Myths, Mistakes, and Missed Opportunities: Lessons learned from a year of interviewing technical writers.¶
Description
Developer advocate and technical writer Linda Ikechukwu launched her technical writing blog, www.everythingtechnicalwriting.com, in 2022. In just over a year, she’s interviewed over 10 prominent technical writers/documentarians on their career through her Tech Content Creator Series.
From how Alexandra White, who had previously worked at only small unknown startups was able to stand out during Google’s technical writing interview process by submitting a style-guide formatted docs, to Amy Bun's account of how she convinced her manager to create a new content design role for her on the Github documentation team. These experienced tech writers were eager to share the lessons they’ve learned while navigating their careers, their biggest challenges and how they overcame them, and mistakes they made, to help others avoid the same stumbling blocks, embarrassments, and missed opportunities.
This talk summarizes these once-in-a-lifetime lessons from seasoned industry technical writers for all newcomers who want to climb the ladder faster. Topics discussed will include:
- Best practices for interviewing for a tech writer role
- Levelling up as a tech writer without software engineering skills.
- Tips for freelancing as a technical writer.
- Transitioning from tech writing to other careers within your company.
- Transitioning from senior tech writer to management
- Working with managers who do not understand the importance of technical writers
- Conference: Write the Docs Portland
- Year: 2023
