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Technical Writing Steps

The document discusses technical writing, including instructions for landing an entry-level technical writing job. It recommends getting a college degree with a technical writing emphasis, choosing a specialization track, taking technical writing courses, developing computer skills, and gaining work experience through internships, volunteering, or open source projects. The portfolio should include 10-15 samples of technical writing work with different formats and topics. Maintaining an online portfolio and resume tailored for each job application can help find an entry-level position in the field.

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Nicoleta
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379 views

Technical Writing Steps

The document discusses technical writing, including instructions for landing an entry-level technical writing job. It recommends getting a college degree with a technical writing emphasis, choosing a specialization track, taking technical writing courses, developing computer skills, and gaining work experience through internships, volunteering, or open source projects. The portfolio should include 10-15 samples of technical writing work with different formats and topics. Maintaining an online portfolio and resume tailored for each job application can help find an entry-level position in the field.

Uploaded by

Nicoleta
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Document Custodian The employee at either the Laboratory-wide or Section level who is

responsible for ensuring the proper formatting, publishing, distribution, and archiving of controlled
documents.
documentation will be maintained electronically on the server
5.6 QMS documentation in hardcopy form will be valid for one day after pr

Policies
Policies are clear, simple statements of how your organisation intends to conduct its services,
actions or business. They provide a set of guiding principles to help with decision making.
Policies don't need to be long or complicated a couple of sentences may be all you need for
each policy area.

Procedures
Procedures describe how each policy will be put into action in your organisation. Each
procedure should outline:

Who will do what

What steps they need to take

Which forms or documents to use.

Procedures might just be a few bullet points or instructions. Sometimes they work well as
forms, checklists, instructions or flowcharts.

What is a policy?
A policy is a statement of agreed intent that clearly and unequivocally sets out an organisations views with
respect to a particular matter. It is a set of principles or rules that provide a definite direction for an organisation.
Policies translate the philosophy, mission or purpose of the organisation (and their commitment to volunteer
participation) into work practices by acting as a guide to decision-making.

Instructions and procedures are documents that help either developers or


end users operate or configure a device or program. [28] Examples of instructional
documents include user manuals and troubleshooting guides for computer
programs, household products, medical equipment, and automobiles.
Most projects begin with a proposala document that describes the purpose of a
project, the tasks that will be performed in the project, the methods used to
complete the project, and finally the cost of the project. [29] Proposals cover a wide
range of subjects.
Specifications - are design outlines that describe the structure, parts, packaging,
and delivery of an object or process in enough detail that another party can
reconstruct it.[33] For example, a technical writer might diagram and write the

specifications for a smartphone or bicycle so that a manufacturer can produce


the object.
1. Descriptions are shorter explanations of procedures and processes that
help readers understand how something works. [34] For example, a technical
writer might author a document that shows the effects of greenhouse
gases or demonstrates how the braking system on a bike functions.
2. Technical reports are written to provide readers with information,
instructions, and analysis on tasks. [36] Reports come in many forms. For
example, a technical writer might evaluate a building that is for sale and
produce a trip report that highlights his or her findings and whether or not
he or she believes the building should be purchased. Another writer who
works for a non-profit company may publish an evaluation report that
shows the findings of the companys research into air pollution.

Technical communicators (often called technical writers) produce welldocumented materials that are essential for the medical, business, technology,
and scientific industries, as well as many others. They create instructional
manuals, business communications, informational materials and other
documents ranging from 1 page to thousands of pages.
Traditionally, technical writing jobs carry a good salary because of the extra
skill required to effectively produce technical materials; however, there is
strong competition in the field. You will need to find an entry level job, in
order to gain the experience needed to command higher salaries or become a
contractor. Find out how to land an entry level technical writing job:
Attend a college or university with a diverse writing program. While programs in
technical writing and communication are somewhat rare, you may be able to get a
degree in creative writing or English with an emphasis in technical writing and
communication. Most people who work in technical writing have a college degree,
and it will be easier to get a job if you have specific training in the field.

Choose your technical writing track. People who get degrees in technical

writing and communication usually choose between technical, medical and scientific

tracks for their degrees. Choose the track that seems more interesting to you, so that
you can learn the style, terminology and best practices of that specific trade.

o If you are not enrolled in a technical writing and communication degree,


consider a double major in writing/English and another subject you are
interested in, such as computer science, biology, graphic design, pre-med,
engineering, law or mechanics. This is the technical knowledge needed to work
as a technical writer. If this is not an option, go to a library, read, and teach
yourself.

3
Enroll in a technical writing course at a local university, community college or at
the Society for Technical Communication, STC.org. Make sure that the course
provides you with all the skills needed to produce a technical document, a certification
and some kind of specialization.

A technical writing course/certification should teach the following skills: analyzing


information/research, interviewing, documentation, basic computer/graphic design,
presentation, testing, editing, publishing and revising

4
Hone your computer skills. Although you should enroll in the necessary computer
science classes at school, you should make sure you are proficient in Microsoft Office
Suite, Adobe FrameMaker, Adobe Creative Suite, Madcap Flare, Author-it, Microsoft

Visio, Lotus Notes and HTML coding. These are all used in technical writing
environments and may be prerequisites for job applications.

5
Add an associate's degree or certification in a new subject. This will give you
added relevance in the technical writing market, allowing you to expand your job
search and land a job more easily.

Method 2 of 3: Necessary Work/Industry Experience

Join the Society for Technical Communication (STC). Read the "Intercom"
and "Technical Communication Journal" to get a background on what is currently
being published in the technical writing field.

1. Volunteer to do technical writing jobs, if you don't have writing samples. You will
need samples of professional technical writing to create a portfolio. The following are
ways you can volunteer your time in order to produce these samples:

o Call or e-mail your local STC chapter. Ask if they have volunteer projects
available to help you gain experience.
o Call local businesses and ask them if they need help creating an instructional
manual or technical document. Most businesses will jump at the chance to
have someone with a writing education do a manual for free. Make sure to
specify the hours you are willing to work, your time line and what you can
produce.
o Work on an open source project. Open Office, WordPress, LDS Tech are all
open source projects that are available for free on the Internet. Volunteer and
track your hours spent improving their instructional or technical text.
o Learn new programs or skills and write an instructional manual for them. Take
some initiative to produce a professional looking document, even if you are not

contracted to do so. Offer it for free on a website or blog, so that your work has
an audience.

1. Create your portfolio. Make sure your samples are impeccable. Then, make
attractive, well designed digital and physical versions of your portfolio.

o Include 10 to 15 diverse examples of technical writing experience. For


example, include video tutorials, journal articles, quick user guides, help files,
an excerpt from a business manual and anything else that touts your
experience. Write a brief introduction explaining the work you've done, its
purpose and any tools you used.
o Create a digital portfolio on a website. You can post your website on a
WordPress site for free. Make sure it is well-designed and easily accessible. It
should be completely free of grammatical errors.
o Include any relevant educational experience at the end of your portfolio.
Although this will be in your resume, it is important to highlight any honors,
essay publications and high marks you received while training as a technical
writer.

Create a resume. Format it to highlight your experience, including volunteer


work, and education. Make sure it is flawless and well-designed.

o You should change your resume for every job application. Highlight the skills
that apply to the job posting and industry, rather than producing a general
resume for every job.
Consider starting a blog about technical communication. Showing passion
and drive for the industry can set you apart from the competition. Post regularly
with an emphasis on your best technical subjects.

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