A Career in Technical Writing: Beach Time

Beach time and bench time refer to paid or unpaid time off between consulting contracts. When you are a contractor, it is best to take initiative and find other options no matter how much you trust your recruiter. Never trust a company to have your best interests in mind.

Hewitt, John. Writer's Resource Center (2008). Careers>Unemployment>Freelance>Technical Writing

Career Preservation in a Volatile and Competitive Work Market  

The ideas presented in this paper reflect my 25 years of observations and work experience, and recent period of unemployment in 2002. These ideas apply most appropriately to the software, high tech, and telecom industries, but could easily apply to other industries, academia, government, or non-profit organizations.

Emerson, Nathan F. STC Proceedings (2003). Careers>Unemployment>Planning

Creating a Layoff Survival Kit  

Details how technical communicators can prepare themselves for the possibility of job loss.

Scanlan, Ann. Intercom (2004). Careers>Unemployment

Dealing with Job Loss  

Leonard-Wilkinson suggests how Web designers can cope with the problems of unemployment in a difficult market.

Leonard-Wilkinson, Theresa A. Intercom (2001). Careers>Unemployment>Web Design

Don't Wait to be Downsized!

Sure, the economy's booming now, but as the Asian crisis becomes the North American crisis, it pays to remember Newton's famous law of gravity: what goes up must come down again. And, of course, when the economy comes down and pension fund managers start asking those awkward questions about why they should remain invested in your company's stock, managers have a lemming-like tendency to trim staff to make room for short-term profits and long-term plausible deniability. As a technical communicator, you're obviously well up on the hit list, which some might see as a bad thing--but there's a silver lining to every cloud (or, in our case, a copper lining; they don't pay us well enough for silver). In fact, the good news is that it's easy to ensure you're the first one fired, so you can leave before the job becomes mundane without looking like a quitter. Then there are all those perquisites (severance pay, a little downtime)...

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Geoff-Hart.com (1999). Careers>Unemployment>Planning>Technical Writing

Finding a Job as a Technical Communicator: Strategies for Defining Goals and Opportunities  

One of our main objectives as technical communicators is to practice our craft. Those of us who are unemployed or underemployed know that we need to have the job we want in order to make the contribution we know we can. Those of us who are currently employed should be continually looking for that next opportunity. The same skills that make us good technical communicators serve us well in our job search. With a little inspiration and a lot of perspiration, we can get the right job.

Eiler, Craig A. and Beth M. Gallob. STC Proceedings (1994). Careers>Unemployment

Fire Up Your Frozen Job Search  

Graden analyzes the reasons why job searches sometimes stall and suggests how technical communicators looking for employment can regain momentum.

Graden, Katherine E. Intercom (2002). Careers>Unemployment

Health Care Prescriptions for a Terminal Job

What do you do about medical insurance coverage if you are laid off?

Randolph, Brett W.F. Boston Broadside (1992). Careers>Unemployment>Biomedical

Job Hunting in a Global Market  

An international demand for native English-speaking technical communicators has provided many opportunities for North Americans to seek employment overseas. At the same time, there are many who have dreamed about working abroad. Those interested in pursuing international employment should learn various job-search techniques, and should be aware of differing re'sume' requirements. Know what you will do if and when a job offer is made, and prepare yourself for the move. Living and working overseas can be exciting, but it is also challenging. You must be willing to accommodate yourself to the local culture. The Internet is an essential tool for international job seekers.

Van Laan, Krista, Carol Chubiz and Donald J. Plummer. STC Proceedings (1998). Careers>Unemployment>International

Lessons of Survivor Literature in Communicating Decisions to Downsize    

Many companies have entered a new era of human resources management–one based on transaction cost economics and one in which downsizing has become a permanent part of the corporate landscape. But their insistence on communicating decisions to downsize solely in economic terms is creating serious problems among employees who survive the layoffs. Disloyalty, disaffection, increased absenteeism, and even acts of sabotage are growing among workers who view downsizing as a social, not economic, issue. This article discusses the new era of human resources management and reviews survivor literature in an effort to provide guidance to companies about how to communicate downsizing, specifically, and how to communicate with the postdownsized workforce, generally.

Guiniven, John E. Journal of Business and Technical Communication (2001). Careers>Unemployment>Workplace

Making Unemployment Work for You

So that's it. You've gotten your freedom, your walking papers, your pink slip. Redundancy, dismissal, restructuring, it all amounts to the same thing: you are unemployed. So what are you going to do now? Look for another job, of course, or maybe start your own business. In either case, given today's job market, chances are you're going to have more than enough opportunity for reflection. So while you're busy rewriting your resume for the nth time and scouring the job sites, here are ten simple tips that will help you make the most of your freedom and empower you to take charge of your unemployment

Bernescut, Beatrice. Communication World Bulletin (2003). Careers>Unemployment

Motivation in the 1990's: The Stability Crisis  

This paper presents some of the challenges and approaches to dealing with corporate downsizing, both from a management and personal viewpoint. It identifies some behavioral characteristics of people experiencing stress due to job instability. In addition, it gives some suggestions for managing your own stress and helping your employees through difficult times.

See, Edward J.P. and Tara C. Scanlon. STC Proceedings (1993). Careers>Unemployment>Management

The Paucity of Part-Timers

As a technical writer with over seven years of experience and a Master's degree, I am disappointed with the lack of part-time jobs and lack of responsiveness by employers to create part-time technical writing positions.

Fass, Lisa. Boston Broadside (1992). Careers>Unemployment>Freelance

Smart Job Searching: Second Year of STC WorkQuest  

Looking for work can be lonely, frustrating, depressing, and demoralizing. Job seekers can battle these effects by joining a support group that not only motivates and empowers, but also provides concrete information about how to conduct a job search. STC WorkQuest is such a support group sponsored by the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Society for Technical Communication.

Ramey, Janis G. STC Proceedings (2004). Careers>Unemployment>Collaboration>STC

Stop Whining About Outsourcing!

I’m sick of hearing all the whining about how outsourcing is going to migrate all IT jobs to the country with the lowest wages.

Patterson, David. Queue (2005). Careers>Unemployment>Outsourcing>Offshoring

Supporting Our Members through Lean Times

The Twin Cities chapter offers a variety of services to help out-of-work and underemployed writers and editors. Of these services, the most important is something that many members may take for granted: opportunities for volunteers. Members may not realize it, but volunteering at the chapter level improves their marketability by helping them acquire new skills and hone the skills they already have. Some of the Society’s most loyal and active members are those whose careers have seen marked improvement as a result of their participation in STC.

Levander, Deanne K. Tieline (2003). Careers>Unemployment>Community Building>STC

Unemployment Benefits for Out-of-Work Consultants

If you have been paid as independent contractor for work you have performed, you might assume that you are ineligible for unemployment compensation when a client or a temporary agency can no longer keep you busy. The client has no more work, so you think you're on your own to look for work, without the benefit of unemployment compensation. But what if a client or temporary agency should have paid you as an employee, instead of treating you as an independent contractor? In many cases, you would be entitled to collect unemployment compensation, even if you had signed a contract stipulating that you would not be eligible for benefits.

Randolph, Brett W.F. Boston Broadside (1993). Careers>Unemployment

Urban Legends of the Job Search

While it is true that employers far prefer electronic submittals to paper CV's, if you rely exclusively on the 'net for your job search, it will tank. Here's the trap: It feels like you are really accomplishing something by filling out online job applications, with very little risk. But you are just scattering seeds, few of which are likely to grow. While there is the possibility that someone will look at that package you've attached and call you for an interview, a great deal of your time is wasted.

Jensen, David G. Science (2005). Careers>Unemployment>Interviewing

Job Hunting in a Recession    

Being unemployed can be very stressful and difficult—but being unemployed during a recession can be even worse. Molisani gives his tips and advice on how to weather the storm, and what steps you can take to find a job.

Molisani, Jack. Intercom (2008). Careers>Unemployment>TC

Economic Woes Signal Content Industry Job Losses: It Could Happen To You!

One thing this experience has taught me is that basically, most people, are good, concerned and genuinely want to help you in your time of need.

Hoffmann, Maxwell. Content Wrangler, The (2008). Careers>Unemployment

A Tech Writer's Guide to the Recession

All this talk of a depression is so....depressing. Still, it is what can happen when the economies of nations are so intertwined, so "single-sourced". America sneezes, and the world throws up.

Tech Writer's World, A (2008). Careers>Unemployment>Technical Writing

Common Myths and Misconceptions About Layoffs

A Reduction-In-Force (RIF) or layoff is the easiest, fastest way to cut costs as companies trade immediate, short-term gains for long-term growth and performance. The detriment of this approach is wide-spread and lasting, yet management continues in this mode with greater frequency. More and more companies believe this policy just makes good business sense. But year after year, hard data and analysis disprove this notion. So let’s begin by examining some common myths about layoffs.

Barber, Kerri. TechCom Manager (2009). Careers>Management>Unemployment

Outplacement: Why It Doesn't Work

If you are offered career transition support as part of your severance, do yourself a favour and opt out of the collective program, but find out how much has been set aside for the outplacement program. Then, ask your HR department to hold those funds for you until you can find an independent career consultant to work with, on an individual, tailored-to-your-needs, custom program. Independent career consultants like myself can work with you for a much longer period of time for the same budget the company is prepared to allocate to the big firm. When you find your independent, personal career consultant or coach, they can invoice your former company, and your ex-employer’s conscience can rest easy. And you can then arrange with your personal career coach when you want to start and how fast you want to go. At your convenience, not theirs.

Hamer, Emma C. Hamer Associates (2009). Careers>Unemployment>Advice

Job Hunting Resources: Webcasts

The current economic downturn seems to have impacted almost every industry within the United States and many abroad. It has already had a direct impact on the employment status of an increasing number of individuals, including technical communicators. STC will assist with an economic recovery plan for those technical communicators who have already been laid off or expect to be soon. These only work for Internet Explorer users on Microsoft Windows computers.

STC (2009). Careers>Advice>Unemployment>STC

What To Do When Unemployed

Lost your technical communicator job? Wondering what to do? Wondering where to go? Here are some key actions to take when you find out you don't have a job to return to the next day.

STC Austin (2009). Careers>Unemployment>Advice