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Subject:Getting a TC Job From:"George F. Hayhoe" <george -at- GHAYHOE -dot- COM> Date:Mon, 9 Aug 1999 08:46:13 -0400
Chris Fitzgerald asked how to get a foot in the door in our
profession (making the transition from teaching English to
technical communication).
The vast majority of people starting in our field are making
a transition from another profession, Chris. Most do not
have degrees in technical communication.
To make this transition successfully, I think the most
important step is to tailor your resume to sell elements of
your prior experience that are relevant. Remember that a
resume is a marketing brochure. Since you don't have prior
experience as a technical writer, identify the skills that
are required to be a successful technical communicator, and
then identify aspects of your experience that match.
Then, instead of an historical resume that emphasizes the
various positions you've held, design a skills-based resume
that emphasizes how your experience matches the skills a
technical communicator needs.
When I made a similar transition 15 years ago, I emphasized
my background teaching writing (including technical and
business writing), knowledge of the importance of purpose
and audience in every writing tasks, ability to master
complex information and convey it clearly to an audience of
nonexperts, business knowledge, experience as a user of
software on four different operating systems, skill with
word-processing and page layout software, research
experience, aptitude for learning quickly, and ability to
interview subject matter experts. De-emphasize your
experience (if any) teaching literature.
If you aren't already a member, join professional societies
like STC, IEEE PCS, and ACM SIGDOC; read their publications;
and network. Many excellent jobs are not advertised or
listed with agencies or recruiters.
Finally, apply for entry-level jobs, not those intended for
experienced technical communicators. Companies that hire in
this category recognize that these new employees are still
novices learning their craft and provide work experience and
mentoring that will help you become more expert.
Depending on your years of service in teaching and the
systems in which you have worked, you *may* find that a
first job in technical communication won't pay as well as
what you've been making as a teacher. Chances are excellent,
though, that after a year or two in that first technical
writing job, you will find yourself outpacing the salary you
earned as a teacher. In my own case, I received a 20% raise
over my teaching salary when I took that first job, and
within 3 years was making twice what I earned my last year
teaching.
