So you want to be a technical writer – you’ve earned a degree or certification, but now you need a job. Where to start? In a recent discussion on the STC LinkedIn group page, members shared their knowledge and gave advice to a new graduate. I’ve summarized the discussion here for you along with more information from STC.

What Is a Technical Writer?

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics defines technical writers as those who “write technical materials, such as equipment manuals, appendices, or operating and maintenance instructions. May assist in layout work.” This is a narrow definition compared to the range of roles and job titles held by our members, but it is a typical entry-level position. A new grad may take on the role of technical writer and later in his or her career move into roles with broader responsibilities such as content strategy, training development, editorial, proposal writing, and others. In this article I’ll cover the basic technical writer position. Watch the Career section for future articles on the many hats our technical communication professionals wear throughout their careers.

Industries that employ technical writers

Virtually any industry with procedures, manuals, reports, or other documentation hires technical writers. In the online discussion, it was generally agreed that larger companies were more likely to have technical writers on staff. Smaller companies may rely on freelance contractors or consultants to create documentation. These are the more common industries that you may want to start with.

Software publishers

Technical writers are employed to write software help manuals and instructional documentation both for users and for developers of software. Companies like Microsoft employ many technical writers. In fact, the Microsoft Manual of Style is a popular style guide.

Computer systems design and related services

This industry also has requirements for detail operation and maintenance manuals, specifications, instructions, training manuals, and other written documentation. Cisco, Nortel, and Oracle are some of the companies in this industry.

Engineering and architectural services

Engineering design firms frequently issue estimates, proposals, reports, operating and maintenance manuals, and detailed design specifications. Technical writers work with many team members to pull together the details of complex projects, checking for accuracy and constantly updating text as changes are made to the design.

Government and military

National governments (in Canada and the U.S.) publish so much documentation that they have their own style manuals. Every government department, from health care to national defense, has extensive documentation requirements. Governments employ technical writers on staff, and frequently issue contracts to freelance technical writers to handle additional work. If you work in government, you may write procedures, forms, regulations, website content, handbooks, brochures, and many other forms of communication. It’s called bureaucracy for a reason – you’ll never run out of writing jobs in the government.

Health Care

Whether publicly or privately run, health care services require documentation and instructions for everything from patient procedures to administrative policies. Health care boards, government departments, and large hospitals may be good places to start your job search.

Management, scientific, and technical consulting services

Thousands of feasibility studies and reports are published every year by consulting firms like Accenture, PwC, and KPMG. These firms also require internal documentation and provide plenty of employment opportunities for technical writers. Education and training is another industry that could be considered to fall within this category.

Manufacturing Industries

Manufacturing plants require operating procedures, engineering design documentation, policies, training manuals, emergency plans, hazardous materials documentation, quality testing documentation, and more. The documentation must be kept up to date to meet safety and other legal and regulatory requirements. Some industries that fall into this category and typical companies are:

• Chemical processes – Dow Chemical, BASF, Agrium
• Energy – Terasen, FortisBC, BC Hydro
• Oil and gas – Syncrude Canada, Shell, Exxon Mobil
• Mining – Teck, Diavik
• Pulp and paper – Canfor, AlPac
• Consumer goods – 
• Aerospace and transportation – Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Bombardier

Banking, Insurance, and Financial Services

These industries need writers to describe products, write policies and terms and conditions, and the myriad of other publications used. Examples are BMO, Scotiabank, Wells Fargo, Royal Bank, and Wawanesa.

What are you interested in, and where do you want to live?

As a new grad technical writer, it really comes down to finding an industry in your area (or where you want to live) that interests you. If you have a background in another discipline, such as science or engineering, you may find opportunities specific to that field. The STC Job Bank is a great place to start your job search. 

Gwen Higgins

Gwen Higgins, P.Eng., is the owner of Cayuse Creek Consulting.