Experience in technical writing

Автор статьи: Mediagroup

If you’re looking for a job as a technical writer you must be ready that an employer expects that you’ve already practiced technical writing and can prove it with examples.

Portfolios, either virtual or traditional paper ones, can often help to get a job. So if you're trying to change recent activity into technical writing, you need to pull examples of work together to show that you've already completed the work with documentation authoring - like projects before.

This is not as difficult as it may be thought. Being, for example, a computer programmer, you've written API's or Readme files before for sure. These are both symbolic of internal documentation writers are constantly designing. Then, reports, business correspondence, web pages, etc., can be used as well. But, you must be sure of the high quality of provided examples, and you must be ready to talk about them and the writing or designing aspect of their creation (as opposed to the technology they may be about). If you're not sure about the quality take them to a tech writer to evaluate. Correct the mistakes or make them better and then include them.

Another good idea to build own experience is to find some projects to work for free. You can get on to an open source software project or also look at local non-profits that may need someone to help design brochures, correspondence or grant proposals.

Finally, employers want ever-specialized technical writers. So, if you are specialized in a particular field, highlight this knowledge. Being a programmer, don't suddenly shift into medicine, and visa versa.

And another one point. You should be able to work with most popular services and tools including specific technical writing programs. There are Author-it, Doc-To-Help, ePublisher, Help-and-Manual, HelpConsole, HelpServer, Adobe RoboHelp and russian software-as-a-service called ClickHelp. The usage of these tools make the work more efficient.

We hope these ideas will help you. Technical communication - technical writing, graphic design, technical editing, - is not a thing most people can in no time begin a career with. At least, it not true nowadays. Technical communication has become a real discipline, and is growing more specialized every year. The amount of knowledge one must have to be a really good technical writer is sometimes shocking. Thus, to become a professional may take you time.