of clean up work is required. Also, the illustrations can remain linked to the CAD files. When the CAD files are updated, the IsoDraw illustrations update automatically. Alternatively, Tech Illustrator also imports 3D CAD data and strips out the hidden lines, which is a considerable time sav-ings, but TI doesn't offer all the manipulation tools for imported data that IsoDraw does. If you would like more information about Arbortext IsoDraw, you can visit their web site at: http://www.ptc.com/products/arbortext-IsoDraw.

The next article will cover another program worth considering: Anvil Express.

Mark Wilk is a senior technical illustrator with over 20 years in the field. He provided graphic support for the publications team at Printronix for many years and is cur-rently focusing exclusively on Techline Illustration—his freelance illustration and graphics service, which he started in 1985. His web site is techlineillustration.com.

Technical Illustration Tools< Continued from Page 9

Did you know that shopping at Amazon.com is not only a great place to find books and other items,

it’s also a great way to give back to the OCSTC! The next time you shop at Amazon, please access the

site via OCSTC.org. Amazon donates a percentageof your purchase to the chapter.

Thank you!

September 2009  •  13

Welcome New Mem-bers

Since last month, we have three new members!

Welcome Michael Aguilar (joined in July), Carole Yourl, Laura Ann LoCicero, and Rick Pinson.

Meet Michael AguilarMichael has been associated with communications in one form or another ever since his first job working in the production room of my local small town newspa-per.

As a child, Michael enjoyed working with technical stuff, so he became an engineer. When asked about his favorite subject in school, Michael said he liked making mechanical draw-ings of gizmos and widgets, which came in handy at his first technical job working nights as a draftsperson for North American Avia-tion in Downey in the early 1960s, while attending Cal Poly Pomona. he worked on drawings for the Command Module for the Apollo moon landing program—one of the most significant experiences in his life.)

After graduating from Cal Poly Pomona with a BSEE, he began working full time for North American Aviation (which became Rockwell Aerospace, then Boeing). During his 40 years with the company, he learned that it wasn't enough to do good technical work. To be ef-fective, he had to be able to communicate his activities and results clearly and correctly. Michael had to plan, direct, control, and produce many technical docu-ments for internal and external audiences.

Michael attended night classes at the Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles after gradu-ating from Cal Poly. The combination of his technical and legal education helped him pass the bar examina-tion, which enabled him to practice before the US Pat-ent and Trademark Office in 1977. Although Michael opted to not practice law, he remains a current mem-ber (inactive status) of the State Bars of California and Washington, DC. He credits the tremendous amount of writing required during his journey through law school with making him the good writer he is today.

Orange Juice: Membership NewsBy Penny Marco, OCSTC 2nd Vice President, Membership

When Michael retired from Boeing in 2001, he became a consultant, helping aerospace companies write proposals to capture government contracts.

Michael is a senior consultant for two consulting firms—Colbaugh and Heinsheimer, and Shipley As-sociates. He explains that many of these consulting companies focus on providing support to customers who develop and produce technical products and associated documentation.

Michael has various assignments, which include a plethora of types of documents. He’s usually the proposal or project manager but frequently gets in-volved in the actual writing or editing. He’s current-ly working on an assignment with a large Orange County electronics company, helping them generate technical reports for their customers in the aviation industry.

Michael lives in Buena Park with his wife, Rebecca. Between them, they have four children and, so far, four grandchildren. The cou-ple spends much of their free time redeco-rating their house in the Spanish Colonial revival style. Michael and Rebecca, both of Hispanic descent, enjoy the architec-ture and furnishings associated with this style. They like to go to thrift shops, swap meets, and Mexico to find suitable trea-sures for their house.

Having always enjoyed history, particu-larly the westward movement during the 19th century, Michael began reading and collecting Western Americana books in the 1970s. He’s also visited historic places around the West. “I am a little behind in

my cataloging and bibliographing, and maybe STC can help me do it right.”

Michael's favorite fiction books are the novels in the Horatio Hornblower series by C.S. Forester. Hav-ing been in the Navy, Michael’s interested in the evolution of naval technology and tactics, and these stories accurately depict these topics for the early 19th century.

Michael has visited multiple countries, both for fun and while on R&R leave while in the Navy. See www.historycentra.com/NAVY/DE/haverfield.html for a history of the ship he served on during the Vietnam conflict.

Michael's favorite motto is “Remember that no mat-ter where you go in life, there you are.”—attributed to Confucius or Buckaroo Banzai, depending on the source—which provides insightful words of wisdom to live by.

OCSTC Members: 188

Michael Aguilar, OCSTC Member

14  •  September 2009

for some, the STC has stated that members could pay their dues in installments.

This is all the news I have to pass along to you. I'm sure some of you are angry (How could this happen? Why didn't they budget better in the past?), afraid (I've been a member for 15 years, what am I going to do? Will my chapter go away?), or just plain dumb-founded (This situation seems to have come out of left field.). I can tell you that I’ve experienced all of these emotions, but now that I’ve had time to grasp the situ-ation, I’m asking for your help. Because the OCSTC is faced with zero-based budgeting, we’ll all need to take the OCSTC Challenge—that is, develop and initiate fundraising activities to ensure our chapter's financial health. If you have any ideas, please share them with me (pres@ocstc.org). I look forward to all of us working together as a chapter to see both the OCSTC and the STC succeed.

President’s Message< Continued from Page 2

Broaden your Career HorizonBy Suzanne Madison, Co 1st VP­Programs

In today's job market, we often hear that healthcare is the place to be. The Pacific-Southwest Chapter of the

American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) has invited us to join them for their meeting on October 3. If you’re looking for a new direction in your career, don't miss this opportunity to learn about writing in the medical field.

AMWA's Education Program: Something for Everyone The AMWA offers one of the most extensive continu-ing education programs available to professionals in the medical and allied scientific communication fields.

At this meeting, AMWA's 2007–2008 president, Sue Hudson, will describe AMWA's “live” and self-study workshops, as well as other educational offerings for:

Scientists and clinicians who are making a • transition from the laboratory or clinic to a focus on medical communication

Writers and editors educated in the liberal • arts who want to expand their understand-ing of the science fundamentals that form the underpinning of medical communication

Experienced writers and editors who want to • deepen and broaden their skills

Writers and editors who want to earn cer-• tificates in medical communication as part of a formal personal or career development program

Meeting Details

Where: The Orange County Mining Co. Restaurant, 10000 Crawford Canyon Road, Orange, CA 92705

When: Saturday, October 3, 2009, 11 AM – 2:00 PM

Cost: Members $15 and Nonmembers $20 (Includes lunch)

Reservations are required by September 27, 2009. Please make your reservation with Valerie Breda (val.breda@gmail.com). Then, send a check (payable to AMWA-Pacific Southwest Chapter) to

Treasurer Valerie Breda, 5216 Prosperity Lane, San Diego, CA 92115

For complete details, see http://www.amwa-pacsw.org/events/index.html.

Southern California Technical Communication Managers’ RoundtableBy Kim Bullman, Adrienne Escoe, and Barbara Giammona, OCSTC members

A group of technical communications manag-ers recently gathered to launch a forum where

they could share work challenges and solutions in a supportive and confidential setting. The group agreed to reach out to other tech comm managers via STC Southern California chapters and other, related professional organizations to survey potential partici-pants for their preferences regarding meeting fre-quency and venue. Suggestions included monthly and quarterly meetings and online, teleconference, and on-the-ground gatherings.

A sampling of some of the general topics the group hopes to discuss includes individual and team perfor-mance, budget, law, standards, metrics, and the every-day joys and woes of being a tech comm manager.

If you manage a technical publications, policies and procedures, instructional design, corporate commu-nications, or similar department and are interested in participating in the roundtable, please send an email message to stcmgrs@gmail.com. Include in the mes-sage your name, job title, telephone number, email ad-dress, your location in Southern California, and your ideas for meeting times and venues.

September 2009  •  15

Society Pages

August Meeting ReviewBy Jennifer Gardelle

In such a tough economy in which so many people are out of work or on the verge of losing their jobs,

John Hall offered very timely and relevant informa-tion. He delivered an informative and energetic pre-sentation on how to manage our careers in this tough economy. As he puts it, “take charge of your career, or this economy will.”

As a start, John encouraged us to write down our top three skills on 3 x 5 index cards and state how our company benefited from each of these skills. He pointed out that it’s important to quantify our claims. For example, a person with good writing skills might have written a proposal that saved his or her com-pany tens of thousands of dollars. So, that person should write that on the 3 x 5 card. Once you have written your three top skills and their corresponding company- strengthening examples, practice describing your skills and examples until they come out natu-rally. This will help you to state them with confidence in an interview.

John went on to talk about his company- and career-targeting strategies:

Research the industry, competitors, and com-• pany—knowing as much as possible about the company you’re applying to will give you confidence.

Identify 30 or more organizations—knowing • which companies are in your chosen indus-

try will help you choose where you’d like to work.

Prioritize—decide which company would be • best for you.

Approach lowest priority ones, then practice • interviewing with the companies you care about the least.

Think big and out of the box—why not write • to the CEO.

John impressed upon us the importance of research-ing the industry and company and gave us a couple of Web sites on which to do this—osha.gov and Ref-erenceUSA.com. Both sites offer information about millions of companies and organizations.

Once you know where you want to work, he says you should write a special report rather than a standard résumé. This will get you through the door. A special report should have an attention grabbing phrase—for example, “How to Avoid Being the Next ENRON”—and tie into your experience. Your special report should include graphics, bold text, and bullet points, and you should end your special report with your information, similar to a standard résumé.

After you send in your special report, you should follow it up with a proposal. This should also include graphics and should outline how the company will benefit from your skills and experience.

For more information, John’s presentation is posted on the OCSTC Web site at http://ocstc.org/pdf/Career-Mgmt_JohnHall.pdf.

Writing Online Documents Course at Cal State FullertonThe field of technical communication is evolving, and whether you’re new to the field or a seasoned prac-titioner, this course provides new tips and tricks, provokes new ideas, and presents career growth options within the context of rapidly-evolving Web 2.0 practices.

You’ll complete the 30-hour, instructor-led course by planning, creating, reviewing, and analyzing online content. Along the way, you’ll learn about cognition theory and best practices, persona development, con-tent organization and presentation, effective technical writing, graphics for content support , and software tools

When: Thursday evenings October 1 to November 19, 7-10 p.m. The final session is Saturday, November 21 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Where: Cal State Fullerton Main Campus, Computer Science Building, room CS-408.

What: Cost: $525. Course Number: E097-20396.

For registration details, call the CSUF Registration office at 657.278.2611. You can also email the instructor (Michael Boor) at michael.boor@wonderware.com.

Register at www.csufextension.org/Classes/schedule.aspx?MID=13620&MV=1.

September Meeting Topic Making the Most of Networking Opportunities When it comes to finding work, whom you know can be just as important as what you know. How do you build that all-important network of professional contacts? How do you use that network to the best advantage? Join us in September for a progression-style meeting. Multiple speakers will address the following topics, and you'll have the opportunity to sit in on three of the following sessions:

Networking Etiquette: Back to the Basics• , presented by Jolynn Atkins and Sven Johnston. They’ll ad-dress online vs. in-person networking, respect of contacts' time, written communication, and next steps after the business card. Note, if you plan to attend this session, bring a printout of your current Linked-In and/or Facebook profiles.Networking Best Practices and Internet Security• , presented by Shelby Gordon. Join her as she ad-dresses these issues in an informative, thought-provoking presentation for individuals at all profes-sional stages.Using Facebook and Twitter for Professional Networking• , presented by Manal Richa. She’ll also tell you why you need to get on Face/book and Twitter, how to get started, and how to use social network-ing to complement your in-person networking.Using Business Cards and your Elevator Speech to Market Yourself• , presented by Mitch Seigel. He’ll share with you the importance of having an elevator speech and how to build one, whether you’re an entrepreneur or working for a company.Using LinkedIn for Career Networking• , presented by Brenda Whitesides. She’ll tell you how to get onto LinkedIn and how to put your best face forward in the world of online, social networking.

For complete meeting details, visit http://ocstc.org/.

Orange Slice: Calendar of EventsDate Event Location TimeSeptember 1 OCSTC Council Meeting Airport Executive Suites, Irvine 6 p.m.-7 p.m.

September 15OCSTC Chapter Meeting“Making the Most of Networking Op-portunities.”

Doubletree Club Hotel, 7 Hutton Centre Dr., Santa Ana, CA, 92707, 714.751.2400

6 p.m.-9 p.m.

October 6 OCSTC Council Meeting Airport Executive Suites, Irvine 6 p.m.-7 p.m.

October 20OCSTC Chapter Meeting“Who’s Watching Your Back”

Doubletree Club Hotel, 7 Hutton Centre Dr., Santa Ana, CA, 92707, 714.751.2400

6 p.m.-9 p.m.