How to Interview as a Tech Writer

Hi!

Well, my Company From Heck is about to lay me off. I’m a technical writer in the computer field. I transitioned to that while I was at the CFH. I’ve almost finished a Certificate in Tech Writing from SJSU, I’ve written a couple of manuals, and I’ve written some online help in HTML. So, I have a good background.

The problem is, I’ve never interviewed for a tech writing job before. I could use your help in knowing what things to get into my resume (and what to take out), and what sort of process/questions I should expect. I mean like:
[ol]
[li]Will I be asked for a portfolio? What should it look like?[/li][li]Will I be asked to edit a document?[/li][li]I know FrameMaker and Dreamweaver. Will someone ask me to demonstrate my knowledge?[/li][/ol]

Any other comments, zany or otherwise, are welcome, but I could mostly use the help!

Joe

I have a MS in Technical Communication and interviewed for a few Tech Writing jobs (even landed one) before I decided on another field (HR).

I found it helped to have a portfolio, even though it probably had less in it than yours would. Essentially try to include samples of the most relevant things you’ve written. No need to bring everything to every interview. If you have extra copies of some things and can leave samples that may be good. Make sure you take into account the extent to which anything you wrote may be property of/ confidential to your employer. Be prepared to explain exactly what your role was in creating each of the documents (content, design, production, etc.)

Ideally your portfolio should demonstrate your skill with Dreamweaver/ Framemaker. I was never specifically asked to demonstrate skill with software. I have heard more of tests to demonstrate writing skills.

The Society for Technical Communication had (and probably still does) an active online community. It may be worth joining just to get more tips from them at this stage of your career.

Good luck!

I’m a Brit, so things may be different where you are. I worked as a tech scribe in the IT industry for a million years, both as a full-time salary slave and on contract.

  1. I’d suggest that instead of going for a full-time job, you consider working for yourself as a freelance contractor. It’s a MUCH better life.

  2. Take with you as many examples as you like of your completed work. This must include AT LEAST the last three things you worked on. In each case, if the deliverable was a physical book or manual, take a copy. If it was something less tangible, like a complete help text system, then print out 20-30 of the panels / screens, on the best colour printer you can beg, steal or borrow for the purpose, and then bind them some way so you can present them neatly and talk through the work you did and how you did it. Be sure to include the top introductory screens and the main menus, so that anyone flicking thru can at least get a sense of what you were doing. If there were any bits you were specially proud of or that show off your incredible talents especially well, include them.

Stay clear of any excuses about why you worked on some great project but you have nothing to show for it. ‘It was a top security / confidential project so I can’t show you any of it’, ‘I wasn’t allowed to keep my own copy’ and so on. This sounds sappy and you could just be making it all up. If you mention you worked on something, the interviewer wants to see your work. If you’ve got nothing to show, don’t mention it. Mention the last three things you worked on that you DO have something to show for. You can mention other stuff in passing later on in the interview.

  1. Mental preparation. Be ready to describe SUCCINCTLY the last three jobs you’ve had, or last three projects you’ve worked on, so that you can give the interviewer a snappy, comprehensible description in each case, and he instantly gets a feel for what you’ve done. Long-winded, rambling summaries suggest your work will be equally full of waffle. Interviewer may be interested in WHO you were working for, at what level in the company. Hint: the higher up the greasy pole your boss was, the better the reflected glory for you.

Be sure to have your employment details learned - who you worked for, when, what the aim of the project was, what your role was.

  1. For each piece of work or porject you are going to mention, be ready with a pithy summary of why you were happy and enthusiastic to work on it and why you found it enjoyable and satisfying to participate in it. Lie about this if you have to. NO NEGATIVES. Good things to mention: great team, good social side to the job, good leader, big challenge, it stretched you, big achievement, very positive and productive outcome, you’ve had good feedback from end users who said your documentation really helped them blah blah blah. A couple of good anecdotes won’t hurt.

  2. Put yourself in the position of the poor sap interviewing you. He has been told to find the right candidate. It’s taking up his time, and it’s a big responsibility. Most of the people he sees will be time-wasting idiots. If he chooses someone who turns out to be a bad choice, it reflects badly on him, and he has to go thru the process again. So just give off the vibes that he’s looking for.

Chief among these is ENTHUSIASM for the job, for the work. You have to impress him that you LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this tech writing business and can’t wait to get stuck in and work for him. You don’t want to do anything else. You are committed to this trade. You adore it. You get a big kick out of it. It’s what you LOVE to do. It’s better than sex. That’s the kind of gist he should take away from the interview.

Second, is plain old fashioned competence based on EXPERIENCE. He wants to feel that, in terms of being able to do the job, you are a sure thing, a safe bet, a no gamble, a gold-plated, gilt-edged certainty.

Third, is TEAM PLAYER. You will fit in, you’re nice, you get on with people, you’ll settle in to the office and mix well. You’re not an introverted prawn, and you’re not an egotistical star or a loud mouth who wants to stand out and make special demands.

Fourth is COMPLIANCE. You respect authority and hierarchy. You do as you’re told, and don’t make waves or create a fuss.

Fifth is PRIDE in what you do. You like to get things done, and done well. You pay more attention to your work, delivering it right and on time, than to how many hours you put in or wat time it is. You’d rather skip the occasional lunch than miss a deadline. You don’t let people down, and you aim for your work to be work you can take pride in. You’re not a tedious perfectionist, because things are rarely perfect in the real world, but you want to make sure your work is up to the standard that you demand of yourself, and that the company needs.

Sixth is BALANCE. You have a life. Work is important, but it’s not everything. You know how to relax, enjoy yourself. You have friends and/or family. You don’t live at the office.


I was rarely asked to demonstrate comptence with any given software package. The usual deal was that I said which packages I could use and backed it up with my portfolio / experience. I was given the job or contract on a probation period (1 month, 6 weeks, 3 months… it varied) during which I was expected to demonstrate the claimed competencies. If I couldn’t, I was out.

If you ARE asked to demonstrate your competence with a given piece of software, make sure it IS just a test and that you aren’t being asked to do some real work unpaid. That’s a no no. You work, you get paid. No real test should involve more than a few minutes while someone asks you how you would do this or that, and you show that you know the answers.

Good luck.

Yes, I thought of that. Fortunately, all the stuff I’ve done in FrameMaker is now published and available from the Company’s web site. Much of the Dreamweaver stuff was released in a preview edition already.

I was responsible for the content and some of the production, but not the print production or the design. CFH is a very large company, so they have a central document standards group that sets the design. This group also manages print production. We go from PDF. On the other hand, I know something about print production since I’ve done that as part of product management.

Thanks for your help!

Your advice seems reasonable for us in the Colonies as well.

Not quite ready to take that step, yet.

Fortunately I can present copies of everything I did. The hard thing is presenting the whole thing. I only have one printed book, and its rather small (physically, I mean). CFH only provides printed copies if a customer orders them. Otherwise, I can download a PDF from the CFH website. Good advice anyway, though.

The other points were dead on. I’m a very good interviewer, so I’m not worried about doing the things you suggest. You made a great list, though.

I agree with this philosophy, but I’m not sure that the typical Silicon Valley company wants to hear it. Better to say that you have outside interests, but you’re willing to work hard. This is the USA. The attitude is that you’ll do anything to make the company successful, especially if it’s a small company.

Nice if you’re a contractor.

Absolutely.

If you have not done so already, sign on with the Society for Technical Communication. It will help you develop your career over the years, through both professional development and also through making contacts with others in the field: http://www.stc.org/

Back when I was a technical writer, I found my local chapter (Toronto) was tremendously helpful, particularly as a clearinghouse for job opportunities and an organization in which to find mentors.

(And yes, bring your portfolio to each interview.)

I’m ashamed to say that I belong to the STC and didn’t at first think about consulting them. I haven’t been that active with them. I guess my bias, based on a few encounters, was that the members were somewhat flaky. BUT, I can be very stubborn and judgmental. So I have to put that all aside and take your advice.