Technical Writing Part Six: How to Find Technical Writing Jobs

Step One: Be Qualified
Even if you have gotten a job in the technical writing industry in the past, skill sets continually change. Stay ahead of the curve. Take the time to find out what the latest tools and techniques are. Two good places to research industry trends are:

• Society for Technical Communication (STC): www.stc.org
• EServer TC Library: tc.eserver.org

Keep on top of the industry:

• Learn the latest tools
• Buy the appropriate books
• Subscribe to any industry magazines you can find (not just technical writing, but any specific specialty such as software, hardware, or engineering.
• Visit and join professional groups within the industry (Such as STC)
• Take the appropriate classes
• Get a degree if you can
• Try to find one or more mentors in the field

Unless you are actively working to make yourself the best possible candidate for the job, you are going to have trouble landing the job you want. If you are not qualified for the job you want, consider seeking a job for which you are qualified, but limit your applications to the industry you hope to grow into. It is easier to build your career from the inside than the outside.

Step Two: Demonstrate Your Qualifications
If you are qualified to look for a technical writing job, you must be able to prove it. This means you must create a resume and a portfolio. There are entire books about writing resumes, so I will not detail the process here, but be sure your resume reflects the experience that qualifies you for the job you are looking for.

While some people choose to use a resume service, I believe it is better to learn how to write your own resume. You are a writer, after all. The best reason to create your own resume is that you will want the option of customizing your resume to individual job opportunities. If a company is looking for a writer who knows FrameMaker, you will want to make sure that you feature that skill on your resume. If the next company cares about HTML skills and does not ask for FrameMaker skills, you will want to make changes again. When you know what skills an employer is looking for, you need to make sure your resume reflects those skills as much as your qualifications will allow.

A technical writer or editor’s portfolio is a collection of their work samples. Again, the samples should reflect the job you are looking for. A technical writer should create a collection of technical documents they have worked on. You can do this with printed copies of your work, a CD-ROM featuring your work or a web site where you can send potential employers.

Step Three: Make a Contact List
This is the step that most people try to skip over, and that is why most job searches fail. It is possible to find a job through newspaper or web site advertisements and you should use them as part of your search, but do not limit yourself to those resources. Advertised jobs have the most competition for them. The people who are willing to pick up the phone and cold-call employers are more likely to find a job than those who only apply for advertised jobs. Before you call, however, you should know the employer’s background as much as possible.

Because most technical writers work for technical companies, technology plays a major role in a technical writer’s job search. Technical companies are far more likely to take advantage of online services such as job sites and resume services than more traditional businesses. In addition, because many technical writing jobs are contract jobs, companies often use employment agencies as a recruitment tool.

Make a list of technical companies and technical employment agencies in your job search area. For this sort of search, the Internet is your best tool. Go to the major job employment web sites. A short list of leaders includes:

• Indeed: www.indeed.com
• Monster: www.monster.com
• Dice: www.dice.com
• HotJobs: www.mediabistro.com
• EditorJobs: www.editorjobs.com
• Craig’s List: www.craigslist.org

The mistake most people make when they go to these sites is that they simply post their resume and wait for people to come to them. While you may get a job by posting your resume, that is the most passive way to conduct a job search. An effective job search is an active job search.

Make a contact list of every employer and job agency you find that advertises technical jobs. Do not limit yourself to those listing a technical writer job. Most of these web sites will give you the information necessary to contact these potential employers, either through the phone, a website or email. If you can find a web site for these employers, take the time to explore the site and get a feel for the company.

You will want to prioritize your contact list. Put the agencies or employers that sound most promising at the top and the ones that sound least promising at the bottom. If you think a company is not for you, mark it off your list.

Some items you will want to include on your contact list:

• The size of the business or agency
• The names of any potential recruiters or other contacts
• Are they actively seeking technical writers?
• Address and phone number
• Any general thoughts about the potential employer

Once you have your contact list, get ready to make some phone calls.

Step Four: Call the Employers
At this stage, you are actively seeking employment, but you are also looking to develop contacts and form relationships. This is why you must use the phone rather than e-mail or regular mail. Mail is a passive tool; the phone is an assertive tool. Sometimes, you may want to visit a potential employer in person, but that is a slower method because of travel time. In addition, it is disheartening to get dressed up to visit a potential employer only to find out that the person you want to see is out-of-town or uninterested in talking to you.

One concern many people have is their ability to “get past the secretary” and talk to the person who makes decisions. While this may be true at a few companies, secretaries and receptionists are less common than they used to be and call screening is not as common a practice as most people fear. You may be surprised at how often the person who can hire you picks up the phone.

Be polite and friendly, but not overbearing. Let them know you are looking for work. If they tell you they do not have any opportunities, ask them for advice or other possible contacts.

Some people will respond to your approach and be helpful and some will not. Do not worry about unfriendly people. People who are unfriendly on the phone are generally not good employers. Remember that this is a weeding-out process for you as well. You do not just want a job; you want to find the company that is best for you.

Keep making phone calls. Your goal is to get the person on the line to agree to look at your resume. With luck, they will then be interested in interviewing you. Do not get discouraged with rejections. Chances are you will receive a few rejections if you use this method. That is why you want to develop as large a list of contacts as possible.

If the person does agree to look at your resume, mail or email it as soon as possible. Then, wait about four working days, and if you have not heard back from them, call to discuss the resume. With luck, you will start to get some job interviews.

Step Five: Master the Interview
Job interviews are grueling; there is no way to get around it. You have to get dressed up, which generally means looking at yourself in the mirror and wondering if this is as good as you get. You have to answer probing and sometimes stupid questions and find a way, however difficult, to present yourself as the ideal candidate.

In some cases, you have to face one person, and in other cases, you find yourself sitting across a table from five or more people. The key is to be yourself, but to be your best self. Do not lie or exaggerate your skills. Unless you are a terrific liar, the interviewer will see right through you anyway. Be positive about your abilities, but feel free to admit when an area is something you are not skilled in. An honest no will get you a better job than a dishonest yes.

A few things to remember:

• Try to get a look at the place you are visiting in advance.
• Find out in advance how the people at the company dress, and dress slightly better. Always be clean and well groomed. Do not use cologne or perfume; just be clean.
• Bring your portfolio with you and be ready to explain it in a positive way.
• Demonstrate your knowledge of their company. Be ready to explain why you want to work for them.
• Ask when the interviewers plan to make a decision.
• Remember the names of your interviewers and get a business card from them if possible. You will need it for the next step.

Step Six: Follow Up
Do not skip this step. Every step in this process is important, but this one is how you close the deal. As part of your job search, invest in a box of thank you cards. As soon as you get out of your interview, write a brief note on one of your thank you cards. Thank them for the interview and restate your interest in the job. Drop the card in the mail that day. Do not let yourself forget.

Call the employer within three working days of your interview. Thank them for the interview again and ask them how the job search is progressing. If you have not heard from the company by the date they said they intend to hire someone, call again and ask if they have made a decision. Many employers do not bother to call and inform people that they didn’t get a job, and it is better to know if that is the case as soon as possible so that you can move on.

Step Seven: Go Back to the Beginning

Until you get a job, you continually need to renew your job search. After your initial research, try to contact at least five potential employers each week. If you are running out of possible employers, you need to expand your search either by considering employers you passed on before or by expanding your geographic search to include new locations and markets.