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Regarding the suggestion to "first create a style guide"--
I have yet to see a situation where a person was hired to be a lone
tech writer where there was not already a fairly high stack of work
waiting. Often, one or two product releases pending with tight
deadlines for producing docs--and anything left by someone who either
left or was terminated, or created by non-writers, often in need of
substantial rework.
Even in larger organizations, creation of a style guide is often very
low on the list of priorities, from what I have seen and experienced.
If there is time in between other tasks considered more pressing,
fine. If not, too bad.
Over the years, I worked in marketing communication about as often as
tech writing--and I would very much second the idea of seeking to be
in the editorial/approval loop regarding all customer-facing
documents, web material, and the like if at all possible.
If you are in an operation that either has or is contemplating
spending a bundle on "branding" initiatives, it is often easier to
sell the idea of helping to keep the corporate voice consistent and
effective.
David
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