TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
At the most successful tech-writing organization I've
ever seen, we used a few basic criteria. Knowledge of
computers or programming languages was NOT required.
The ability to research and to write was assumed for any
applicant who had a PhD in anything. And our favorite
interview questions were, "Who's your favorite
science-fiction author?" and "Sing a song from a Gilbert
and Sullivan operetta." Not that that's what we usually
asked, but the few we hired who didn't work out never got
asked those questions. Those questions, by the way, are
good open-ended questions. They invite the applicant
to wander off into outer space (good!) or to become
defensive in an environment falsely perceived as
hostile (bad!). We felt they might possibly predict the
ability to work effectively with the SMEs.
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