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.
Subject:RE: how bad is the job market? From:"Will Husa" <will -dot- husa -at- 4techwriter -dot- com> To:"'Robert Lauriston'" <robert -at- lauriston -dot- com>, "'TECHWR-L Writing'" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Tue, 26 Jan 2010 10:07:21 -0600
I would agree that January is the month when many technical writing
opportunities present themselves. What is available depends upon how the
opportunity is marketed.
Some companies and agencies are not using Dice or Monster. They are using
LinkedIn to find talent. Once they get a list of candidates, they conduct
pre-screening through Google, Yahoo, LinkedIn, etc. They check to see if the
candidate has Blog or a Facebook page. If the candidate has a Blog, what
does he/she write about? What are they saying on their Facebook page? If the
candidate posts comments on Tech Whirl, what advice are they giving? It's
only after the pre-screening has completed before they contact the
candidate.
Who is going to put in that much effort to pre-screen a candidate?
Recruiters, agencies and companies are doing it now.
Recently, an agency performed such a search before they contacted me. The
agency's client knew my reputation before I walked in the door.
The same scenario occurred with a direct client. They had also conducted a
pre-screening using Google. I had never heard of them before they contacted
me.
A recruiter contacted me after he performed a search on the Tech Whirl
archives.
=========================================
Will Husa
Technical Writer
Your source for user-friendly documentation
Phone: 708-927-3569
www.4techwriter.com
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+will -dot- husa=4techwriter -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+will -dot- husa=4techwriter -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On
Behalf Of Robert Lauriston
Sent: Tuesday, January 26, 2010 8:52 AM
To: TECHWR-L Writing
Subject: Re: how bad is the job market?
I've been following the SF Craigslist writing/editing jobs list for
years. I've never seen an ad for a real technical writer job with a
real software company (which this is) that didn't offer more than
double minimum wage.
Despite the "entry level" title, this ad specifies many of the skills
that make experienced software industry tech writers worth what we're
paid: English degree, good people skills, the ability to write for
both technical and non-technical audiences, single-sourcing,
experience with SQL, Linux, and source control, etc.
On Tue, Jan 26, 2010 at 6:38 AM, Bill Swallow <techcommdood -at- gmail -dot- com>
wrote:
> Yep, a friend sent me that as well with some rather colorful comments.
> In the end, there will always be ads like this. There will always be
> publishing houses looking to pay $10 for a 500 word article. In short,
> the lowballers will always be there. I think they're just more
> prominent now because more people are looking.
>
> On Mon, Jan 25, 2010 at 8:01 PM, Robert Lauriston <robert -at- lauriston -dot- com>
wrote:
>> How bad is the job market? There's an ad on Craigalist today for an
>> entry-level tech writer, $10-15 an hour depending on experience.
>>
>> In San Francisco, $10 an hour is 21 cents above minimum wage.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Are you looking for one documentation tool that does it all? Author,
build, test, and publish your Help files with just one easy-to-use tool.
Try the latest Doc-To-Help 2009 v3 risk-free for 30-days at: http://www.doctohelp.com/
Explore CAREER options and paths related to Technical Writing,
learn to create SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS documents, and
get tips on FUNCTIONAL SPECIFICATION best practices. Free at: http://www.ModernAnalyst.com
---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as will -dot- husa -at- 4techwriter -dot- com -dot-
Are you looking for one documentation tool that does it all? Author,
build, test, and publish your Help files with just one easy-to-use tool.
Try the latest Doc-To-Help 2009 v3 risk-free for 30-days at: http://www.doctohelp.com/
Explore CAREER options and paths related to Technical Writing,
learn to create SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS documents, and
get tips on FUNCTIONAL SPECIFICATION best practices. Free at: http://www.ModernAnalyst.com
---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-
