A graduating university student’s recent email to the STC Instructional Design special interest group listserv reminded me that it’s the time of year when focus and hard work can give way to the stress of the job search. Having been in that position myself not many years ago, I remember wanting any advice that would give me an edge in breaking into the technical communication world and bringing in a steady paycheck.

In the spirit of wanting to turn around and help those who are in a position I was once in myself, here are some guidelines that I hope help you get that job. (Since many students are graduating within the next three weeks, it may be too late for some of this advice, so I’m directing my counsel toward any university or college students looking to get into tech writing.)

Today’s post focuses on building your educational experience.

I: Use What You’re Learning

It goes without saying that your tech writing coursework requires you to use what you’re learning in the course. However, an important part of building the best educational experience is finding opportunities to use those skills outside your classes.

Some of my fellow technical writing students complained about how lacking the program was and how it hadn’t prepared them for the real world. Others of us maximized the program by finding ways to be technical writers right then. For example, I had a technical editing internship and a Web administrator internship. The Web internship happened because I approached my employer with the idea of a Web site. I also participated in the Society for Technical Communication (STC) student chapter and became an officer.

My point is that your coursework will help, but you’ve got to get out there and find opportunities. Yes, you’re adding bullet points to your resume, but remember that you’re also producing material upon which potential employers will base their opinions of your abilities. Do your best in every opportunity.

To find opportunities, you may have to make them. Look at the place you work and ask yourself if the company could use a Web site or a policies and procedures manual. Talk to your employer about ways you can use your tech writing skills to benefit the company.

In all of this, don’t overextend yourself, or you’ll burn out before you’ve begun job hunting, and you’ll begin to wonder if you even want to be a tech writer after all.

II: Network

Chances are, if you’re in a full tech writing program, your instructors talk about networking. But how do you do it? You’re just a college student, and you don’t know anyone.

The easiest way to start is to tell people you already know that you’re looking for a tech writing job. You never know which of your friends will tell you about someone he knows in that profession or about a job opening where she works. For instance, one of my sisters works at an engineering company, and she told me about their job fair. I went and got an interview out of it because they needed someone to create training materials.

Speaking of which: Go to job fairs, career panels, and other events. Have resumes handy and be ready to talk about what you can do. Even if a company doesn’t advertise jobs for technical writers, you can ask about the possibility. For example, a lot of engineering companies visited Utah State University. Tech writers go hand-in-hand with engineering, so I talked to the representatives from those companies. When your mingling with the representatives, get names, phone numbers, and permission to follow up.

Just a caution about attending career-focused events: Don’t be overbearing when you talk to people who are doing you a courtesy by participating. I admit that I was just as anxious for a job as anyone, and it may have shown. People will be more impressed if you can control yourself. Rule of thumb: Be professional and enthusiastic, not intense.

III: Keep Your Finger on the Tech Writing Pulse

Spend some time researching current issues in technical communication. You can do this by joining organizations like STC (which offers a discount membership rate for students) and reading blogs about technical writing and other technology subjects. Blogs are linked to blogs are linked to blogs, and people don’t all write about the same thing.

Even if you don’t completely understand all the issues, if you have researched them and can ask potential employers how they deal with them, you communicate that you’re serious about your profession.

If you like writing enough, start your own blog (see this post for some advice). You could blog about what it’s like to be a tech writing student, or you could write about something totally different. The point is that you’ll be writing, and you can give your blog’s URL to potential employers. Just remember to be professional in your blog, but also be yourself. A blog is one way to showcase your skills along with your electronic portfolio.

That’s good for now. In case you haven’t had enough, Part II will be concerned with the application process.

Related posts (auto-generated):

  1. The Visual Learning Style in Tech Writing
  2. The Technical Writer Lens