Technical Writer

• Determines the needs of end users of technical documentation.
• Studies product samples and talks with product designers and developers.
• Works with technical staff to make products easier to use, and thus need fewer instructions.
• Organizes and writes supporting documents for products.
• Selects photographs, drawings, diagrams, and charts that increase users’ understanding.
• Gets usability feedback from customers, designers, and manufacturers.
• Revises documents as new issues arise.

• Operating instructions
• How-to manuals
• Assembly instructions
• “Frequently asked questions” pages to help technical support staff, consumers, and other users within a company or an industry.
• Product design changes: After a product is released, technical writers also may work with product liability specialists and customer service managers to improve the end-user experience through product design changes.

Applying their knowledge of the user of the product, technical writers may serve as part of a team conducting usability studies to help improve the design of a product that is in the prototype stage. Technical writers may conduct research on their topics through personal observation, library and Internet research, and discussions with technical specialists.

• Attention to detail
• Initiative
• Writing and communication skills: Often work with engineers, scientists, computer specialists, and software developers to manage the flow of information among project workgroups during development and testing. Therefore, technical writers must be able to understand complex information and communicate the information to people with diverse professional backgrounds.
• Time management
• Resourcefulness
• Problem solving skills
• Software skills: Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe FrameMaker, Adobe Creative Suite, Madcap Flare, Author-it, Camtasia Studio, Microsoft Visio, Lotus Notes and HTML coding.

• Computer systems design and related services firm
• Architectural, engineering and related firm
• Management, scientific, technical consulting service
• Software publisher
• Scientific research and development services

In small firms, beginning technical writers may work on projects right away.
In larger companies with more standard procedures, beginners may observe experienced technical writers and interact with specialists before being assigned projects.

You can also work for a:

• Technical consulting firms: work on short-term or recurring assignments.
• Freelance: get paid per assignment.

• Technical writing jobs are usually concentrated in locations with information technology or scientific and technical research companies, such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, D.C., Boston, Austin, Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver, New York City, Houston, San Diego, Seattle, Portland, Atlanta and Dallas.
• Technical writers may be expected to work evenings and weekends to coordinate with those in other time zones or to meet deadlines.

Increasingly, technical information is being delivered online, and technical writers are using the interactive technologies of the Web to blend text, graphics, multidimensional images, sound, and video.
Increased outsourcing to India, however, because there is still a lot of demand for technical writing and because the best technical writing requires collaborating with other team members, outsourcing hasn’t hit too hard yet.

• Passion for technology and has digital literacy – basically you like computers and technology.
• Loved to write!
• Liked explaining things to people.
• Web design