The WritersUA 2009 Salary Survey

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.

WritersUA (2009). Careers>Salaries>Technical Writing

What Doc Managers Look for in a Résumé?

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.

Technical Communication Center (2008). Careers>Resumes>Documentation>Technical Writing

Technical Writer Salaries in United States

Information about average technical writer salaries in the United States.

Indeed. Careers>Salaries>Technical Writing>United States

Technical Writing and Technical Communication As a Job and a Career - Is it For You?

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.

Technical Communication Center (2009). Careers>TC>Technical Writing

What Employers Look For in Medical Writers  

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.

Gurr, Jim and Victoria Seidenberger. AMWA (2005). Careers>Writing>Technical Writing>Biomedical

New Medical Writers Survey  

The most important skills or previous experience in securing present job: medical/scientific knowledge/understanding; writing skills/experience; ability to meet deadlines.

DeMilto, Lori. AMWA (2004). Careers>Writing>Technical Writing>Biomedical

Working as a Medical Writer

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.

Webb, Sarah. Science (2007). Careers>Writing>Technical Writing>Biomedical

Switching Niches, Redux

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.

Nesbitt, Scott. DMN Communications (2009). Careers>TC>Writing>Technical Writing

Breaking into Freelance Writing

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.

Wenger, Andrea. Carolina Communique (2009). Careers>Freelance>Writing>Technical Writing

Resume Power Tip: Think Technical Writing

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.

Akinci, Ugur. Technical Communication Center (2009). Careers>Resumes>Writing>Technical Writing

The Top Five Technical Writing Skills That Pay Big

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.

Delaborde, Mathieu. Technical Communication Center (2009). Careers>TC>Writing>Technical Writing

How to Become a Technical Writer

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.

HelpScribe (2009). Careers>Writing>Technical Writing

Lessons for Technical Communicators from the Telecommunications Sector

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.

Pratt, Ellis. Cherryleaf (2009). Careers>TC>Technical Writing

How to Get a Job in Technical Writing: A 7-Step Guide for Students

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.

Johnson, Tom H. I'd Rather Be Writing (2009). Careers>TC>Writing>Technical Writing

My Journey from Technical Writing to Pharma Quality Management

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.

Narasimha, Kumar. Indus (2009). Careers>Scientific Communication>Technical Writing>Biomedical

Are Daily Rates for Technical Writers Collapsing?

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.

Walsh, Ivan. I Heart Tech Docs (2009). Careers>Writing>Technical Writing>Offshoring

Best Jobs in America 2009: Technical Writer

Technical writers write technical materials, such as equipment manuals, online help documentation, operating directions and maintenance instructions. Rank: 28th best job in America.

Money Magazine (2009). Careers>TC>Writing>Technical Writing

Podcast on Getting a Job in Technical Writing, 7 Steps

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.

Johnson, Tom H. Tech Writer Voices (2009). Careers>Writing>Technical Writing>Podcasts

Dear Viv: Switching Careers

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?

Carolina Communique (2009). Careers>Writing>Advice>Technical Writing

Occupational Employment and Wages: Technical Writers

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.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2008). Careers>Salaries>Writing>Technical Writing

Freelance Technical Writing in Israel

Observations about freelance technical writing in Israel.

Hurwitz, Charles. Freelance Technical Writing in Israel. Careers>Freelance>Technical Writing>Israel

Do We Need to Hire a Salaried Technical Writer or Should We Go With a Freelancer?

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.

Hurwitz, Charles. Freelance Technical Writing in Israel (2009). Careers>Management>Freelance>Technical Writing

Where To Go To Become a Tech Writer or To Find One To Hire?

There are no rules or absolutes in finding a tech writer. For example, I look for the following when hiring a candidate.

Guarnera, Tom. Your Writing Dept (2009). Careers>Writing>Technical Writing

How Do I Become a Technical Writer?

Nobody graduates from high school and says, I want to grow up and become a tech writer.

Guarnera, Tom. Your Writing Dept (2009). Careers>Writing>Technical Writing

How to Interview Tech Writers

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.

Walsh, Ivan. I Heart Tech Docs (2007). Careers>Management>Interviewing>Technical Writing