Building a Technical Writing Portfolio

Presented by: Andre Felton Written by: Linnea Dodson

Outline of this Presentation

An article to improve your chances of presenting yourself as a better technical writer for job interviews

Increase technical writing skills A better understanding of the criteria looked for

by employers when choosing an employee for a technical writing position.

Examples of chances to further your technical writing from everyday occurrences, experiences, etc.

Its Peanut Butter Jelly Time!

During an interview for a technical writing position, one must prove they are as good as they say their by demonstrating their skills.

To prove this, it is common that the employer will ask the potential employee:

“Describe to me how you make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”

Dumb it Down

A sure-fire way to impress your employer is show just how well you can clarify some form of literature filled with technical jargon.

Conciseness and increased comprehensibility are two major goals of a technical writer.

For example: check the back of aspirin bottle for the warning label and legal fine print. If you can reduce the word count and bring it on a level for the “common” person to understand what is being said about the medicine without question, then you have done an excellent job.

The wrist bone is connected to …………… my Wristwatch?

If you are looking for a how-to writing job, then a form of good practice writing would be to find a few things around the house that had to be built on the spot.

We all have had to put together a television stand before. Disassemble it and create an outline of how to put it together without the original directions in front of you. Instead, use your own methods of putting it together as the draft for how to put it together and describe it.

It is always good to add bonuses that improve the experience of the product that you are designing the how-to article for: such as recipes with microwave instructions or how to position the speakers of a stereo to achieve a “false” surround sound effect.

A technical how-to writer has to make sure that the instructions are as clear and precise as possible for the reader to follow with ease. If the author cannot fully follow their steps as though they have never done it before, then they have failed to accomplish the two leading goals of a technical writer.

Sit Boo-boo boo! Sit!

Another great sample to have in your technical writing portfolio is a training guide on any skill you have.

If you have raised a pet, or currently raising one, then writing on how to train the pet to sit or just to not tug when being walked is a good exercise.

Remember that when going for an interview, not all training guide samples are universally appealing. Meaning that if you are interviewing for a position on writing a training guide for how to work a particular car, it would behoove you not to bring “Juggling in 10 Easy Steps” as your sample. Bring something of general relevance.

It is always good to have one or two software manuals that you have rewritten the instructions in your own words and manners along with a separate copy of the original.

You can even write a training guide on how to make your dog a HOT dog!

The Sky is Your Limit!

Technical writing is not limited to only training guides, how-to manuals, and jargon-bursting breakdowns.

When choosing a technical writing career, try writing as many different documents as you can for various programs, mannerisms, myth busting, etc.

The world is filled with literature that not everyone is going to always understand (complex computer programming manuals, quick-start brochures, on-line help, etc). There will always be easier/different ways to explain things to people, and a technical writer is only as good as their imagine can take them.

That’s All Folks!

Dodson, Linnea. “Building a Technical Writing Portfolio.” The Web Resource for Communication Professionals. http://writersblock.ca/winter1999/essay.html