http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Careers/Writing/Technical-Writing A listing of the most recently indexed works about Careers and Writing and Technical Writing in the field of technical communication (and technical writing). en-us Copyright (c) 2005-08 by the EServer. All rights reserved. tclib-editorial@eserver.org (TC Library Editorial Board) webmaster@eserver.org (Geoffrey Sauer) http://tc.eserver.org/images/newlogo.gif http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Careers/Writing/Technical-Writing http://tc.eserver.org/35810.html http://tc.eserver.org/35810.html Technical writing is a position that requires a lot more than just writing. The ability to collaborate and coordinate is key and in actuality, only about 30 percent of your time is spent writing. The responsibilities of a technical writer includes constant contact with others. Job duties range from writing internal technical documents, writing and editing manuals, producing online tutorials, and in some cases, even web-based training programs. http://tc.eserver.org/35719.html http://tc.eserver.org/35719.html Most technical writers see outsourcing as a real threat. But, if you look at it from another angle, it’s one huge business opportunity. http://tc.eserver.org/35630.html http://tc.eserver.org/35630.html Jane R. in Texas asks for some tips on interviewing tech writers, especially when using assessment tests. Her company is about to hire their first full-time writer and they have not done this before. I’ve worked on both sides on the fence in the past, (i.e. interviewed and been interviewed) and picked up a few tings in the process. Hopefully, these will be of some help. http://tc.eserver.org/35541.html http://tc.eserver.org/35541.html There are no rules or absolutes in finding a tech writer. For example, I look for the following when hiring a candidate. http://tc.eserver.org/35542.html http://tc.eserver.org/35542.html Nobody graduates from high school and says, I want to grow up and become a tech writer. http://tc.eserver.org/35415.html http://tc.eserver.org/35415.html You are a high-tech/Bio-tech company and your first product is nearing release. The product requires documentation and you ask your self what are our options? Before deciding you should consider these factors. http://tc.eserver.org/35409.html http://tc.eserver.org/35409.html Observations about freelance technical writing in Israel. http://tc.eserver.org/35408.html http://tc.eserver.org/35408.html Write technical materials, such as equipment manuals, appendices, or operating and maintenance instructions. May assist in layout work. Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function. http://tc.eserver.org/35326.html http://tc.eserver.org/35326.html Although getting a job is the focus of the podcast, I also talk about what technical writers do, how they approach a project, how they decide what to create, and how they generate ideas for tasks. Specifically, I talk about about a project people can work on at tech.lds.org. People can start writing help for the project here. http://tc.eserver.org/35328.html http://tc.eserver.org/35328.html I worked as a technical writer many years ago and then quit to take care of my kids. Now I'd like to get back into the field. How do I get my foot in the door when all employers require experience? http://tc.eserver.org/35296.html http://tc.eserver.org/35296.html Technical writers write technical materials, such as equipment manuals, online help documentation, operating directions and maintenance instructions. Rank: 28th best job in America. http://tc.eserver.org/35279.html http://tc.eserver.org/35279.html My concern for US writers is that they fail to grasp the momentum that counties like India have established and the high quality of university graduates they are now producing. In the next 10-15 years, IT jobs which can be replicated offshore/offsite to lower costs will be embraced more aggressively. US companies have little choice but to do this. http://tc.eserver.org/35223.html http://tc.eserver.org/35223.html Like most people who entered the technical communication profession in India in the mid to late 1990s, I too became a technical writer more by accident than by design. I enjoyed my technical writing career thoroughly, but slowly moved away, and a decade later, I now find myself heading the Quality Management function at a multi-national clinical research and technology company in India. The career paths of no two individuals are similar. And yet, there are always some common themes in successful transitions from one career path to another. http://tc.eserver.org/35148.html http://tc.eserver.org/35148.html If you’re a college student looking to become a technical writer after you graduate, you face a formidable challenge: you can’t get a job without experience, and you can’t get experience without a job. Especially in a competitive job market, getting a job as a technical writer directly after you graduate — without a foundation of previous jobs, experience with a handful of tools, and an impressive portfolio — can be especially difficult. However, if you follow these seven steps, which are not easy, not something you can do overnight, you will find a job. http://tc.eserver.org/34698.html http://tc.eserver.org/34698.html It’s often useful to look at the economic and technological pressures in other industries, to see if the trends emerging there are relevant to the technical communications/publications sector. In recent Blogs, we’ve covered the issues emerging in education, but the telecommunications industry might also provide some useful insights. http://tc.eserver.org/34683.html http://tc.eserver.org/34683.html Technical writing is sort of a jack-of-all-trades profession. It requires diverse skills, so a lot of people stumble into technical writing by chance. I've personally met technical writers who used to be lawyers, educators, and published fiction writers, and I've heard stories of many other professionals drifting into the field. Their past careers required writing, teaching, or technical abilities, and these skills helped them segue into a technical writing job. http://tc.eserver.org/34434.html http://tc.eserver.org/34434.html A technical writer is a professional writer who designs, writes, creates, maintains and updates technical documentation including online help, user guidance, white papers, design specifications, system manuals and other documents. A technical writer should possess good research techniques, good sound of language and excellent writing skills. Apart from this one needs to have the following five skills. http://tc.eserver.org/34387.html http://tc.eserver.org/34387.html The most effective and powerful resumes provide analytical, precise detail about your background and achievements. In fact, resume writing has a strong correlation to technical writing in that both styles demand extreme precision. In fact, most readers of your resume will assume that what you show on paper correlates strongly to what you can do for your next employer. http://tc.eserver.org/34157.html http://tc.eserver.org/34157.html This article offers tips on breaking into the field of freelance writing—some from Alice Osborn herself, some from two of the books she recommends: "Secrets of a Freelance Writer" by Robert W. Bly; and "The Renegade Writer" by Linda Formichelli and Diana Burrell. http://tc.eserver.org/34069.html http://tc.eserver.org/34069.html Is it possible for a technical writer to switch niches and write something different? Here's an example of one person who's done just that. http://tc.eserver.org/34054.html http://tc.eserver.org/34054.html What Qualities Do We Look For? Enthusiasm for writing -willingness to go the extra mile. Ability to gather, synthesize and critically analyze large amounts of data. Express ideas succinctly –not “academic” documents. http://tc.eserver.org/34055.html http://tc.eserver.org/34055.html The most important skills or previous experience in securing present job: medical/scientific knowledge/understanding; writing skills/experience; ability to meet deadlines. http://tc.eserver.org/34057.html http://tc.eserver.org/34057.html The term "medical writing" encompasses different kinds of work for clients in media, government, and industry. Pharmaceutical companies, medical-device manufacturers, and clinical-research organizations (CROs) all employ writers to prepare regulatory documents used to seek U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for drugs and devices. Medical writers help doctors write research articles, monographs, and reviews on medical topics. Continuing medical education (CME) companies employ medical writers to produce educational materials and slide kits that doctors and nurses use to prepare for license renewals. Medical writers produce sales training materials, press releases for industry, and fact sheets or Web site materials for government organizations. Medical writers also write about research discoveries for medical journals, Web sites, newsletters, magazines, newspapers, and any other medium that includes coverage of health and medical issues. http://tc.eserver.org/34030.html http://tc.eserver.org/34030.html Most hiring managers, and I am no exception, take a couple of passes when reviewing résumés. The first pass eliminates people who are clearly not what I am looking for. I try to answer two questions: first, are this person’s qualifications even in the ballpark for the job, and second, can he or she write at least well enough to create a competent résumé? Answering the first of these questions is not hard, but it does require that you understand the job requirements thoroughly and read the résumé closely. http://tc.eserver.org/34033.html http://tc.eserver.org/34033.html Information about average technical writer salaries in the United States. http://tc.eserver.org/34035.html http://tc.eserver.org/34035.html You might perhaps be considering whether to become a technical writer or not. You might be wondering: “What kind of a job technical writing is exactly and what does the future hold?” I can tell you right away that, at its most fundamental level, technical writing is safe and comfortable office work. http://tc.eserver.org/33809.html http://tc.eserver.org/33809.html A central element of any job we hold is the compensation we receive. While compensation is only one factor in our descision to accept a position, it's how many of us keep score and the way all of us pay the bills. The WritersUA Salary Survey provides you with detailed and comprehensive information about compensation for user assistance professionals. Our 2009 Salary Survey results were viewed on our web site by over 21,000 visitors. We hope you find these new survey results useful in gauging where you stand amongst your peers. http://tc.eserver.org/33734.html http://tc.eserver.org/33734.html Once upon a time, a technical writer got a job at an enchanted studio called Dreamworks Animation. http://tc.eserver.org/33695.html http://tc.eserver.org/33695.html Estimating the amount of time it takes to write documentation is tricky as it relies on many differing, subtle, factors and, for many people working outside of a highly regimented and heavily project managed team, it tends to boil down to a mixture of guesswork and experience. However, it’s not impossible to come up with a more reasoned estimate as long as you don’t mind doing a little planning. http://tc.eserver.org/33603.html http://tc.eserver.org/33603.html 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. http://tc.eserver.org/33462.html http://tc.eserver.org/33462.html If you need a job, then you might look for companies that have never had a professional technical writer working for them. It may require making calls or networking with friends or former co-workers. Most companies have a ton of writing to do. Usually they put off their documentation requirements and their needs have piled up. You may also find that someone such as a regulator has confronted management about insufficient documentation and they have to put a writer to work immediately. http://tc.eserver.org/33416.html http://tc.eserver.org/33416.html Technical Writers (aka Technical Authors, Content Wranglers and Documentation Managers) have an unfair image. This project aims to challenge this image, by showing technical writers in a different light. The photos below are of technical communications professionals, doing a variety of activities. http://tc.eserver.org/33320.html http://tc.eserver.org/33320.html Some thoughts on what it takes to effectively mentor another technical communicator. http://tc.eserver.org/33169.html http://tc.eserver.org/33169.html Thinking of a career in technical communication? This article offers one point of view on what you need to know to be successful in the field. http://tc.eserver.org/32821.html http://tc.eserver.org/32821.html It's time to turn out the lights. I've had a great run as a technical writer and consultant but it's time to leave the profession. In some ways I've long outgrown technical writing because client needs as a consultant challenged me and pushed me to become more than just a technical writer. http://tc.eserver.org/32483.html http://tc.eserver.org/32483.html How do I break into a career in technical writing? http://tc.eserver.org/32490.html http://tc.eserver.org/32490.html Mentoring is an effective strategy that can contribute significantly to the career development of employees. It provides a cost-effective work-based learning strategy to achieve career development outcomes for individual employees. It is an effective method for the transference of professional, technical and management skills. http://tc.eserver.org/32493.html http://tc.eserver.org/32493.html Surprisingly, my first experience as an interviewer was as uneasy as my first job interview. I then realized that being on the other side of the table is not as easy as it is made out to be, especially if conducting an interview is unfamiliar territory. Later on, as I matured into this role, I created a style of my own and soon found it to be an interesting and inspiring proposition, though challenging. http://tc.eserver.org/32258.html http://tc.eserver.org/32258.html Gives an in-depth overview of the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics information regarding salary data for technical communicators. http://tc.eserver.org/32209.html http://tc.eserver.org/32209.html What does it take to start your own technical-writing business? Chutzpa! Insanity! I began mine by getting a loan from my local bank for my first computer to set up a home office. It was a Micron desktop 386, the fastest computer in town! That was nine years ago. I now have a nice office, a sizeable staff, and all the work I can handle, most of the time. http://tc.eserver.org/32213.html http://tc.eserver.org/32213.html So you've got approval to hire a contract technical writer. Maybe it's for overflow work or a special project. Nevertheless, it is your responsibility and you want to do it right. http://tc.eserver.org/32035.html http://tc.eserver.org/32035.html To many aspiring novelists, poets and journalists, working as a technical writer seems like the perfect stepping stone to their dreams. After all, you'll be paid to put pen to paper--something every wannabe writer dreams of. So what if it isn't the Great American Novel? You'll still have time for your own writing in your off hours. Or will you? If you are thinking about transitioning from your current non-writing position to technical writing because it's a hot market, you like technology, and/or you want to round out your freelance portfolio, you're on the right track. But if your main reason for considering the technical arena is that you enjoy writing, then re-evaluate your decision. http://tc.eserver.org/31942.html http://tc.eserver.org/31942.html It's hard to say how much money full time freelance technical writers make. But we do have some data on salaries made by full time technical writers working for a company. http://tc.eserver.org/31901.html http://tc.eserver.org/31901.html 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. http://tc.eserver.org/31898.html http://tc.eserver.org/31898.html I couldn’t picture myself as a big time advertising writer, but technical writer was something that I figured I could do. I had plenty of computer experience. Half of my personal debt was related to computer equipment. I had been on the Internet since before there was a World Wide Web. I had a degree in creative writing and I had been an editor and writer for a few minor publications. Technical writer seemed obtainable. http://tc.eserver.org/31899.html http://tc.eserver.org/31899.html In the world of contracting, the entire hiring process can take place over the phone. Knowing the right tool (even a little) can get you the job. http://tc.eserver.org/31705.html http://tc.eserver.org/31705.html If you have a group of stressed out and overworked technical writers and need to add to your staff, hiring the right technical writer can be a challenge. The author provides some tips on the hiring and interview process and what you might look for in exceptional technical writing candidates that will best fill the needs of your group of technical writers. http://tc.eserver.org/31708.html http://tc.eserver.org/31708.html Being asked to take the reins of a brand new documentation department is a challenge that many professional technical writers relish, even though the training and development activities they participated in may never have prepared them for such a rewarding challenge. This article looks at forming a new documentation department and determining what's needed, when it's needed and what resources are available to help the new department carry out its mission. http://tc.eserver.org/31711.html http://tc.eserver.org/31711.html When you finally get the approval to hire a contract technical writer you'll want to go about it the right way in order to avoid problems and ensure success. This article provides insight on what you need to do before you start looking for a contract technical writing professional and how to go about finding one suitable for your project. http://tc.eserver.org/31713.html http://tc.eserver.org/31713.html The marketplace for technical writers has often been challenging. In difficult economic times when companies seek to slash their budgets, it is often difficult for corporations to understand the need for a technical writer, let alone to understand the need to increase staffing in the documentation department. This article looks at the benefits of hiring technical writers, since their often diverse skill sets can be used across various departments in the organization. http://tc.eserver.org/31714.html http://tc.eserver.org/31714.html When you first ventured into the tech writing ranks, marketing the department was likely the furthest thing from your mind. You already had work to do, so marketing was somebody else's job. http://tc.eserver.org/31728.html http://tc.eserver.org/31728.html 'Lone writers' — those people who work as their employer’s only staff writers — are a different breed, with their own unique set of professional and personal challenges. At the same time a blessing and a curse, the lone writer life offers flexibility, variety, and autonomy, along with feelings of stress, isolation, and burnout. http://tc.eserver.org/31716.html http://tc.eserver.org/31716.html At first glance, technical communication (techcom) and technical marketing communication (marcom) appear to be very different genres. Where traditional techcom strives to help people use products, marcom seeks to make people realize they need products. http://tc.eserver.org/31717.html http://tc.eserver.org/31717.html This article is a collage of ideas and experiences from some people who've made the leap from writer to manager. Although it's not a step-by-step guideline, it provides some compelling insight as to what individuals might expect as they transition into the management ranks. Even if you are an experienced manager, you might find these ideas helpful. http://tc.eserver.org/31726.html http://tc.eserver.org/31726.html What does it take to start your own technical-writing business? Chutzpa! Insanity! I began mine by getting a loan from my local bank for my first computer to set up a home office. It was a Micron desktop 386, the fastest computer in town! That was nine years ago. I now have a nice office, a sizeable staff, and all the work I can handle, most of the time. http://tc.eserver.org/31732.html http://tc.eserver.org/31732.html Identifying management candidates and training technical communicators before they get promoted to management positions can make for a very smooth and successful transition for both the candidate and the organization. http://tc.eserver.org/31698.html http://tc.eserver.org/31698.html Contrary to what many assume, working as a technical writer involves much more than sitting alone at your PC. The job requires plenty of contact with technical professionals, from programmers and project managers to machine operators and medical technicians. Solitary? Not quite. Collaborative? Most definitely. http://tc.eserver.org/31655.html http://tc.eserver.org/31655.html Most professional writing jobs still require a college degree either in the liberal arts with a preference for Communications, Journalism, and English. Competition is expected to be less for lower paying, entry-level jobs. Writers who fail to gain better paying jobs usually can transfer readily to communications-related jobs in other occupations. http://tc.eserver.org/31162.html http://tc.eserver.org/31162.html Nowadays, outsourcing seems to be a de facto approach in the IT industry. As a part of the software development process, it seems reasonable to consider technical writing as a candidate for outsourcing. Through this article, I propose to explore the pros, cons, risks, and opportunities for outsourcing your technical documentation. http://tc.eserver.org/31140.html http://tc.eserver.org/31140.html If you're considering a move to the contract side of the fence, you might want to think about the questions in this blog post before making a decision. http://tc.eserver.org/31111.html http://tc.eserver.org/31111.html Technical writing is one of those jobs in which you're constantly learning. New tools, new techniques, new methodologies. No one knows it all. That's especially true for the new technical communicator. If you've graduated from a writing and rhetoric course or a technical writing course, you have a pretty good grounding in craft. But you're really only at the base of the mountain. There's still a lot to learn, and if you keep your eyes and ears and mind open then you can quickly pick up what you need to know. http://tc.eserver.org/31106.html http://tc.eserver.org/31106.html Passion, though, is a funny thing. It's easy to become passionate about something. But the fire of that passion can also be easily dimmed or extinguished, often due to circumstances that are beyond your control. Throughout your career, you'll definitely find your passion waxing and waning. But holding on to that passion and nurturing it will make you a better technical communicator. http://tc.eserver.org/31105.html http://tc.eserver.org/31105.html So you've just started out as a technical communicator, or you've been on the job for a year or two. And you've decided that maybe, just maybe, technical communication is the career for you and you're in it for the long haul. Now what? Think about the future and how you want your career to develop. http://tc.eserver.org/31091.html http://tc.eserver.org/31091.html Tonight I participated on a career panel for technical writing majors at Utah State University. In preparation, I tried to think of answers to questions they might ask. The one question that I was sure some student would ask is this: 'If you were to do it over again, would you choose technical writing as your career?' http://tc.eserver.org/31076.html http://tc.eserver.org/31076.html A no-nonsense approach to finding a great tech writer, even when you don't know what to look for. http://tc.eserver.org/30870.html http://tc.eserver.org/30870.html A short article about careers in technical and professional communication. http://tc.eserver.org/30835.html http://tc.eserver.org/30835.html STIC-leden kunnen zich uitstekend vinden in het competentieprofiel voor de Technisch Communicatie-specialist. Dat blijkt uit de resultaten van de enquête die de werkgroep Opleiding en Trainingen in het najaar 2007 aan de STIC-leden voorlegde. http://tc.eserver.org/30643.html http://tc.eserver.org/30643.html There are some key differences between looking for publishing jobs and looking for technical writing jobs. http://tc.eserver.org/30578.html http://tc.eserver.org/30578.html This site is designed to give you insight into the daily life of several technical writers at National Instruments. http://tc.eserver.org/30520.html http://tc.eserver.org/30520.html Technology has reduced the need for managers to act as communication conduits. Instead they must add more quality to the work of their employees by wandering among them. Effective wandering means forgetting the telephone, using bull sessions, becoming a fifteen-minute manager, giving employees a vision, and looking at their work. http://tc.eserver.org/30379.html http://tc.eserver.org/30379.html Many articles discuss how to hire a great writer, but relatively few tell us what to do when we get one. The first weeks on a new job set the tone for a writer's experience at a company. If both manager and writer pay attention to getting a good start, the result will be that the writer settles in, feels welcome and at ease, and becomes productive quickly. http://tc.eserver.org/30333.html http://tc.eserver.org/30333.html Next to writing an enthusiastic thank you note for socks received as a birthday gift, the most difficult task for many writers is creating a help wanted ad that succinctly defines the requirements of the position while encouraging only perfect candidates to apply. http://tc.eserver.org/30306.html http://tc.eserver.org/30306.html To make the most of limited opportunities, you have to distinguish yourself from the crowd of other technical writers who'll be vying for the same positions you're after. In other words, you have to go into that job market armed with more than just a bachelor's degree and some classroom writing samples. Following are some suggestions that can help you acquire some professional technical writing experience, broaden your skills and knowledge of the technical writing field, and get you over the entry-level hump. http://tc.eserver.org/30307.html http://tc.eserver.org/30307.html They call us 'documentation specialists' in the biz. Our mail is addressed to 'doc spec' because 'documentation specialist' doesn't fit on mailing labels. At social gatherings, people's faces go blank when we say we write software documentation or computer manuals. But what are we, really? http://tc.eserver.org/30076.html http://tc.eserver.org/30076.html Leveraging on the success of my business, DocuStar, this paper describes some of the strategies I have used to grow my one-person freelance gig into a business employing over 65 employees on our own premises and servicing over 200 hi-tech companies per year. While the profit margin may not match that of the up-and-coming dotcoms, the needs of the market foretell a solid and ever-growing future within the technical documentation niche. With a strong commitment to hard work, an adventurous excitement for conquest and a paramount and obsessive commitment to quality and integrity, technical writing can certainly be grown into a big business venture. http://tc.eserver.org/30004.html http://tc.eserver.org/30004.html If you have the stomach for it, technical writing can be the path to a full-time writing career. I did it for three years before switching to general business writing, which offers more variety. If you decide to go technical, be sure to keep reading the work of authors you admire so your day job doesn't make you forget everything you ever knew about 'real' writing. http://tc.eserver.org/29989.html http://tc.eserver.org/29989.html Perhaps the most obtuse way of explaining what a technical writer is to say that the profession is misnamed; the real description should be non-technical writer. In other words, a person who turns technical text into non-technical information. http://tc.eserver.org/29868.html http://tc.eserver.org/29868.html Offshoring will not go away. Technical communicators can improve their prospects by taking offshoring into account as they envision their futures. After defining offshoring and outsourcing, this paper presents a brief history of offshoring and the myths associated with it, followed by a reporting of observations made by practitioners in the field. The conclusions of this report include recommended strategies for technical communicators to consider as they move forward in their careers. http://tc.eserver.org/29521.html http://tc.eserver.org/29521.html L'ecriture technique est une limite qui represente un ensemble d'activites de plus en plus large qui sont concues pour communiquer l'information comprehensible qui peut aident a peuple soit productive. Le contenu cree par les auteurs techniques a traditionnellement implique des articles comme 'comment-' aux manuels, aux guides de reference et aux rapports de corporation. L'apparition de nouvelles technologies, de tendances et de coutumes nous incite a augmenter l'armature de la reference qui entoure les activites d'un auteur technique. http://tc.eserver.org/29524.html http://tc.eserver.org/29524.html Technical Writing is a great career with more than 5,000 practicing professionals in India. http://tc.eserver.org/29421.html http://tc.eserver.org/29421.html 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)... http://tc.eserver.org/29420.html http://tc.eserver.org/29420.html Technical communicators represent one of the most mobile groups of professionals I'm aware of, with some sources claiming that the average time between changing jobs is as low as four years. This means that many of us will soon find ourselves in the position of working with newcomers, whether permant staff or 'temps,' and this means we may face the problem of how to mentor or supervise someone new to our workplace. This article discusses how to work with someone who already has the basic training, but is nonetheless naive in the ways of your particular organization. http://tc.eserver.org/29364.html http://tc.eserver.org/29364.html How do you explain highly technical designs in terms that nontechnical managers and executives--who typically have decision-making power over the budget--can understand and appreciate? Unless you know a technical writer who can translate for you, you're going to have to do it yourself. http://tc.eserver.org/29332.html http://tc.eserver.org/29332.html This article offers tips for project and development managers hiring a technical writer to document a software development project. http://tc.eserver.org/28865.html http://tc.eserver.org/28865.html Technical writing as a field covers a variety of different skills and positions. Many people, when they think of technical writers, think of user guides and installation instructions. That is certainly one area a technical writer might work in, but it is far from the only area. http://tc.eserver.org/28850.html http://tc.eserver.org/28850.html As a programmer or developer, the Subject Matter Expert is concerned about developing code that is bug free and serves the client's purpose. They need to have task wise in-depth technical orientation, which often results in having a limited perspective of the user requirement. But those who wish to swap into the technical writing arena are required to have an in-depth overview and analytical outlook of the user perspective and the project in its entirety. As a Technical Writer, the Subject Matter Expert has to understand the user's mindset. Identifying the target audience, producing a document that will answer their questions readily and meeting their expectations is no easy job. http://tc.eserver.org/28421.html http://tc.eserver.org/28421.html A collection of up-to-date advertisements for technical writing positions in industry. http://tc.eserver.org/28371.html http://tc.eserver.org/28371.html As much as you may try to avoid it, conflict among your employees is bound to rear its ugly head from time to time. While you may not be able to resolve all conflicts, with the right approach, you can manage many of them. http://tc.eserver.org/27978.html http://tc.eserver.org/27978.html Project management principles that can easily be applied to working as a documentation manager. http://tc.eserver.org/27977.html http://tc.eserver.org/27977.html It is quite challenging for a manager to integrate a diverse group of intelligent and creative professionals into a single, cohesive unit. As much as you may try to avoid it, conflict among your employees is bound to rear its ugly head from time to time. http://tc.eserver.org/27598.html http://tc.eserver.org/27598.html Technical writers produce, organize and edit scientific and technical information, crafting language that can be understood by people who service, maintain, or operate various types of equipment. To gather data about the subject matter, they may observe production processes, interview production and engineering staff, or refer to trade journals and other such publications. http://tc.eserver.org/27320.html http://tc.eserver.org/27320.html Money Magazine and Salary.com rate careers on salary and job prospects. Technical writing comes in as the thirteenth best career in America. http://tc.eserver.org/27108.html http://tc.eserver.org/27108.html Collaboration is a key element of the documentation process at SolidWorks Corporation, and it contributes significantly to the high quality of the technical documents. 'We couldn't produce the volume of documents that we do in the time that we have without working closely together,' says Georgia, manager of the Technical Publications department. Five technical writers and eight translators collaborate with each other, with developers and testers, with a translation house, and with a print house. Together they produce a user's guide, a tutorial, multiple online help systems, and numerous smaller documents with each release of the software. Releases occur about twice a year. Because each release includes major new functionality, the documentation schedule is very tight. 'Taking into account that we have to wait for the engineers to complete their changes, and that we have to freeze the English version in time for the translators to translate before the release,' says Georgia, 'the schedule is even tighter than it appears at first.' Some of the techniques that make this situation workable are an integrated hardware and software system, careful distribution of responsibilities, explicit procedures and style guides, and file maintenance. http://tc.eserver.org/26982.html http://tc.eserver.org/26982.html Technical writing is fast emerging from the shadows and becoming a key area of specialisation in the IT industry. An insider's brief about the nature and scope of the profession. http://tc.eserver.org/26617.html http://tc.eserver.org/26617.html Beware the need for a vacation when the normally exciting and always rewarding nature of your technical writing job begins to lead you astray. http://tc.eserver.org/26616.html http://tc.eserver.org/26616.html Responses from an inquiry about the type of writer most likely to do well in a start-up environment and what management needs to do to keep those people committed and dedicated for the long-term. http://tc.eserver.org/26304.html http://tc.eserver.org/26304.html Staffing services and placement agency for technical writers. http://tc.eserver.org/26027.html http://tc.eserver.org/26027.html If the world really is run by C students, then you have to ask yourself a question: How do I market myself in an ocean of average? Today's competitive job market can be a hard nut to crack. How do you stand out in that crowd? http://tc.eserver.org/25597.html http://tc.eserver.org/25597.html A directory listing that crawls the web several times a day and gathers the newest jobs posted on a large variety of job sites. http://tc.eserver.org/24991.html http://tc.eserver.org/24991.html Switching bosses within the same company is not an entirely smooth process. On the day of the crossover, I showed up to work and discovered my badge and my email deactivated. It took most of the day to get security to reactivate my accounts. http://tc.eserver.org/24989.html http://tc.eserver.org/24989.html Because I am working at this job through a contract, rather than as a regular employee, there are some situations unique to my position. In the technical writing industry, many writers work on a contract basis through an agency. This type of employment is called contracting, although you may also hear it called consulting. I prefer the term contracting because I associate consultants with people whose job is to advise a company on one issue or another. That may or may not describe a particular technical writing assignment. http://tc.eserver.org/24987.html http://tc.eserver.org/24987.html Rule number one for a contractor is to never panic about what happens your first day. First days are naturally chaotic, and often companies are not fully prepared for you. Because contractors are usually brought in to solve a particular problem, the people are anxious to get you started, but companies, especially large ones, are not geared for quick action. http://tc.eserver.org/24986.html http://tc.eserver.org/24986.html My face-to-face interview with the company was similar to my phone interview. So similar, in fact that more than once I found myself answering the same questions I had answered over the phone. They did throw a couple curve balls at me, however. The strangest question I was asked was, 'If we called your references, what would they say about you?' I was unprepared for this one, and I ended up talking more about my references than about what they would say about me. http://tc.eserver.org/24985.html http://tc.eserver.org/24985.html When I originally spoke to the recruiter on the phone, she gave me a brief description of the job and asked for my rate. We negotiated the rate for a few minutes and came up with an acceptable number ($25 an hour) and she sent me an e-mail with the full job description and a short agreement asking me to confirm her representation and my rate. I sent back my confirmation and that was it for a while. http://tc.eserver.org/24760.html http://tc.eserver.org/24760.html Current trends in Corporate America are changing the traditional role of technical communicators and creating new challenges and opportunities. Re-engineering the corporation, Total Quality Management, ISO 9000 compliance, and the continuing onslaught of the Information Age are all bringing formally 'invisible' technical communications functions into the limelight. It's not just writing and editing any more! As communication professionals and managers we need to upgrade skills and re-focus our efforts to become 'information managers.' http://tc.eserver.org/24693.html http://tc.eserver.org/24693.html Hiring technical writers is an infrequent but important part of a manager's job. Clearly defining the job and the required skills is the first step. Then use all of your networks to find candidates. Read résumés to find those that best match your requirements. The interview team needs to be prepared to ask relevant questions that verify and expand on the résumé and samples. Compare the interview team's evaluations, then check the references of your best one or two candidates, and make a prompt offer. http://tc.eserver.org/24691.html http://tc.eserver.org/24691.html In my presentation, I share my experience as a new web master, focusing on how technical communicators are well-suited 10 becoming web masters. I discuss what to prepare for and how things change when you become the webmaster. http://tc.eserver.org/24340.html http://tc.eserver.org/24340.html More and more job notices request some knowledge of object-oriented programming concepts. So, what are object-oriented programming concepts, why are they so special, and what documentation challenges do they create. This seminar answers your questions about the real meaning behind those job ads. http://tc.eserver.org/24325.html http://tc.eserver.org/24325.html Professional communicators today must often work with writing done by coworkers who have little or no formal writing training. This situation opens a long-term opportunity for professional development'from negotiating with management to developing tactful-but-truthful mentoring methods for the nonwriters. The mentor will develop skills in goal setting, curriculum development, and possibly even classroom-style teaching. This interactive workshop will lead participants through a 10-step process for becoming a successful writing skills mentor and give successful tips and techniques for evaluating and attacking writing problems. http://tc.eserver.org/24238.html http://tc.eserver.org/24238.html Professional communicators today must often work with writing done by coworkers who have little or no formal writing training. This situation opens a long-term opportunity for professional development–from negotiating with management to developing tactful-buttruthful mentoring methods for the nonwriters. The mentor will develop skills in goal setting, curriculum development, and possibly even classroom-style teaching. This interactive workshop will lead participants through a 10-step process for becoming a successful writing skills mentor and give successful tips and techniques for evaluating and attacking writing problems. This workshop is an expanded version of the 90 minute workshop given last year to rave reviews. http://tc.eserver.org/24217.html http://tc.eserver.org/24217.html Lights! Action! Sound! There's a certain mystique associated with the design and development of multimedia. A multimedia developer is not quite a movie director, but.... If you're a technical writer, you may already have considered multimedia as a career option, but you may not know what's involved or how to get started. Having the information you need always makes a change easier, so perhaps this information will help you make that career move! http://tc.eserver.org/24194.html http://tc.eserver.org/24194.html Times are changing. Before 2001, when you went to sell your technical writing services, you might have checked a job board, read a newspaper, or called the manager of Human Resources and then referred to a written job description. In 2004, things are different. http://tc.eserver.org/24071.html http://tc.eserver.org/24071.html If you're a freelancer/contract tech writer, you need to promote yourself. Think of yourself as a store with exactly one product, namely your time. You can only sell that product to one customer at a time. What you need to do is make sure each sale is a good one, and that you sell as much of your time as possible, because no one pays you for down time if you're independent. http://tc.eserver.org/24064.html http://tc.eserver.org/24064.html Advice and information on finding tech publishing jobs and contracts. http://tc.eserver.org/24070.html http://tc.eserver.org/24070.html Most contract technical writers work through agencies. If you know anything about relational databases, you'll understand why this is so: just as the way to solve the problems of 'many-to-many' relationships between two tables is to create a third table, routing the relationships through it so that they become manageable, so, too, with tech writers and customers. http://tc.eserver.org/23716.html http://tc.eserver.org/23716.html I've trained for and run three marathons. My marathon experiences taught me lessons that can be applied to going the distance in a technical communication career. Going the distance requires a willingness to “get going,” continually work on the basics, cross- train, avoid being distracted by what was and what could be, and learn from experience. http://tc.eserver.org/23702.html http://tc.eserver.org/23702.html I'm not ashamed to admit it: the reason I became a technical writer is because 'Technical' comes after 'Teacher' in the help-wanted ads. http://tc.eserver.org/23678.html http://tc.eserver.org/23678.html Commodity writing is the type of technical communication characterized as the creation of formulaic documentation on demand, and is closely tied to writing code. Companies are increasingly comfortable outsourcing both of these tasks. Those are the jobs being sent offshore, as evidenced by the surge in job openings on STC job boards in the Asia-Pacific countries. http://tc.eserver.org/23592.html http://tc.eserver.org/23592.html Writing groups are challenged to find ways to attract and retain quality writers. After several years writing for a particular company, the job can become boring and stale. If writers are not interested in management, they may feel like they are trapped in dead-end jobs. To further their careers and keep the job interesting, they might move into development, usability, or QA. Or they might move on to another company. Either way, the result is the same—the writing group loses a talented writer. This paper discusses a solution—a technical career path. Our paper outlines the benefits of a technical career path and provides suggestions for proposing the idea to management and implementing this program. http://tc.eserver.org/23504.html http://tc.eserver.org/23504.html A collection of current job listings for technical writers. http://tc.eserver.org/23424.html http://tc.eserver.org/23424.html Discusses briefly the work market for technical communicators and their careers. http://tc.eserver.org/23340.html http://tc.eserver.org/23340.html The market for English majors is poor; yet with concentration, awareness of skills, strong support, and sufficient information, recent graduates and career changers can find excellent positions. In 1980, after performing two surveys of the career paths of 550 humanities majors and publishing a guide to career options, I resigned my academic post and began a full year of part-time teaching, medical and technical editing, and several other jobs, including career counseling. As a career counselor I collaborated with another former academic to develop a variation on the familiar career seminar for humanities majors. http://tc.eserver.org/23329.html http://tc.eserver.org/23329.html This essay answers some of the more commonly asked questions about the field of technical writing. It explains what software and software documentation are, what the software documentation specialist (hereafter referred to as the technical writer) does, and how to go about preparing and looking for such employment. It also attempts to assuage the anxieties and calm the fears of those humanists who are upset by the mention of anything remotely associated with computers. http://tc.eserver.org/23349.html http://tc.eserver.org/23349.html For starters, many people working on large Web sites hold more than one of these identities or have held more than one of these roles in their career to date, so it makes little sense to limit one's goals to one of these titles. http://tc.eserver.org/23318.html http://tc.eserver.org/23318.html Technical writers put scientific and technical information into easily understandable language. They prepare operating and maintenance manuals, catalogs, parts lists, assembly instructions, sales promotion materials and project proposals. Technical writers also plan and edit technical reports and oversee preparation of illustrations, photographs, diagrams and charts. http://tc.eserver.org/23222.html http://tc.eserver.org/23222.html What does a technical writer do? A technical writer prepares information that helps users. http://tc.eserver.org/23137.html http://tc.eserver.org/23137.html Coloque o seu anuncio em destaque. O cliente que solicite um trabalho a um dos Freelancers inscritos, terá que entregar todo o material necessário para o trabalho, bem como informar do tempo de realização se houver,os preços e formas de pagamento deveram ser acordados entre os mesmo. http://tc.eserver.org/23110.html http://tc.eserver.org/23110.html While technical writers are expected to have some knowledge of the subjects they write about, experts usually provide detailed information. Technical writers and editors organize the information, put it into user-friendly language, select graphics, write sidebars, and impose a consistent format, checking back with experts to fill in blanks and ensure that no errors have been introduced.