Where's the Beef? News & Views President's Podium

by Mike Sharp Originally published in News & Views September, 1999 issue. Copyright 1999 STC-Philadelphia Metro Chapter. For permission to reprint this article, contact the Managing Editor.

This month I'd like to do some thinking out loud-well okay, in print. In the past I have found that some of my jobs have turned out to be different when I start work than when I interviewed for the job. The interview might have described appealing job activities such as creating a web site or designing a knowledge repository, but when I start to work, I find that I am back into the same old activities of writing this user manual or supporting that committee with documents and presentations. It's not that I dislike doing these things, but after some time, I think back to the interview and wonder, as did the lady in the old hamburger commercial, "Where's the beef?" I would really like to be growing into some new activities-such as those I heard discussed in the interview that interested me in the job initially. When I have raised questions about "just where the beef might be," I have heard vague explanations that involve getting other things out of the way first or the organization not being ready for "that" just yet. When this happens, I don't leave the job. Rather, I rationalize to myself with some form of "at least they're paying me" or "be thankful you have a job." Recently, I have talked with colleagues who have had similar experiences, which causes me to wonder just how widespread this experience is. How many freelance writers find that the jobs they take on turn out to be different than "advertised" in the initial interview? I also wonder why this situation should exist in the first place. Then as I think more about it, I realize that this situation works both ways. I know that there have been jobs where my abilities turned out to be different from what was apparent at first sighting. Now, I don't claim to have engaged in "false advertising." Nor do I think that managers on previous jobs have deliberately deceived me. I think it's more a case of mismatched expectations. When a manager presents a job to a potential employee, it's natural to present the job in the most positive light, just as when a person interviews for a job, they present themselves in that same most positive light. This is part of the sales process of filling "good" jobs with "qualified" workers. How many managers realize as they find that "perfectly matched job candidate" that there likely are some things about the person that are not so desirable? How many technical communicators realize that even though they have found the job that perfectly matches their abilities and goals, there are going to be some aspects of it that are undesirable? How many managers and candidates realize that they can-and should-try to inquire about these less desirable attributes when they first interview? It's difficult not to get carried away with the lure of the positive so that you ignore the negative signs. I guess that I need to end this mental meandering by realizing that positive and negative coexist in everything and that it's good to strive for balance. Most often, jobs will not be as we originally expected, just as we communicators will not turn out to be as golden as our managers expected. That's the give and take of reality. However, on balance, if we find a job that has more positive aspects than negative, then we have a situation where we can do good work and grow our skills. And, if we turn out to offer our managers more than what they thought they were buying, they're getting a good bargain, too.

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Last updated: May 10, 2000 (mvh)