Tech Writer Today Magazine - TechWhirl
Technical writing and technical communications news, articles and resources for technical writers and technical communicators.
One year ago, I graduated from Portland State University with a Master’s in Technical Writing, and set out into the world, sure that a career as a professional writer was within my grasp. Then reality showed its ugly head – I was going into the expertise-heavy world of technical writing with a piece of paper and little practical experience. Every job listing included the soul-killing phrase “5-10 years of experience preferred”. Continue reading ...
If you’re a student or a recent grad, you may believe that you don’t know anyone who can help you get into the workplace. However, even as a student in an online course, you can take advantage of relationships built in the online classroom to get your foot in the door for good technical communications positions. Continue reading ...
What value could Twitter possibly add to your technical communications career? If you are not a Twitter user, you might think that Twitter is not interesting enough for you to bother with. If you are Twitter user, you might think that Twitter is entertaining, but it is basically full of useless information and that it definitely has no value as a professional networking tool. Until recently, as a casual Twitter user, my opinion of Twitter was a mix of the previous two viewpoints; however, this changed Continue reading ...
Tom Murrell outlines how someone can create a t-letter and use it during their job search. Continue reading ...
At some point in your technical communications career (and probably at most of them), you will be asked to sign a confidentiality or non-disclosure agreement (NDA) before beginning work for an employer or client. Like most professionals, you plan on doing great work, and want to be able to show future employers and clients exactly what kind of technical communications masterpieces you can produce. But you’ve got to sign that NDA, and it’s gnawing at you how you’ll be able to show your capabilities without divulging information that could impact the company that hired you. Continue reading ...
Writers, designers, artists and photographers face the constant dilemma of showing potential employers or clients exactly what kind of genius they’re capable of. The portfolio is an integral part of your effort to market yourself to those who can benefit from your services. Over the years, my portfolio has morphed as often as my job [...] Continue reading ...
Question: I just got back from a job interview. I’m interested in the position, and they seemed pretty enthusiastic about my experience and qualifications. Now what? Should I send a follow up thank you letter? If so, should I send a business letter, email message, or hand-written card? And, what should I say? Good thinking! [...] Continue reading ...
Searching for a job is hard work, no doubt, and it often isn’t as simple as sending out a general resume and strolling through an interview process. Instead, it’s often a multi-phase process that takes time and effort: You update your resume. You craft a letter of application. You select samples from past projects that [...] Continue reading ...
Question: I’m just getting started in technical writing and am getting ready to start job hunting. I have experience working on a number of projects; however, I don’t have any project that I can call my “own” or a collection of projects that I could call a portfolio. How can I overcome this lack of [...] Continue reading ...