by Irv Boichuk

I was browsing through a long list of contract opportunities for technical writers on the Internet, when I spotted one from a manufacturing company looking for a documentation specialist. It stated that the perfect candidate would have "a working knowledge of TQC, TQM, ISO, QS9000, Kaizen, Gemba, and Hoshin." If you read between the words, it was obvious that the company was desperately seeking a quality management program in their operations, but had no idea what they wanted!

by Deborah S. Ray

Question: I just got back from a job interview. I'm interested in the position, and they seemed pretty enthusiastic about my experience and qualifications. Now what? Should I send a follow up thank you letter? If so, should I send a business letter, email message, or hand-written card? And, what should I say?

Good thinking! In general, you should indeed consider sending thank you letters after job interviews, as doing so can offer some specific benefits:

• It can help you get the attention of potential employers.

By Geoff Hart

Much though I love my computer, I'm aware of its drawbacks. One serious problem is the risk of so-called "repetitive-stress injury" (RSI)--simplistically, any injury that results from overuse of a body part without giving it time to recover. In fact, "overuse injury" is probably a more immediately obvious term, and given how much time many of us spend using computers, overuse is indeed a risk.