How to Land an Entry Level Technical Writing Job

Your first technical writing jobs may seem hard to land when you've just graduated or decided to make a career move. However, entry level technical writing jobs are plentiful. You can find plenty of advice when it comes to writing resumes, searching for jobs and doing interviews. Read on to discover how you can supplement those tools and land an entry level technical writing job.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Writing samples

1. Educate yourself. A bachelor's degree in English is a great start. Many colleges also offer degrees in technical communication. If you have a high school degree, check your local community colleges and universities to see if they offer certificates in technical communication. Technical writing relies on your abilities to research, synthesize information, organize it, and write about it. Focus on those skills.
2. Look for the right kinds of jobs. Do not search for entry level technical writing jobs. Search for Jr Technical Writer.
3. Create a well-written, mistake free resume. You are applying for a writing job where clear, concise, and accurate writing is important. Do not let typos or poorly structured sentence send your resume to the trash heap.
4. Learn the tools of the trade. Download trial versions of key Adobe products like FrameMaker, Captivate, and Robohelp. Do the same with the MadCap suite of products. Explore some advanced functionality in Microsoft Word, especially Styles.
5. Develop a portfolio of writing samples. Whether using your school assignments or documents you created in your earlier career, make sure that you demonstrate a clear and concise writing style.
6. Be prepared to demonstrate how you learn complicated technology. Use your research into the tools of the trade to show how you learned and understood complicated software.
7. Look for Technical Writing jobs in areas that you have knowledge. If your previous life was in banking, there may not be many Technical Writing jobs, but there are plenty of companies building banking software.
8. Check your ego. Big egos do not make it far in Technical Writing. Editors are all too happy to bring you down a peg. If they don't get to you, developers who find you to be a nuisance will.

Tips & Warnings

• Join the Society for Technical Communication, an organization of technical communication professionals.