The technical writing interview – part 2

This topic is divided into two posts: Part 1 covers more of the non-technical aspects of the interview. A lot of this might work for any interview in any field, but the examples will mostly be specific to technical writing. If you take this part seriously, you really sabotage your chances of getting the job. Part 2 will focus on the technical aspects. This will be from my own experience, for the type of technical writing I do. Continue reading

The technical writing interview – part 1

This topic is divided into two posts: Part 1 covers more of the non-technical aspects of the interview. A lot of this might work for any interview in any field, but the examples will mostly be specific to technical writing. If you take this part seriously, you really sabotage your chances of getting the job. Part 2 will focus on the technical aspects. This will be from my own experience, for the type of technical writing I do. Continue reading

What kind of technical writing job should I get into?

If you’re looking for a technical writing job, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the possible job requirements. The truth is there are many types of technical writing jobs, and each has its own requirements. For that reason, there is no need to study all the requirements for every category of technical writing job. Picking a target type and working towards that kind of job can save you from being quite so overwhelmed and may get you a job faster. Continue reading

Tech writing hiring freeze

I hope the title caught your attention, because if you are in the market to get hired as a technical writer, keep a watch on your calendar. In general, most companies stop hiring around the end of October (sometimes weeks earlier), and start again around mid-January. This often has to do with approved budgets for headcount, and also businesses just start hunkering down as the holidays approach. What should I do about it? Continue reading

The Shakespeare effect

When I was in college, working my way towards a BA in English, I took a Shakespeare class. Besides all that we learned during lecture times, we were required to read six Shakespeare plays outside of class. So, several nights a week I found myself reading through a Shakespeare play, and most of the time I was utterly confused. Many of the words were modern words, but many were also new to me. Continue reading

How do you handle the frustration?

Here’s the thing. I’m completely lost in this Android course. I’m copying and pasting code, and sometimes it compiles and works and sometimes it doesn’t. I get some of the concepts, but most are over my head at this point. I know if I slow down too much, I will get bogged down and feel like I’m going nowhere. With enough repetition, this will get better in later iterations. As long as I don’t stop. Continue reading

Learning the hard stuff

The thing about getting into technical writing, is that most employers care more about your technical mastery than they do your writing ability. For that reason, one of the best ways to show your value is to prove your technical skills. The list of what you can learn is just about infinite, and choosing what will impress employers can be difficult. (See my spreadsheet if you are looking for how to narrow this down. Continue reading