Expert: Deena Madnick - 10/21/2004

Question
Hi Deena

I'd be very grateful if you can offer me any kind of constructive advice on how I might best gain a toehold in business / technical writing.

I have spent the best part of my working life in logistics in the oil & gas industry. This kind of work is, however, becoming increasingly difficult to obtain and I wonder if I might diversify into business / technical communications.

My educational qualifications are, admittedly, a bit scant (no college / degree), but I do have, and have always had, a very strong natural interest in communications in general and English language in particular.

My qualifications - such as they are - comprise:

a) TESOL (Teach English to Speakers of Other Languages)
b) Tech. Comms. Techniques 5360 (part 1) City & Guilds Institute -London.

I also have a good grasp of Spanish - but no qualification.

Over the past few years I have made a few sporadic attempts to get into some form of technical / business writing. On each occasion I have drawn a blank. My main obstacle appears to be that I do not have a solid core discipline in any technical or business field.

It is very frustrating. Some oil companies over here (I'm writing from Britain)are so desperate for writers that they're putting technician grades through writer training. The majority of such people have no real interest of course and the consequent drop out rate is very high. Meantime I'm sitting here - very interested - and very unemployed.

I should perhaps point out that I'm not seeking to restrict my interest to the oil industry. I would be happy to participate in any form of non fictional writing, in any area.

Deena - any thoughts you may care to impart will be greatly appreciated.

Regards from the north of Scotland

Jim  

Answer
Greeting, Jim Shanks in the north of Scotland!

It's a pleasure for me to offer advice about getting started in technical writing.

Specifically, as I understand it, your goal is to consider constructive advice to gain a toehold in business and/or technical writing. Of course, much depends upon your own determination, economic conditions, and your location. The technical writing field changes so rapidly and is so diverse that I can only point you in the direction.

I hope the following suggestions, in no particular order, and the listed Websites with links answer questions, for you, about pursuing a technical writing career path.

With your experience, Jim, working as a teacher of English to speakers of other languages and your familiarity with Tech. Comms. Techniques 5360 (part 1) City & Guilds Institute-London, you have a start. Having a grasp of Spanish may also help.

SUGGESTIONS
1.   From your free public library, if available, borrow two or three recently-published books on technical writing. Check out the online sources listed later in this e-mail.

2.   Consider rewriting your resume or life experience outline slanted toward the industry for which you want to write. Put yourself in a technical manager's shoes and ask what you, as manager, might be looking for in a technical writer. Then, format your skills and experience, and write a truthful resume that demonstrates your organizational and writing abilities.

3.   You should have a portfolio of writing samples. If you wrote any teaching materials or materials for jobs you have held, ask your former superviors if you may use those pieces to highlight your writing and organizational skills. In your portfolio, through your writing samples, show the content you worked on.

4.   Call on past supervisors or managers and ask them if they would be willing to write letters of reference for you to include in a section of your portfolio.

5.   This would be a good time to expand your business know-how, technical skills, and technical writing contacts. Enroll in a technical writing class. If an accredited school or college requires a previously-earned college degree, suggest to the person in charge that you have business and life experience that may be just as worthwhile. Ask if you might have an interview to prove your interest and your ability to set and achieve goals.

6.   Consider enrolling in a technical writing certificate program. This will help you see what technical writers do, introduce you to people with similar interests to your own, and give you the background you need to get started.

7.   You might even consider interning for a company that hires interns or students willing to earn less while they learn. This is one way to learn about a “hot” industry you might want to write for. If you think you might be interested in writing for a software developer, for example, consider becoming an expert in such tools as MS Word, Adobe FrameMaker, RoboHelp, HTML, Adobe Acrobat and so on. With an internship, you can build your resume, portfolio, skills, experience background, and list of references.

8.   Seize any opportunities you can. In the United States, there's been a downturn in the economy for the past four years. No one knows how long the downturn will last. The bad news is that some American technical writers working for computer firms have lost positions as a result of the economic downturn. Many software developers are presently (2004) outsourcing to places like India. The good news is that when companies cannot afford full-time technical writers, they sometimes turn to local consultants for project work.

9.   You need to analyze your competition and determine how you are going to beat it. What can you offer in the way of technical writing experience, business savvy, and technical skills that your competition cannot match?

10.   Do a market analysis. List twenty companies in your area that hire technical writers. Out of those, choose ten to study in detail. Offer to do an internship for one of these companies. By the end of the process, you will know enough to network with the people hiring technical writers.

ONLINE SOURCES
HOW DO TECHNICAL WRITERS TRAIN FOR THEIR POSITIONS? If you go to http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/newbiegettingstarted.html you can click on links to Getting Started in Technical Communication, An Introduction to Technical Writing, Networking, Skills, and Filling Out a Form to Find a Mentor. At the Employment and Employment Central links, you can find jobs (and required job skills), guidelines for developing a portfolio, and hints for successful interviewing.

WHAT OTHER WEBSITES CAN TECHNICAL WRITERS TURN TO? Try going to http://chronicle.com/cgi2-in/printable.cgi?article=http://chronicle.com/jobs/200...
for answers to your questions about getting started.

ARE THERE ANY MAJOR INTERNATIONAL PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS?
Another site with information and links for those interested in technical writing is http://www.stc.org You might start by clicking on About STC, Education, Jobs Database, and Chapter Search. Do a chapter search to locate the STC chapter nearest you. Local chapters have job databases, too.

I hope what I suggested helps. If you need further clarification on this subject, feel free to write again. Best wishes for your success!

Sincerely,
Deena Madnick
Copywrite Technical Writing & Editorial Services
Worcester, MA
USA