Lisa Vaas

Jamaica Plain, MA USA
15 Years Experience

Professional Experience

That "most-read" story of 2009? I wrote that. Same for 3 out of those 5 reader favorites. Oh, and that Slashdotted article that got your site so much buzz? Me again. I'm a tireless reporter and mercifully nonboring writer with scads of expertise in technology and job-hunting strategies and broad experience of print and online writing, publication and site management, news coverage, and editorial team management. Skilled in HTML, CMS (Content Management Systems) and beating deadlines to keep your editors from suffering excessive perspiration.

Expertise

Content Editor (online) 13 YearsReporter 14 YearsWriter 14 Years

Specialty

Business (general) 13 YearsTechnology 15 YearsOther, Specify 5 Years

Industries

Magazine - Trade magazines/publications (B2B) 14 YearsOnline/new media 12 Years

Media Client List (# assignments last 2 yrs)

  • Ziff Davis Publishing's eWEEK (10+)
  • Computerworld Magazine (3-5)
  • CIO Magazine (1-2)

Corporate Client List (# assignments last 2 yrs)

  • TheLadders.com (10+)

Awards

>Ziff Davis Medias Chairmans Circle Award for outstanding contributions in editorial and content, 2002 >Editorial Excellence Award for outstanding research and reporting, 1999

Associations

Internet Press Guild

Technical Skills

HTML

Foreign Language Skills

Spanish

Computer Skills

CMS (Content Management Systems) Word Windows XP Mac OS X Open Office Word Press Google Apps

Equipment

MacBook Digital camera

References

http://www.linkedin.com/profile?viewProfile=&key=1491490&locale=en_US&trk=tab_pro#recommendations

Careers

Getting Your Cover Letter Noticed
(TheLadders 12/15/2009)
Understanding your cover letter's electronic journey will give you an edge when matching wits with automated applicant tracking systems. This article covers the rules for writing a cover letter, including structure and keyword usage. The story features input from the professionals who handle cover letters from inception through to interviewing: resume writers, software vendors and human-resource managers.
Don't Answer That Interview Question
(TheLadders 9/10/2009)
Interviewers ask for an astonishing amount of information: sometimes your birth date, or maybe your race, your disability status, or what neighborhood you live in. Are such questions legal? If not, how should job seekers respond without blowing their chances of being hired? This article, which was the most-read feature on TheLadders' site for 2009, features interviews with human-resources, legal and hiring professionals, detailing which questions to shy away from and how to (diplomatically) skirt them.

Technology

Norton Internet Security 2009 beta hits the accelerator
(Computerworld 7/29/2008)
Security software customers are speaking with their feet: They want security updates and other security interruptions out of their faces, and they won't hesitate to dump their security suites because of performance drag, whether or not it's actually the security software that's to blame. Symantec gets it, judging by the latest iteration of NIS, which does its job without overloading your system.
DirectAccess and the VPN Dragon
(IT Expert Voice 12/22/2009)
Windows 7's DirectAccess is a win for users: convenient network access, no virtual private network needed. But it's a stickier prospect vis-a-vis security and administration. For this IT Expert Voice article, geared to an enterprise IT audience, I drilled down on this advanced Windows feature with input from LOPSA (League of Professional System Administrators), an early Windows 7 user and Sophos Senior Security Advisor Chester Wisniewski.