Tech Comm Café: June 19 recap; next meeting July 17

At this month’s meeting, participants discussed a wide range of problems and solutions.

Someone who is moving to another province asked for advice on finding technical communication opportunities and preparing for interviews in a new environment where she has few contacts. Her most recent position involved confidential information, which makes it difficult to create a portfolio.

All participants shared their experiences with current recruitment, freelancing, and remote working practices. Many companies are now fully remote, and this trend is likely to continue.

Someone who recently changed jobs shared his positive experiences with using LinkedIn, a valuable tool for professional networking and referrals, to connect with recruiters. He warned that, in a challenging job market, candidates should expect a lengthy and thorough selection and interview process. Your time would be well spent improving qualifications and undertaking online training. STC members have access to recordings of past webinars, and to a frequently updated job bank.

We also discussed employers’ expectations of a writer’s role. Skills required should be stated up front during the interview, and interviewees should be honest about their abilities. While writers can’t be expected to be design, website, and social media experts, in smaller teams they may be asked to take on additional roles. Therefore, it is wise to continually learn and update your skills.

Some interview tips:

• Potential employers often ask candidates to provide writing samples or complete a writing test.
• Be prepared to discuss your planning, organizational, and problem-solving skills, and to demonstrate your thought processes around past projects.
• Being able to work well within a team is important.
• For confidential work, consider removing company names from content samples.
• Alternatively, request a scope of work and letter of recommendation from the project manager.
• To show your ability to enhance a prospective employer’s communication, rewrite a section of their website.

Remote work will facilitate cross-border work with international employers. Some suggestions:

• Research cultural norms when working with clients from different countries.
• Be aware that EU companies can be more complex, with varying payment systems and business expectations.
• Consult legal and financial professionals before starting remote work.
• Have a clear, written scope-of-work contract to prevent misunderstandings.
• Define a schedule of partial payments rather than waiting until the end of the project.
• To find model contract and service agreements, search online under technical writer sample contracts, contract templates, and related headings.

The Tech Comm Café provides networking opportunities, job leads, answers to work-related dilemmas, and a burst of professional energy to keep you motivated. We discuss technical writing tools and techniques, career planning, portfolios, and anything else related to working as a technical communicator.

We welcome anyone who’s interested in technical communication — contractor, in-house, student, long-time tech writer, STC member, non-member, career-changer, or recruiter. We hope to see you at the next meeting!

Next Meeting: ONLINE on Wednesday, July 17, 2024

• Subscribe to receive email announcements of future meetings.
• If you plan to attend, RSVP by 4 p.m. Wednesday, July 17, to receive login instructions.

Date: Wednesday, July 17
Time: 7:00-8:00 p.m. Pacific Time
Location: Online via Zoom

Agenda

1. Introductions. Take 60 seconds to introduce yourself, your background, current activities. A good chance to try out that new elevator speech.
2. Announcements and job leads. If you know of an interesting event or a job opening, or you’re looking for work, share it with the group.
3. Brainstorming Q&A. Ask about a work-related problem and discuss potential solutions.
4. Speed networking. Make new contacts and discuss your professional backgrounds and goals.