What qualifies a Senior Technical Writer?

[rhoggan -at- lewis -dot- com]

Just a few quick questions and some background information. A few days ago
there was discussion about lies on a resume. I'm not searching for a new
job yet, but will be in about six to eight months. My scenario is kind of
related to the discussion.

When I started fresh out of college with a degree in English-Technical
Writing, my company hired me as an associate technical writer. After a
year, they advanced me to position of Technical Writer, and over the next
few months, the three writers above me either left or went to work in other
areas of the company.

For much of the past year, I have been in charge of all the documentation
for all our products. We hired a college student and I have trained him. I
have managed a shift from paper distribution to electronic distribution. I
have re-evaluated methods and implemented new styles used in our writing. I
have evaluated new software, and I have produced several new types of
documents that were not in existence here. I have provided copy and
copy-edits for our Marketing department. And finally, my latest major
responsibility has been in hiring new technical writers, which included
developing writing exams and conducting the final interview. We just hired
a second full-time writer who has no experience in writing, but a lot of
experience in training and customer support. So I'm training her as well.
In the meantime, I'm still managing all the documentation projects. Anyway,
it seems like I'm doing quite a bit.

Where I feel at a lack is in gleaning knowledge from other with more
experience at the workplace.

QUESTION 1

When people talk list Senior Technical Writer under there name on this
list, does it mean they are the Head of documentation team/department, or
does that designate a number of years in tech writing?

I ask because I have access to the job descriptions at my work, and
typically the define an associate as anybody with less than two years
experience in tech writing, a tech writer as anybody between two and five,
and a senior as anybody with five years experience or three years with a
Master's Degree.

Yet, I have been acting for the most part as a Senior writer for the last
year.

When I leave here, I will have just short of three years experience. I plan
on attending college during the summer to begin work Master's work in
Instructional Design. I seriously doubt I'll work in tech-writing during
those two/three months. This will leave me at just over 2.5 years
experience (I was off two months this year after being seriously wounded in
a mugging).

QUESTION 2

When jobs ask for three years experience, would 2.5 years + an intense
summer of schooling qualify for such work, especially considering the work
I've done here? Is it wrong to round-up the two years to three (making the
assumption that the college work will be similar to actual working
experience)?


Obviously, I have some sort of problem with it, since the question is
present in my mind. I just would like to know all your opinions?


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