Making the Transition from Student to Employee  

Advice to students preparing to become technical communicators.

Alroy, Faye. Intercom (2003). Careers>Advice>TC

Making Yourself Part of the Team

Thoughts on how a contract technical communicator can become part of a development team, and set the tone for the writers who follow.

DMN Communications (2008). Careers>Advice>Workflow>Collaboration

Mapping Your Career Success

When you're going on a journey, it helps to have a good map because it will save time and help you make the right decisions along the way. Your career is a journey, and it's useful to have a clear picture of where you want to go with it.

David, Meryl. Communication World Bulletin (2007). Careers>Advice

No Work? Strategies for Surviving a Dry Spell  

No new offers are coming in, and you don’t have any potential projects brewing on the back burner. Your clients have no plans to hire independent contractors for the time being. Now what?

Fugate, Alice E. And Elizabeth A. 'Betsy' Frick. Intercom (2003). Careers>Advice

Potential Position Descriptions for Information Engineering Professionals

This article defines the tasks and responsibilities for up to seven levels of information engineers, plus two levels of management, because the author found that many companies do not provide formal position descriptions for their technical writers and other communication specialists.

Capri, Steve. Writing Assistance (2007). Careers>Information Design>Advice

Professional Development Online: Overview

This website discusses strategies for entering the job market. Whether you are looking for entry-level work or looking to move from one job to another, this site provides you with sound advice.

Williamson, William J. University of Northern Iowa. Careers>Advice

Respecting Technical Writers

Technical writers are made up of complex individual personae. As a writer, you are expected to have knowledge of your subject. The more subjects you write about, the more knowledge you gain. (Supposedly.) Not every writer is like that, but most are, and they deserve to be congratulated for going the extra mile and actually learning a product they are going to write about. Most writers maintain knowledge about many systems and subjects, thus becoming an 'expert' in the technical writing field.

Taylor, Vicki M. Suite101 (2001). Careers>Advice>Professionalism

Rolling the Start-Up Dice

So you want to work for an Internet start-up company. Bruce and Moyer show you the ropes.

Bruce, Marlene and Lee Moyer. List Apart, A (2000). Careers>Advice>Workplace

Separate But Equal: Developing Success Profiles for Technical Communicators  

To compare and evaluate expertise within a group of technical communicators, we developed a Competencies/Career Phases Matrix. This matrix breaks down soft and hard skills in 12 categories, such as technical depth, skill acquisition, and teamwork/leadership. The matrix also evaluates each category in four levels of mastery: Apprentice, Experienced, Master, and Expert. Through this evaluation process, the leader is able to obtain a clear picture of an individual’s strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement. In addition, it gives the technical communicator a way to evaluate him/herself and provides a clear image of what is expected of them, should they choose to improve their performance in the different categories.

Ricks, Debra and Patricia N. Madigan. STC Proceedings (1996). Careers>Advice>Assessment

Survival Skills for Part-time Technical Writing Parents  

Suggests ways technical communicators can cope with the often-conflicting demands of work and family.

Tremblay, Leanne. Intercom (2001). Careers>Advice>TC

Talent Isn't Everything

To succeed as a creative professional, you need more than talent. Chanpory Rith offers us a list of seven habits that can help put a junior designer's career on the path to success.

Rith, Chanpory. Boxes and Arrows (2007). Careers>Advice>Design

Tech Writing Jobs

A guide to job types, employers, work environment, and salaries.

Stahl, Rebecca J. Tech Writer's Assistant, The (2000). Careers>Advice>Salaries

Technical Communication: Love It or Leave It  

In this column, we are going to talk about why some technical communicators just plain hate their jobs. The bottom line is not to just stay in that unhappy place. Make up your mind to do something about it. Make your job into what you want it to be.

Davis, Douglas W. STC (2007). Careers>Advice>TC

Technical Writer Career Information  

A brief handout about what a technical writer does, prepared for a school careers fair.

Farbey, David. Tripod.com (2002). Careers>Advice

Ten Steps to Getting a Writing Job

A hiring manager in a documentation firm offers some advice and tips on getting a writing job.

Collins, John. Writer's Block (1996). Careers>Advice

Top Five Tips for Starting a New Job

This article offers five tips that can help you get off to a good start in your new job.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. TECHWR-L (2000). Careers>Advice>TC

Understanding Career Development  

Describes four stages of career development.

Oestreich, Linda L. Intercom (2002). Careers>Advice

Walking the Line When You Work from Home

Working from home, whether as a freelance contractor or remote employee, can be a great thing, particularly if you live alone. But what if you have a spouse and/or children at home with you while you work? Every work environment offers distractions, but those who work from home with their families face a unique set of issues—and need equally unique ways of dealing with them.

Jost, Natalie. List Apart, A (2008). Careers>Advice>Telecommuting

Why Did You Hire Me?

Remembering why you were hired—and identifying whether or not you belong—is just as important as getting the gig. To sustain career and mental health, you must work within your means and know how to navigate ambiguous workplace situations. Using client and project management techniques is one part of the solution. Using your talent is the other.

LaFerriere, Keith. List Apart, A (2008). Careers>Advice>Project Management

Why Use an Employment Agency?  

Today’s marketing advantage is specialization. To focus on a specialty is one of the many challenges a freelance writer must face. You must balance the amount of time spent on marketing, versus focusing on existing projects. To gain more time to focus on your specialty, use employment agencies as a marketing resource. Send your resume to two to three agencies to increase your opportunities. Use the time formerly spent marketing to increase your income by working on the additional contracts the agencies send you. To help your agencies, your resume should include keywords representing the documents written, software used, and your background or expertise.

Desmond, James M. STC Proceedings (1998). Careers>Advice>Employment Agencies

Working with Employment Agencies  

As a professional recruiter and the owner of an agency that places technical writers, I have heard horror stories about some candidates’ experiences with employment agencies. Just as there are trustworthy car mechanics and those who are out to steal your money, there are reputable agencies and agencies that are, let us say, less than reputable. If an agency misrepresents you, you could lose a great job. Do the benefits of working with agencies outweigh the risks? I think so, especially if you are an independent contractor: Many companies will hire contractors only through agencies because of current tax laws.

Molisani, Jack. Intercom (2002). Careers>Advice>Employment Agencies

Your Resume

I did a presentation recently at a local college, and the students had a lot of questions about resumes and cover letters. Below are some helpful tips.

Leigh, Heather. Crazy for Words (2007). Careers>Resumes>Advice

Artists, Not Assholes

My key point in this column is that we need to support, defend, and promote our artisans, or artists, and we need to eliminate the assholes from our organizations. In practice, I see a lot of managers who do not support their artisans—their greatest performers—but hold onto and even reward their assholes. In the end, an organization that rewards the wrong people can destroy its effectiveness and drive the most talented people out.

Nieters, Jim. UXmatters (2008). Careers>Management>Advice

Transitioning from Literary Studies to Technical Communication

A 250 page manual for a complicated product may be more difficult to write than a master’s thesis. It may require a massive amount of deductive and inductive logic, as you try to figure out how the product works. You may spend months interviewing subject matter experts, asking them hundreds of questions about how the product functions, and then hundreds more to clarify their cryptic answers.

Johnson, Tom H. I'd Rather Be Writing (2008). Careers>TC>Advice

Stepping into the Freelance World, Part 1: Getting Set Up

So, you’re seriously considering making the jump into the world of freelance technical writing. It’s a big step, and one there’s a lot more to it than just giving up your day job and hanging out a shingle. This post details a number of things that are important to consider before making the jump.

DMN Communications (2009). Careers>Freelance>Advice