The monthly Tech Comm Café was held on April 9 at the Whole Foods café at the corner of Broadway and Cambie in Vancouver. A mix of new and familiar faces attended.
Chapter announcements:
–The chapter Annual General Meeting is on April 25 at the VSO School of Music.
–The Chapter Council meeting is held on the second Saturday of each month in the Vancouver Art Gallery café. All chapter members are welcome. (Update: No meeting in May.)
More information on the chapter website, https://stcwestcoast.ca/.
Two job leads were also shared.
The brainstorming session covered the differences between job markets in Vancouver, San Jose, and Toronto and the frequency of contract versus full-time work. We also discussed useful websites for job-hunting, including one that provides profiles, reviews, and employment information about companies and one that provides a vetted collection of contract and part-time job opportunities.
The consensus on job-hunting was that making personal connections and contacts is the most effective way to find a job, rather than relying on recruiters or résumé submissions to websites.
A technical concern with reformatting a legacy FrameMaker document led to a discussion of different tools (FrameMaker, Flare, RoboHelp) and training opportunities, including a new course on web analytics. Other topics included the upcoming STC summit and the area of API documentation.
We discussed the location of the Café meetings — each one has pros and cons, so we like to change every few months — and decided to return to BG Urban Café in Metrotown for the next one. Details below.
A lively networking session followed. It’s nice to see networking at work in the “aha!” moment when people in the same industry niche find each other, or when someone who was new to the group a few months ago now shares their expertise with a first-timer.
Many thanks to Beverlee Bishundayal for chairing the meeting and Heather Sommerville for organizing the TCC. We’re looking for someone to moderate the next meeting and another to write an article about it. Interested? Contact volunteer (at) stcwestcoast (dot) ca.
Next Tech Comm Café: Wednesday, May 13, 2015 — NEW LOCATION
The TCC provides networking opportunities, job leads, answers to work-related dilemmas, and a burst of professional energy to keep you motivated. We discuss technical writing tools and techniques, career planning, portfolios, and anything else related to working as a technical communicator.
We welcome anyone who’s interested in technical communication — contractor, in-house, student, long-time tech writer, STC member, non-member, career-changer, or recruiter. We hope to see you at the next meeting!
Date: Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Time: 6:30–8:00 pm Pacific Time
Location: BG Urban Café, 4575 Central Blvd, Burnaby. Close to the Metrotown Skytrain and bus loop. To the east of the mall entrance between the mall and Bonsor Park. Parking in the mall.
Agenda
- Introductions. Take 60 seconds to introduce yourself, your background, current activities. A good chance to try out that new elevator speech.
- Announcements and job leads. If you know of an interesting event or a job opening, or you’re looking for work, share it with the group.
- Brainstorming Q&A. Ask about a work-related problem and discuss potential solutions.
- Speed networking. Spend a few minutes with a new contact, exchange business cards, and discuss your professional backgrounds and goals.
