Story of a Fresher Technical Writer

I completed MA in mass communication with a distinction. The first few days were spent enjoying my success. But then with each passing day I had to decide about my future. In the meantime I got a call from XYZ Computer Solutions for the post of technical writer. The company was hiring a fresher with a flair for writing technical and basic computer skills.

I got selected. I was excited about my first job and studied the company’s Website in detail. XYZ Computer Solutions was into Telecom and Enterprise IT solutions. My first day at office was an induction session on the company, its staff, and its core competencies. The company had 50+ employees and I was the only technical writer. I was introduced to my team comprising of six developers and three testers. We were reporting to Project Manager – ABC Department.

The next day I was asked to go through the company’s product lines and document repository. They also asked me about my familiarity with tools like Adobe FrameMaker, Robohelp, MS Word, and Visio. I had worked on MS Word but mainly for writing letters or assignments. Here I was to format content as per standard templates. I was all lost. Everyone appeared so busy that I didn’t know where to start.

One week passed in confusion. Then my project manager guided me by asking me to go through tutorials on authoring tools. He also asked me to prepare a style guide for consistency. Google appeared my savior and protector at the time. I took one month to gain a basic understanding of the profession. Soon I started writing my first online help. It wasn’t that difficult after all.
The few lessons that I learnt as a technical writer are:

Prioritize your work: There is always a lot to cope up, especially if you are the only technical writer. Prepare to do list. Also, do not feel shy of seeking time if you already have some important work to do.

Practice and update your writing and technological skills: Familiarize yourself with various authoring tools and you will always find scope for improvement.

Specialize in a domain of your choice (to improve your market value): Join a weekend class or build your expertise in a subject matter of your choice - ranging from telecom to intellectual property. For example, I enrolled for a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) after joining XYZ Company as I had to write a lot on networking.

Develop a reading habit: Reading can involve everything from newspaper to ezine on technical communication.

Be confident: Knowledge is power. Initially the subject matter might appear a bit complex. Read and surf the net to find answers to various terminologies. Make notes. You’ll gain expertise in the subject with time.