| April 2006 |
| By Aradia Correnti |
After the brilliant program is written or the product is ready for launch, some geek has to jump into the trenches and translate all the technical jargon into words that laypeople can understand — that’s me. I’m a Tech Writer…but this title can mean so many different things in today’s business world.
On a daily basis, I can wear up to 10 proverbial hats. I design, write, edit, format, create graphics for, animate, and publish multimedia training courses. I use tools from MS Office Suite, to Photoshop, to Dreamweaver, to Captivate on any given project. No two days are the same because I’m always at a different point in my discovery, design, or development process, and the subject matter can range from a new email function to a new pharmaceutical product. All this means that tech writers must be incredibly organized. Time management is also a vital skill since every week is a major deadline.
This type of tech writing is important to the business world because I’m teaching people at Fortune 100 companies how to do their jobs. I’m getting them to understand the technical side of what they sell, or the software they use everyday in the field or at the office. I’m helping them make more money and giving them insights into the minds of their customers. And being one of two employees at the company for which I work makes me indispensable.
The really interesting thing about being a Technical Writer these days is the mess you can get yourself into—if you’re not careful. There are so many tasks you could end up doing that it can make your head spin. There are so many different versions of this career that you have to choose wisely to ensure a good level of comfort and expertise. And in some cases, you may not even find a job that truly suits you, even if there is a plethora of jobs in the market.
“Why?” you ask. Because unlike in the cases of Programmers, Developers, Systems Administrators—or any straight-up tech job—resumes for Technical Writers need to contain as many as 3,000 keywords. You read that correctly…3,000! That’s the word based on my own research and that of a colleague who’s been a pro in this field for 20 some-odd years. The reason that so many keywords are necessary is that Tech Writers are supposed to be experts at a myriad of things. We are to be Software Guru, Engineering Wizard, SME Interviewer Extraordinaire, Layout/Format Ace, Master Editor, Stellar Multitasker, and Pro Publisher.
That being said, it’s of the utmost importance that when you begin the interview process, you ask pointed questions: What will I be writing about? Is it instructional material or just a series of clicks-throughs? Who will be my audience? Will I always work with a team? Will my process be micromanaged? Will I be trained on your systems and processes, or your clients’ businesses?
That last question is complex and crucial. I’ve found that many employers expect a learning curve of zero when it comes to understanding the business objectives of any training material. Somehow, we’re supposed to just magically know all the nuances of virtually every business model out there. Somehow, we have psychic taps into the minds of our audiences and will know exactly what to say and how to say it—with little to no guidance.
So with all this belly-aching, you might wonder why I do what I do. I love to learn new material, and writing is my passion, even if the subject matter is not the most creatively-oriented or enthralling stuff. Staying employed isn’t an issue either—a million companies our there need smart people to write down what’s important, update old materials, and help them explain things well. And when you don’t like your job, you can find another one. Most of us have several recruiters contacting us regularly about new contracts. Last but not least, one can earn a very comfortable living being the all-around brain at the office!
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