Thinking of starting a career as a Technical Writer? I’ve worked in Technical Writing for over fifteen years, mostly as a freelancer. Here’s an outline of a typical day when working from home.

FYI – I wrote this last thing at night, so the grammar may not be perfect. But, it will give you an idea of what’s involved if you’re thinking of moving into technical communications.

A Day in the Life of a Home Based Technical Writer

My day starts at 6.05 and finishes around11pm. I’m online 7 days a week. How do I survive? I often wonder, myself…

A little background

I’ve been in technical writing for 15 years. I remember when Windows was just, you guessed it, little windows. I started with Aldus PageMaker, before Adobe bought it, and then moved onto Corel and other DTP packages.

After leaving theUK, I moved toSacramento, different parts ofCalifornia, then back toAmsterdam,Dublin,London(again), thenShanghai, and nowBeijing. I also work inIreland.

Ok, so that’s me.

Technical Setup for Writing

Technical writing in your pajamas. Well, maybe not actually in my pajamas — does anyone still buy these? — I do work from home.

Here’s my technical setup:

• LG pc – this is souped up to the gills. I have it assembled when inShanghaiand it has oodles of memory, hard drives, etc. It has never crashed!
• 1^st Dell laptop – super large (too big, to be honest) with Visio, Adobe FrameMaker and other tech document stuff.
• 2^nd Dell laptop for light surfing

Finding Freelance Technical Writing Work

How I get work? Three ways: referrals, legacy customers and consultancy.

Tip #1 Long standing customers is where the money is.

Chasing new leads/projects etc is a fool’s game. There may be short term gains, but in the long run (e.g. when a recession kicks in) it’s your ‘old reliables’ that keep things ticking over.

New referrals come in all the time. But these can be problematic. People want, for example, web-based  help  written up.

No problem?

But they don’t have the product ready yet, so you can’t see what needs to be documented.

Or they think the  specs/screens etc may change in mid-project. Will this change the price?

Or they want you to use Flash to develop a knowledge-base. Why not use SQL? They like Flash; it’s cool.

You can waste a lot of time with these type of customers. We call them ‘tyre-kickers’ at home. They want to buy the car, but never get past the tyre kicking stage.

Technical Writing Consultancy

This is a mix. People want advice on tool to use, need a fresh set of eyes to check a document set, interview junior tech writers or partner them on a new project.

This is happening quite a bit.  Say a web developer is going for a project (e.g. bidding for a contract) and needs a web writer/technical writer onboard. I sign up as the partner and do the documents when they come on-stream.

If you link up with reliable partners, this can be a nice little earner. So, what’s my day like.

Home Based Technical Writer- Typical working day

6.05

Alarm goes off at 6.00. Snooze. Up at 6.05.

I have 40 min to check email before the family wake up. Remember most of my clients are in theUS, so it’s their afternoon. This 40 min is often the most frantic time of the day. Someone somewhere has a problem – it’s always urgent – and I have less than half an hour to fix it. Once the crew get up, it’s just not possible. We live in a v nice apt — but there is no hiding place.

Check Email

I have 5 email addresses. I get between 40-120 emails per day. The highest was 700 when I got spammed.

• I check the business emails in order of priority.
• Business 1, Business 2, and then Business 3.
• I scan each box, delete  junk, open what’s left. Many of my responses are 1-2 lines.

Tip #2

When writing emails, use numbered lists to break-out the message, e.g.

1. To convert the Adobe FrameMaker files I need the source files by Tuesday.
2. I will need the graphics by Monday inTIFformat
3. It will be ready by Thursday
4. The price is 300 USD
5. Who do I invoice? What’s their email address?

When answering emails, use lists to break out each answer. The reason I do this is that people will often answer the first question and skip the others. Then you have to chase them for the other information. Time is money when you work for yourself. Structure your emails so that it’s easier for customers (and potential customers) to give you all the information you need in one go.

Tip #3 – I NEVER check Yahoo or Gmail before the business emails are finished.

Food. Porridge with walnuts & soybean mix to start. A quick look at the clock and I see how much I can do before their alarm goes off.

Tip #4

Many emails are similar.

“I’ve lost a file, can you make a conf call, how much do you charge etc.”

To speed things up, I have a text file (no formatting) with the answers to the most common queries.

This saves hours every month. They all need to be modified to so degree but the bones of the response is there. Fingers crossed that I get the real urgent stuff taken care off before…

6.45

Lights on and they’re awake!

As I’m already pumped up (terrible isn’t it?) I rally the troops and get things moving. One of the downsides of micro-managing your business (depending on how you look at it, I guess) is that it tends to spill over to your home life — everything becomes a task, a deadline, a target.  I try to lighten up. Sometimes we’re late for school. It’s fine.

Eat, shower, shave, arrange school bag, find missing sneaker, feed goldfish, coax pet crickets from their sleep/suspended animation and we’re off on the school run. Get back by 8.

School day are long inAsia(7.30 – 4.45 most days) so I get a good amount done. InEuropethis was more of a problem as we had endless teacher training days, mid-term, bank hols etc. Here, it’s go, go, go.

8.00

2 coffees, toast, soccer news, yahoo etc and then close them all at 8.15.

I take lots of ‘mini breaks’ thru the day but keep them all to 10 min or so.

Tip #5 Close the web browser and email. Otherwise, I’m peaking all the time. I know myself. Stay focused.

8.15

I work in short bursts between 8.15 and 11.

I use an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of my projects. It’s very simple. Nothing fancy. When under pressure, or knowing that I’m sliding, I print it out as a reminder.

“This is what you have to do, Ivan.”

Tip #6 Working by/for yourself is like dealing with a child. You have to be patient and firm. Little treats and threats both seem to works.

And I reward myself!

When things go well I splurge on a book that I usually wouldn’t buy. Steven Pinker, the Language Instinct is my next treat. Expensive over here.

Setting up interviews

I interview people for this site; it’s one of the most popular sections. Low-tech viral marketing.

I enjoy these interactions as it gives me a chance to meet others, by email and Skype admittedly, and get some insights into how they work.

You think you know so much. But then when you talk to others, you realize, there are so many areas you need to catch up on.

Tip #7

I started writing the questions for this interview at 9.25 (Emails took from 7.55-9.15. Much longer than I thought) and finished at 10.10.

But, here’s the thing.

How should I send it to him? Email, word, on the net?

The Word document I used was pretty bland. Ok, but not much else.

So, I spend 15 min formatting the document (actually tweaking my invoice template). Now it looks 10 x better.

Tip #8

If you want to succeed as a consultant/freelancer etc, you have to go the extra yard ALLTHE TIME. There is so much competition out there, you really have to stand out.

My work varies. This week it involves:

• Writing standard operating procedures
• Converting documents from Word to Adobe FrameMaker
• Creating templates
• Business process work.

Visio is by far my fav tool; creating process maps, state chart diagrams, flowcharts etc is a doddle.

Like I said earlier, I work in short bursts. Maybe 20-30 min and then stop.

It’s important to stand up, get away from the pc and stretch.  Most technical writers end up suffering from lower back, next and eye problems. Which brings us nicely to….

11.00

I have a choice: swim or run.

My aim is to burn up 500 calories per day. I alternate between the thread-mill (even though I hate to run) and the pool (where I love the freezing cold water – the colder the better. BRRRR).

Tip #9

Small Observation

Some of my clearest thinking is in the pool. Maybe this is the only time I really can reflect on the business. No questions, phones, to-do lists. I now carry a small notebook and jot down ideas that pop up.

Chris Brogan mentioned that when on a cruise in Mexico, he had very clear insights  into where he should take his business.

So, while I go swimming too get away from work, oddly enough these are often my most ‘fruitful’ hours. But remember: write it down. Otherwise, it’s gone.

12

This is part 2 of my day; the halfway point.

From here until 4.38 (I leave on the dot) I continue to work on project

but…

I find it hard to kick-start so soon after the gym/pool. To get around this, I do graphic, diagrams, videos  etc. Visual work is a nice counter-balance to the writing.

Tip #10

I know I’m not the greatest technical writer in the world. But my documents LOOK great.

This is something to consider if you plan to go freelance. The accuracy, quality etc of your material is one thing (arguably the most important) but the packaging makes a huge difference.

I’ve seem people’s eyes light up when they saw a really sharp user guide land on their desk.

Tip #11

Use high-quality paper for the Cover Page if you’re going to give it to the boss. Even if you have to buy it yourself, do it. It feels good.

When you’re a consultant, people like to feel you’re worth the money.

Don’t go cheap. You can claw back the pennies elsewhere.

4.38

School run. Literally.

5.05

Back at the PC.

Work until 7ish or whenever dinner is ready.

Go swim (again) with junior, or cycle, walk, dvd, draw, whatever until bedtime.

9.00

Back at the PC.

Work until 11ish.

The last lap is light admin activities, Snagit work, and planning for tomorrow.

I try to avoid writing technical docs late in the evening as it takes too much brain power. The next day, I’m shattered.

Say goodnight to the crickets, gold-fish, lock the door and then off to bed with a book. Tonight I’m reading Margey Allingham, the Coroner’s Pidgin. Wonderful turn of phrase and great story lines.

Check that the alarm is set.

That’s it!

How many hours a day do you work as a freelance technical writer? What’s the hardest part of the job?

Scott, over on Words on a Page, says, “If you want to improve as a writer, you not only need to write. You need to read. Writing and reading are two sides of the same coin. You need to do both to achieve your potential.” I head downtown most weekends and buy 2 or 3 books, mostly business, history and some fiction. Every so often I run out of options (we’re in Beijing) and get something I usually wouldn’t buy, for example, Iain M Banks. Reading outside my comfort zone stretches me. I encounter writing styles, opinions, and  information that I usually side-step.

Scott adds that by reading, ‘you’re exposing yourself to different voices and viewpoints. And you can pick up some new techniques. Not only that, you get a great opportunity to see what other writers are doing well and what they’re doing badly.’ This brings me to dear ol’ Stephen King.

How Stephen King Made Me A Better Technical Writer

I’ve read Stephen King (on and off) since I was a teenager-almost 30 years. After going through Jack London, King Arthur and HG Wells, he was the first modern author that I read.

What did I like most?

The tension, crisp writing and little details that sucked you right in. You had to read on. Would Cujo eat the small child? Most of this was horror, something I grew out of after high school.

But he also wrote another book, On Writing.

If you’re interested in the mechanics of writing, get your hands on this. For me, it’s his best book — and I wish he’d go back and read it.

Why?

Because it teaches you how to write tight prose, remove the waffle, and stay focused. All the things I try to do as a technical writer.I hope he’ll turn a corner someday which is why I give him so many second chances…

What am I reading now?

I tend to mix and match. I have a stack of books next to my bed and dip in and out.

Some are:

• Groundswell, Social Media book
• Built to Last – what makes companies success over the long term
• Stephen King – Duma Key, really lame, especially after his early stuff
• Graham Greene is always a pleasure. Our Man in Havana is a favorite
• Plato’s Apology
• Genghis Khan bio, life in ancient Mongolia
• Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale
• Iain M Banks – pretentious drivel! I had such high hopes. Philip K Dick is the best sci-fi writer for me.
• Catch 22 – ok, bit dated
• Al Ries, Focus and the 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing
• Tom Peters, Peter Drucker and Seth Godin are all there too.

Seth’s writing style is, for me, the best out there right now, at least in the business world. Tight, crisp, and funny. No words wasted.

I rarely buy magazines anymore as most are close to 5 euro in Europe. Instead I pony with the difference and get some books.

How about you? What are you reading?

The WritersUA User Assistance has published details of its 2009 Salary Survey results, which includes a breakdown of salaries for technical writers and others in the tech comms field.

The average U.S. salary is $79,515 – 4% increase from last year. Salaries range from $14,000 to $190,000 and fall into the following quartile groupings:

Salary Group       Salary

Lower quartile    $14-62

Second quartile  $63-78

Third quartile      $79-92

Top quartile        $93-190

Note: the WritersUA constituency is 10,000+ and probably is a fair representation of the overall user assistance community. The survey was also announced on user groups related to technical communication and user assistance.

Read the full report here: http://www.writersua.com/surveys/salary10/index.html

I was surprised to see people earn up to 190k. It would be interesting to know what type of technical skills, experience these writers have. It would also be interesting to see if daily rates have gone up or down.

So, where do fit into this? Are you surprised by these finding? Let us know below.

Kai raised an interesting point about which skill (writing/technical) takes longer to master. Knowing how to structure and present information to users? Or knowing how to use a product or application? That got me thinking. If you want to make money as a technical writer, which area should you focus on? Sharpen your writing skills or deepen your technical knowledge, for example, learning how to document an API?

Which Technical Writers Makes The Most Money

I think there is more money if you have deep technical knowledge rather than strong writing skills.

Kai’s point is, “…it’s always been easier and faster to learn a product/app. So knowing about structuring and presenting information has been the more valuable skill in a writer – and the rarer one, too, that’s much harder to learn from colleagues!

So I agree with David: “… it’s easier for a good non-technical writer with an interest in technology to become a good technical writer, than it is for a good engineer to become one.”

… and with Ivan, that writers can make up deficiencies with interest: “… if someone has an interest in sharing how the technology works, then they will go the extra mile…”

<I think the real issue is this: Which essential skill takes longer to master?

I have to admit, that’s a very good way of looking at it. I hadn’t actually thought of it in those terms.

• My take is that it’s easier to develop language/writing skills… or at least to develop them to a level where you can perform your duties as a technical writer.
• With technology it’s more complex as (at least for me) I’m always learning. Even in areas where I have considerable knowledge, I still find that I’m learning and finding better ways of doing things.
• When I started out my writing skills were rather ‘unsophisticated’ and that’s being kind. But, I knew how to program (Cobol, C, Fortran) and landed some nice contracts as a results. Writers with much better qualifications weren’t even considered.

I think there is more money if you have deep technical knowledge rather than strong writing skills. What do you think?

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Tom Peters says, “the value of services will continue to fall” and that the only way to survive is to differentiate yourself from the competition. Is this true? How do you as a technical writer make yourself stand out from the crowd? If you don’t, what impact could this have on your career?

How to Differentiate Yourself as a Technical Writer

Here are five suggestions to do this:

1. Video Blogging – use your Camtasia skills to create videos that show how products work. Cisco is doing a great job in this area. They gave flip cameras to the IT people and encouraged them to make short, snappy videos that show how to use their hardware, networks, and systems. Which would you prefer? To read 20 pages or watch a 3 minute video?
2. Screencasting Training – now that you know how to make the videos, why not use this to teach others to do this same. Position yourself as a screen-casting expert, setup the blog, get involved, and show others how this works. FWIW there is a very active video marketing group on LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/in/ivanwalsh) that you may want to join.
3. Web-based Training – if you’ve spent years writing guides, you must have developed an in-depth knowledge of 2 or 3 fields. See which of these are most in demand (Google searches and forums will be a starting point) and then develop training modules that you can present online. Lynda.com does a great job in offering training over the web. Sign up with them and see how it works.
4. Social Media Writing – you know how to write, right? Well, most people don’t. As Social Media continues to explode leverage your writing skills and show (“the benefit o f communicating well on Facebook is…”) others how to get their message across on these Social Network. Look at how Debbie Weil does it. http://www.debbieweil.com
5. Business English – the upside of all these jobs getting shipped to India, China, Brazil is that their Management teams want to do more business in the west. How can you help them write better reports, communicate more clearly, protect them from being misunderstood – you get the idea!

These are just five ways you can stand out from the crowd and position yourself as a specialist. My suggestion is to look at who is doing this right, e.g. Debbie Weil, and study them diligently. Then develop an action plan and start getting the rewards you deserve.

What other careers can you think of? Is it possible to differentiate yourself as a Technical Writer? How would you do it?

PS: Tom Peters is here: Thriving on Chaos: Handbook for a Management Revolution and Debbie Weil The Corporate Blogging Book: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know to Get It Right is here.

Do you feel loved? Many technical writers feel unloved. They feel they don’t get the respect they deserve. I hear this on LinkedIn and Facebook: “people don’t respect the work I do.” Well, if that’s the case, here are a few ways to get more respect and move into a more rewarding career.

Signs That You Get No Respect

Are you trying too hard?

Define Respect – first, you need to define what you are really looking for? What in others would demonstrate that they respect you? It is financial rewards, credit, acknowledgment or other things. Check that you’re not being over-sensitive or running yourself down. People who don’t respect themselves, never earn respect from others. It’s one long downward cycle.

Getting Bullied – if you feel you’re the butt of their jokes, getting run down, disrespected and ridiculed, then maybe, maybe, maybe there is some bullying going on here. You need to face these people and assert yourself. If you don’t, the same pattern will repeat itself at the next job.

Office Trolls – these people don’t respect anyone. They’re emotional vampires. Don’t take it personally. Even if you do a great job, you’ll never earn their respect. But here’s the thing. Would you want their respect, anyway?

Lack of recognition – if there is a trend/habit of certain staff getting rewarded, while you continually get overlooked, then flag it (be careful – this can back-fire if you’re seeing to be whining) or find ways to address it.

Or just accept that you work with a bunch of jerks!

What to do next

Be active – if your work environment doesn’t see the value in what you do, then get out there and start looking for alternatives. Remember, it’s always easier to get a job when you have a job.

Re-Positioning Yourself – technical writers with 5+ years experience should/could be looking at re-positioning themselves as Content Strategists, Web Content Consultants and other roles where your ‘knowledge’ in more valued. This is where the real money is. It may take you 12-18 months to make this transition but once there the rewards, respects, and career development make it worthwhile.

Perception – Technical writing is often seen by mgt as a service, in the same way that testing, customer support etc are services, i.e. useful but not *always* essential. As long as you’re a writer, people see you as providing a service. And the services industry is very far down the food chain.

Interesting places to look – if you have a taste for adventure, Brazil, Australia, India, China, Poland, Dubai, and others in the Gulf are actively seeking experienced IT professionals. While there are many barriers to moving to these counties, such as language, food, families, health etc, US multi-nationals with offices in these locations can be very supportive of people willing to give it a try. Google, Oracle, IBM, and most of the Nasdaq 100 have offices in Asia. If you’re interested, call them or visit their website. It can’t hurt to look.

What do you think?

What suggestions would you give to someone who wanted to develop their technical writing career or re-position themselves, for example, to move out of documentation and into a new field?

Which of these would you hire to join your Technical Writing Dept? Someone with great writing skills but little technical knowledge or, for example, a Computer Science graduate with deep technical knowledge but average writing skills?  We’ve been talking about this on LinkedIn and here are some thoughts.

Why Writing Skills Are More Important

• Technical writing is about writing.  Words are the foundation upon which the rest is built.
• If you don’t have the writing skills, then regardless of how well you know the application, you can’t explain how it works.
• Your ability to drill down and describe complex functions may be beyond your grasp.
• To resolve this involves arranging sessions & workshops with developers, IT architects etc, all of which cost time/money.
• If writing skills were not necessary, programmers could write the user guides! Ever see a well-written user guide from a 22 year old Java developer? There are exceptions but…
• Technical writing is about communication. Technical writers are trained to interview people and extract the relevant information.  Of course, listening skills are not exclusive to technical writers but many (that I know) feel they grasp the importance of this more than others.
• Writing skills give you the tools to communicate – and to help/teach others to communicate.

FYI – One of the trends I see in Tech Comms, is the changing role of the Technical Writer / Technical Communicator into an educator, facilitator, and becoming the central point of contact for technical information distribution (i.e. technical information coordination).

The counter argument is as follows.

Why Technical Skills Are More Important

• Technical knowledge is the starting point. You need to know how the system works, otherwise all the writing skills in the world may be of little use. If you don’t know what it actually does, what can you begin to write?
• Most ‘non-technical’ technical writers (e.g. graduates with English degrees) waste/take up developers’ time asking questions about how the application works, instead of actually generating content. While there is some leeway here with new technologies, developers have their own deadlines and can’t be expected stop coding to explain the innards to the application.
• Those with technical skills can hit the ground running – it’s the responsibility of the Technical Editor to refine the text.
• Those with technical skills know which questions to ask. As they understand the application/industry/codebase they can ask the hard questions that ‘non technical’ writers would not see in the first place.

Which would you hire?

If you were running a technical writing dept, which type of person would you hire?

A technical writer with strong technical skills, but prone to the occasional typo, or someone with perfect grammar, sound writing skills, but low on technical knowledge?

PS – you can connect with me on LinkedIn here – http://www.linkedin.com/in/ivanwalsh

From Shakespeare, Graham Greene, JK Rowling to Colum McAndrew, Ellis Pratt, David Farbey. All have all one thing in common – great writing! As my career started in the Baker Street, London in the 90s, I’ve always carried fond memories of my time in England. Here are some UK based technical writers you might want to add to your Twitter list. By the way, do you notice any difference between UK and US tech writer blogs?

Sherlock Holmes, 221B Baker Street, London

Colum McAndrew

Colum knows more about Robohelp than anyone I’ve ever met and I wouldn’t be surprised if Adobe ‘made him an offer he couldn’t refuse’, for example, as a product evangelist.

“Technical Writer with a keen interest in all Adobe TCS products (especially RoboHelp) as well as technical communication trends.”

http://twitter.com/robocolumn & http://notcolin.wordpress.com

Ellis Pratt

Ellis is Director of Cherryleaf Limited a technical communication company based in the United Kingdom. “We are the most copied technical communicators in the UK, with expertise in single sourcing and online Help. “ Ellis, has a nice dry, sense of humor, keeping  Twitter lists for Squirrels, MeerKats and Elephants.

http://twitter.com/ellispratt

David Farbey

David “writes technically, constitutionally incapable of ignoring typos.”

He is a technical communications and information design professional and has been active in this field since 1994. David is a Fellow of the Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators, and a Member of the British Computer Society. He has presented at professional technical communications conferences in the UK, Europe, and the USA.

http://twitter.com/dfarb & http://www.farbey.co.uk

Gordon McLean.

Glasgow-based Gordon is a “Technical Information Manager with Sword Ciboodle”.

Gordon is a member of the Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators (and contributor to the monthly newsletter), and a member of the Information Architecture Institute.

You can find him on LinkedIn or the Content Wrangler Community, and to find out more about me just visit my other blog or hey, Google me.

http://twitter.com/onemanwrites

Alistair Christie

Documentation Manager for a UK-based software company, since 2002. “A long time ago (it feels like it anyway) I used to work in the publishing business as an editorial project manager for an educational publisher in Oxford. I later worked as a freelance editor and then decided to combine my experience working on books with my hobbyist enthusiasm for software and try my hand as a technical writer – and I never looked back!”

http://twitter.com/itauthor & http://www.itauthor.com

Other UK technical writers?

Do you know any other technical writers based in the UK. Let me know and I’ll update the list.

Yes, I’m that terrible person who interviews technical writers and asks those awkward questions. Here are some of the things I’m looking for when I interview people.

First, companies expect that graduates will have the same (more or less) writing skills – that’s a given. So, what they’re looking for are other qualities.

Such as?

• Problem solving skills – describe a problem you had and how you overcame the issues. Be modest & don’t tie yourself up in knots.
• Collaboration – demonstrate how/where you collaborated with others. I don’t mean email or twitter but, for example, how you took responsibility (“the project was running behind schedule, so we decided to hold a workshop…”) and how this resolved the issue at hand.
• Technologies – talk about an area you have some expertise. Show how this solved problems (always be the person who solves problems and gets things resolved!) and the benefits it offers.
• Memberships – if you’re a member of the STC or local IT group, talk about it. Paint a picture of someone who is savvy, interested in the community and likes to interact.
• Goals – they want you for the long term. Hiring is expensive. Interviews cost money. Describe your career path and where you want to be. Discuss how this company helps you realize your goals.

Can you see the difference this makes?

Instead of hiring a person just because they’re out of work, the company is getting someone who shares their vision.

Interviews – other things to remember

• Who does the interview – many companies don’t have a technical writing team. This means the IT manager (or PM) will do the interview. If this is the case, do your prep work and expect questions about code, schedules and other area.
• Privacy — HR people may ‘hint’ or suggest that you discuss your lifestyle. Keep it simple but be polite.
• Tests – many companies will ask you to do a 45 min test. Expect this. Don’t be alarmed if they pull this out of the bag at the end of the interview. They shouldn’t do this but some people are like that.

Things not to do at your interview

I’m looking for someone to write documents – someone who is low maintenance. You need to be that person. With that in mind, don’t:

• Arrive late – give yourself time to part the car, find the office, have a drink and calm down, especially if it’s a long drive to get there. Have a light snack (e.g. banana) before going in.
• Wear heavy cologne or perfume. In a small room, it can be over-whelming
• Eat garlic or other such foods before the interview. See above. Mouth freshener never hurt.
• Run down your previous employer. If reflects poorly on you and makes you look petty. Talk them up.

“It’s a great company but I want to move into XYZ, so I thought I’d speak to you.”

Be the type of person you’d like to hire.

Steer clear of the following:

• Religion
• Politics
• Gossip
• Extreme ideologies
• Age
• Family

None of these are their business. Allude to them, e.g. your family, if you wish but keep it brief. Don’t get too buddy-buddy. This is an interview. Keep it professional.

and then…

• Ask questions. This is the single biggest mistake interviewees make. They don’t ask questions. They think that being silent shows respect. Of course it does, but open up. You must have questions. Ask them. I want to hear what you think of the company.
• Show your interest. I used to print out the company annual report and discuss sections with the interviewers (when looking for work) – this blew them away.
• Quote things for their site.
• Talk about the company — as though you already worked for them.
• Social Media — have you joined their Facebook page? Do you follow them on Twitter. If not, why?

Don’t think of yourself as just a technical writer. You’re a potential asset to the company and if THEY make the right decision, they will hire you!

See the difference?

What the most difficult question you were asked at an interview? What is the biggest mistake you made at an interview?

Why did you become a technical writer? Some move into technical writing by accident (me!) while for others it was part of their career path.  I spoke to some technical writers about this recently. Here’s what I learned.

How to get into technical writing

1.    By Accident – Karen started in journalism and discovered technical writing by accident. She felt that technical writing suits people who enjoy communicate and learning new stuff. If you like/love technology, you’re half-way there, if not, chose another field.

2.    Out of Manufacturing – after 10 years in engineering, another colleague saw the ‘writing on the wall’ as the US began to lose its manufacturing jobs to China, India, and Eastern Europe. Moving into technical writing proved an exit route. However, as technical docs are now getting off-shored, she’s considering moving into another field, possibly teaching.

3.    Career Choice – new technical writers (especially in India and China) have decided on Tech Comms as a career and taken the appropriate degrees, such as English, Communication and, in some cases, Journalism.

4.    Career Change - JP did a postgraduate in biology and moved into technical writing as it allowed her to combine her daytime job (technical docs) and real passion (travel writing).

Technical Writing (tech comms) is a very hot field in India, offering an attractive career for university graduates. Think Silicon Valley, late 90s and you get the idea.

How I became a technical writer

I started as a programmer (anyone remember Cobol? Fortran?) but was moved into tech docs during a downsize. I studied computer science in university and though the move at the time seemed a backwards step, it’s served me well.

Coding didn’t suit me. I signed up as others did at the time without understanding the field.

Remember, I’m from a very small town in the west of Ireland so the career advice we got wasn’t the greatest. Most teachers had no experience on PCs in the 80s. What they suggested was based on what the Dept of Education recommended.

So, for me personally, it wasn’t the smartest move but  it opened others opportunities later. I landed many contracts because I know how to write code and run simulations. Most other English majors could write (way better than me) but had limited technical skills.

Since then I’ve lived in the UK, US, Amsterdam and China, so it’s worked out quite well. I have some concerns for ‘old school’ writers who don’t always see the shape of things to come.  You need to keep moving forward in this industry or risk getting left behind.

One last thing

India has an advantage as its education system values/prioritizes maths, while most all young Indians speak English.  So, it’s a terrific combination. China, in contrast, lacks these language skills. So, the focus there is on development.

India is going to get stronger and stronger, especially if the government fast-tracks infrastructure development.

US technical writers will lose their jobs to India. I can guarantee it. It’s a done deal.

But…

There are tremendous opportunities for those who have the gumption to move there and help develop this industry.

India lacks experienced writers, projects managers and team leads. If you have these skills…

UPDATE – I had some comment by email. Most seem to have moved into tech docs by design. However, quite a few are now saying they to move out again to find work.

What careers do you think are open to them?

By the way, 3 of these emails were from people outside the large metro areas so contract options are very thin. Any ideas?