Recent Events

  This month’s discussion focused on finding jobs for those new to technical writing, transferring skills from another field, networking, and the current job market. A central theme was: how does one get the first job as a technical writer? Previous experience in...

  This month’s Tech Comm Café brought together a wide range of professional experience. We were joined by engineers, marketing professionals, students, and experienced technical writers. This gave everyone the chance to see the many paths available in the...

We had a smaller group than usual this month, possibly because it’s difficult for a Zoom meeting to compete with summer activities, vacation absences, and good weather. However, the conversation ranged more widely than usual, and we took some interesting detours along...

This month we welcomed people from multiple countries and time zones. The group was a mixture of new and familiar faces, experienced and new writers, and people whose experience included journalism, computer science, physics, and instructional design, among other...

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...

In this month’s meeting, we addressed some concerns for technical writing contractors: sharing personal information, pivoting your career, and using AI. In the era of paperless transactions, disclosing your banking information to clients can be a concern. Hackers and...

We started by discussing writing samples. Most writers have portfolios of work samples and tailor them depending on the job positions they are applying for, because employers often ask for them. We also discussed the various tools and resources that LinkedIn provides,...

We heard about people looking for new roles, and exchanged ideas for finding a job more easily and for greater job satisfaction. Experienced small-business owners exchanged ideas about how they started their business and shared helpful online resources. Some prefer to...

This month we welcomed people from Vancouver and Calgary. One writer asked about the best way to ensure that one’s work or volunteer responsibilities are covered in case of absence, whether from illness, holiday, or departure. One suggestion was to find a trustworthy...

Networking was a recurring theme at this month’s meeting. Participants shared their LinkedIn pages and helped one another by making new connections and recommending other networking opportunities. STC special interest groups (SIGs) were noted as a good place to meet...

This month we welcomed people from Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta; we had a briefer than usual but insightful discussion. One writer, who is looking to pivot from data design, asked where to learn the basics of technical writing. She’d been under the...