Hiring a Firearms Technical Copy Writer

[highorder]

I called and spoke to Lisa. Delightful woman.

Relocation is NECESSARY. Salary is approximately $40k.

 

[willbrink]

Thanx for the update. 40k in Iowa is like making 9 million dollars per year in MA...

But seriously, 40k probably gets you a decent set up in Iowa I guess.

End of the day, you're still in Iowa....

 

[Tim the student]

But seriously, 40k probably gets you a decent set up in Iowa I guess.

Like everywhere, a lot depends on location. In Iowa City, not a ton. In Montezuma, you can probably afford an old victorian.

End of the day, you're still in Iowa....

Is this heaven?

No, it's Iowa.

 

[willbrink]

"No, it's Iowa."


Ummm, right.

 

[22-rimfire]

I hope everyone understands that a technical writer is not an outdoor writer who happens to write about firearms in periodicals. The priorities are a bit different. We used to have a full time technical writer where I worked and this sounds like a semi-entry position for someone who has been interested in, knows firearms, and related products and who has done techical writing. You like doing manuals? These positions are generally not highly paid but offer a reasonable survivable salary for the experience level. The good part is that you would be involved in an industry that you enjoy and could branch out into other journalist endeavors.

 

[Dravur]

My whole company telecommutes. We are a 60 person software company and we get more done this way than the old Brick and Mortar way. We have software designed for meetings, for our phone system, and our work order board.

It is a very Green way to work. My F-150 sits around all day wondering when it gets to go out. My insurance bill is lower as my truck is only used in "pleasure".

I have set up a company to help other companies look at telecommuting and offer audits of systems to see where we can make things happen in that respect.

oh, and I lived in Iowa for 5 years..... The towns along the river are kind of fun. I lived in the Quad Cities and it had a lively life with the Blues fests and RIBCO and all..and Jim's Ribs were the BEST ribs ever!. I also lived in Des Moines for a while... Total snooze fest. I also lived in Guttenberg and Dubuque.... Once you got into the interior of the state, the boredom spread as far as the eye could see.

Also, the coldest I have ever been was on a January day along the river in Rock Island.....I almost froze to death due to the wind, the humidity and the dreariness.... And Im from Montana originally, so that is freaking cold.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

My whole company telecommutes. We are a 60 person software company and we get more done this way than the old Brick and Mortar way. We have software designed for meetings, for our phone system, and our work order board.

It is a very Green way to work. My F-150 sits around all day wondering when it gets to go out. My insurance bill is lower as my truck is only used in "pleasure".

That ties in with my experience.

The only drawback to telecommuting is when you have problems. If you wake up in the middle of the night with a solution to a problem, but you have to go into the office to implement it, you just roll over and go back to sleep.

If your "office" is in the next room, it will nag you until you get up and do something -- even if it's 2:00 AM.

 

[Dravur]

The only problem with working from home for me was "Ride your bike to work day"

It sucked riding down the stairs

 

[Mike OTDP]

Back to the OP - I would seriously consider relaxing the requirement for a BA in communications/journalism/etc. Look for retirees with demonstrably good writing skills, particularly retired military personnel familiar with technical writing.

And no, I'm not bidding for the position. I've still got a decade to go before I can retire from my cushy Federal Civil Service job.

 

[bogie]

Guys, I WANT to move to Montezuma... If you know me, and can sorta vouch that I actually know what I'm talking about, and know anyone involved, please let the folks know.

Bogie
B.A. Public Relations
Army Public Affairs Writer/Photographer
Technical and Medical Communications Guru

Lisa, if you're still reading this, search me on the system - haven't been too active here lately, since I've been job hunting in non-firearms fields, and with the tendency of employers to google prospective employees, and the talking-to I got when I took some framed targets (five 5-shot groups, averaging 0.2015" at 100 yards) and put them on the wall in my old office, I've been a little leery of being "out of the gun safe."

I can give you LOTS of references in the shooting world.

 

[Quentin]

Why can't it be here in Idaho not Iowa!

J/K

 

[bogie]

Well, got a polite email from a nice HR person at Brownell's... No dice this time... I guess it's time to put on my "persistent" pants...

 

[9MMare]

As someone who has hired telecommuters and been one myself (software industry), I can definitively say that telecommuting is a horrible thing to manage. Productivity falls off really fast if you can't get your "team" in the same room (literally, not via WebEx, PC Anywhere, etc.). Even if you have the most dedicated folks with great work ethic, you lose an awful lot of creativity and brainstorming power when working across the 'net.

Depends on the people involved. (& the job, but most writing jobs are great for telecommuting.) If you have to 'manage' anything but entry-level people that much, I think there's a work ethic problem with those people...or possibly management's expectations.

Altho I do think it's important to do either face-to-face meetings occasionally or use the better conferencing technology to brainstorm, coordinate, discuss, etc. Like Live Meeting.

As someone who ends up working more than 8 hrs a day anyway, I'd rather spend that and my commute time working at home, and being comfortable at home. I also focus very well at home. Not everyone does...esp. people with kids at home.