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As the title says, by that I mean writing manuals. All advice welcome.
As the title says, by that I mean writing manuals. All advice welcome.
So how would I go about getting a job writing user guides?
Do you mean technical writing?
Generally, you get in through the ground up, working in a company. There are many freelance (contract) technical writers, but they generally have several years of experience before they go freelance/contract.
Having a background in other technically-oriented business writing helps. Or if you have strong writing skills and have help-desk type experience. You must have the ability to learn new technical information pretty darn fast. It also helps if you're familiar with something other than Word (i.e., FrameMaker, QuarkXPress, etc.) and/or with structured markup languages such as SGML or DITA.
For me, I had help desk experience at a school known for its computer science and had written some help documentation as part of my job while at the university. This got me a position as a Jr. technical writer and I built my career from there.
I'm not freelance, though. I prefer to be salaried, for a variety of reasons.
Step 1) Get a job writing manuals for a specific company. This may mean a move to that company's location. Monster.com has jobs like this listed all the time.
Step 2) Work there for several years, building your expertise and honing your craft.
Step 3) Leave the company, go out on your own and make oodles of scratch contracting yourself back to that same company.
It's worked for many writers.
Now, do you mean actual manuals, such as the operations manual for the Boeing 787? Or books that would be bought by consumers to learn how to use a product, such as a Windows 8 user's guide?
Jeff
Wow. Wish that was true when I was writing them. I had to interview the designers, developers and marketing people, walk through the design specs and do a lot of work with the product.The reason I got interested is that I read that for some manuals they just send you all the videos, info, etc and the writer just has to put everything into words.
The reason I got interested is that I read that for some manuals they just send you all the videos, info, etc and the writer just has to put everything into words. Vacuum instructions, appliance instructions, furniture instructions, things of that nature.
Yup and based on my personal observations instructions written for different end users will require different levels of expertise and writing style.In the market they are different because one is made by the manufacturer and the other may not be. This makes the logistics completely different.
This. I happened upon a forum with some technical writers here that also provide some insight, in particular the 3rd one.For example I have science qualifications that allow me to apply for technical writing jobs involving anatomy and pharmaceuticals because it means I can cope with those concepts and vocab. If I applied to write technical manuals about software or engineering, I would be out of luck.
Technical writing is a weird field. Your job is to do something that everybody else hates doing, using arcane and complex information that you've gleaned from an expert who is frustrated by having to explain it to you because it's so simple. You then have to make that information simple enough for your target audience to understand without being condescending. You need to ensure it's complete, professional, and well edited [...] You might have a style guide if you're with a big company, or you might have to invent one. Style guides are critically important and reflect strongly on the business. Any change that doesn't make it into the documentation reflects badly on you, even if you just didn't know it had changed.
Amazon posted an ad requiring:* 5+ years of experience writing commercial software documentation. Experience working with localized products is a plus.
* You are able to describe complex and technical topics clearly and accurately in a way that is appropriate for the target audience.
* You can juggle multiple projects and prioritize tasks with conflicting deadlines to ensure on-time completion.
* You are persistent and resourceful. You are not satisfied to simply rephrase use cases and specs. Rather, you verify how the products actually work and provide appropriate documentation.
* You are drawn to technical subjects and enjoy digging in and learning more. You enjoy talking to developers about software. You might even have specific database, network, or programming domain knowledge.
* You have a holistic approach to writing that includes thinking about how the documentation will be accessed and used. You are committed to creating useful and beautiful documentation.
* You have a B.S. or B.A. degree in Technical Writing or equivalent professional technical writing experience.
Last, a position for medical devices required:Basic Qualifications
* Bachelor’s degree in English, technical writing, or related field or comparable job experience
* A minimum of 5 years in a technical writing, content strategist, or information developer role with a primary focus on platforms, software and workflow applications
* Proven experience designing and delivering high-quality online documentation (writing samples required) for a consumer audience
* Experience with content creation for translation and localization into other languages
* Dedication to team success while working independently on multiple projects
* Experience managing content projects, including coordinating with other functional teams
Preferred Qualifications
* Experience with HTML, XML-based (preferably DITA XML-based) content management systems, document tagging, and SEO best practices
* Ability to conceptualize and execute projects, with a strong bias for action and the ability to prioritize and meet deadlines
* Experience working in an agile (preferably SCRUM) content development environment
* Experience working with product and UI designers and writing UI text
* Experience working as part of a global team with remote colleagues
* Bachelor’s Degree, preferably in Communications related discipline.
* Technical or Clinical training highly desired
* 5 years technical writing experience in a manufacturing environment, preferably in medical devices.
* Proven, outstanding technical writing ability, ideally with experience writing for translation.
* Strong research and information gathering skills.
* Technical savvy with high motivation to understand technical concepts
* Fluency in technical communications software tools, including Adobe FrameMaker, PhotoShop, and Illustrator. Knowledge of medical device labeling regulations a plus. Knowledge of/experience with usability testing a plus. Experience with online help/help systems a plus. Experience with topic-based authoring tools, including Author-it, a plus.