STC Toronto

Positive Engagement & Advice

Wednesday, November 7th, 2018, Pamela Paterson, BJ, MS, the bestselling author of “Get the Job: Optimize Your Resume for the Online Job Search” and the founder of the Pamela Jean Paterson bursary, gave a compelling webinar at a deeply discounted rate for student and STC members. The webinar was graced with positive engagement, interaction and questions, and all attendees gained valuable, personal advice and insight into Pamela’s unique methodology.  

About Pamela Paterson’s Job Market Conquering Methodology

Using business analysis techniques, Pamela analyzed the HR system to create a unique step-by-step methodology for conquering the job market. She has been teaching this methodology to HR professionals and job seekers across Canada and the U.S. for over 15 years.  Pamela claims a 90% success rate in helping her clients find jobs through her innovative methods that have been reported in the national media. Pamela is a long-time mentor and supporter of people who strive for positive change in their lives.

Thanks to everyone who attended STC Toronto’s Annual General Meeting!

Meeting summary​

• Reviewed our finances, accomplishments, and challenges from the past year.
• Shared our approaches, goals, and priorities for the year ahead.
• Shared the results of our salary survey.
  • These will be distributed to the rest of our chapter members in the future.
• Welcomed new community council members.
  • More details to come; we’ll be featuring our new members at future brunches.

Thanks to Beth Agnew for her keynote presentation! Beth shared her personal journey through tech comm and offered advice to fellow technical communicators, “the Swiss Army knife” of employees. Some of her key takeaways are summarized below.

Advice for Technical Communicators

• Align your interests and actions with those you enjoyed as a child.
• Be malleable—adapt to the company you work for.
• Be confident—you have somewhat of a sense of even the most unfamiliar things (and can learn the rest through research).

When selling yourself, remember that you possess valuable skills and abilities. Never underestimate the value of understanding users. Good user experiences lead to satisfaction, loyalty, and sales. The ability to increase sales is valued by all employers. 

Skills:

• Multi-stage thinking.
• Curiosity and research.
• Writing, editing, and communication.
• UX Design.  

Abilities:

• Learning quickly.
• Breaking stuff (usability testing).
• Solving problems.
• Asking questions.
• Spotting trends.
• Making suggestions.

When faced with a new task, ask yourself what:

• What you know.
• What you sort of know.
• What you’d like to know.
• What you’re learning.
• What you’d like to try.

Thanks to everyone who came out to our networking brunch! We enjoyed the company of STC Toronto’s current president Rob Cundari and past presidents Vic Bhai and Rob Hanna.

Discussion topics this month included:

• Evaluating your company’s needs, the scope of your role as a tech writer, and related roles  your company should consider hiring for.
• Learning from common challenges tech writers face while developing documentation.
• Promoting positive change and mitigating resistance from internal teams.
  

It wasn’t all business though. We also shared the personal interests and backgrounds that led us to tech comm and this event!

We always look forward to getting to know our members over brunch. These casual gatherings allow local technical communicators to connect, get advice, and share experiences with like-minded professionals.

Join us next month at Moxie’s Yorkdale. Saturday, April 28th at 11 AM. Non-members welcome. We look forward to seeing you!

Thanks to everyone who attended our February networking brunch! Organizer Rob Hanna and STC President Rob Cundari shared valuable knowledge with tech comm newcomers and experienced professionals alike. 

We discussed a slue of relevant topics, including:
•    Cultivating positive relationships with engineers.
•    The pros and cons of contract vs. full-time employment.
•    Being part of a team vs. being a lone writer.
•    Content management systems.
•    How to thrive as a company’s first technical writer.

Our monthly networking brunches provide a fun forum for local technical communicators to share advice and experiences with like-minded professionals.  Join us for our next one on Saturday, March 24, at Moxie’s Yorkdale at 11 AM. RSVP here. We look forward to seeing you!

Thanks to everyone who came out to our networking brunch! Thanks also to Rob Hanna for organizing this special monthly event and to STC Board Treasurer James Bousquet, who came down from Waterloo to welcome our own new Treasurer, Vanitha Krishnamurthy.

We had a diverse crowd of 17 technical communicators, from current students and recent grads to seasoned professionals. We shared experiences from various industries and areas of specialization, including: software, transit, finance, instructional design, and translation. We also enjoyed getting to know each other personally and exchanged business cards to stay connected.

Weren’t able to make it today? Save the date for our next brunch! Saturday, February 24th. We look forward to seeing you!