Technical Writers - Get paid

Network Your Way to a Paycheck

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. Read more of this technical writing article »

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To Tweet or Not to Tweet? Effective Networking with Twitter

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 Read more of this technical writing article »

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Building an NDA-Compliant Portfolio

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. Read more of this technical writing article »

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Presenting Your Professional Portfolio in the Digital Age

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 [...] Read more of this technical writing article »

Developing a Follow-up Thank You Letter

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! [...] Read more of this technical writing article »

Ten Strategies for Conveying “I’m a Will-Do Person” in Your Job Search

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 [...] Read more of this technical writing article »

Developing an Annotated Portfolio

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 [...] Read more of this technical writing article »

Five Strategies for Conveying “I’m a Will-Do Person” in Your Job Search Documents

Although many potential employers do look to match an applicant’s skills, experience, and knowledge to the job they’re filling, they are really looking for one basic thing: Can–and will–this person do the job that they need done? With that in mind, your goal is not only to showcase your relevant skills, knowledge, and experience, but [...] Read more of this technical writing article »