How can a Technical Writer add value to the IT Industry?

This was one of the questions in one of the Technical writing interview I faced in recent past. What should I write the answer? The first and foremost question! When you are pushed to the wall your creativity, competence, and skills play a vital role in salvaging your image of being so called Technical writer. As a common knowledge every technical writer facing such question would answer whatever they have heard from their pals, colleagues, and senior writers during discussion at some point of time. Then what distinction you have from the lot? You ought to be special. You need to think out of the box and answer and that should make you special if you want to be hired.

Out of the box! A really tough challenge to prove yourself that you can make a difference! A really tough proposition to prove your worthiness! The person who administered the test gave me enough of time to think and write my answers. Finally I could collect my thoughts and tried to put down on the paper.

Apart from the usual job of writing user manuals and WebHelp, Technical writers are best suited to help the organization to cut down their cost by means of their writing. How could they do it? When the product is launched in the market, the technical support teams are always available 24x7 to answer queries, questions and doubts of the user of the software and hard ware products. Based on the feedback received by the support team about the usage and difficulties of the users to use the product, they test the particular problem into the environment narrated by the users and try to address the problem and provide a resolution to the users. If the stated problem is inherent with the product, there ought to be numerous other hits by other users too on the same problem. And every time a support person will have answered them with the same resolution. Whereas, an article stating this problem and posted on the organization’s web site would lead users to first seek there resolution from this article rather then directly contacting the support team. In case, even the support team contacted, they will have ready answer to guide the user. The technical writers are best suited to do this job because of their language efficiency guiding the user by the procedures and steps to solve their problems. These knowledge based articles would help user a great deal according my understanding. If a series of problem hindered the users, probably a trouble shooting guide to a better job.

In some other instances, technical writers can be the brand advocates of the product donning the role of bloggers and blogging about the products to the organization’s web site or some other open source site. They can go to the different social networking sites and participate in the discussion and leave a note about the new product for the crowd to discuss. In case there are any doubts, negative impression and competitive issues with other similar products in the market, the technical writers would be in a position to address the issues in their clear and concise narratives.

These are two distinct roles which a technical writer can take up and add value to the IT industry by their worth of being a writer and truly a technical writer. Because whatever they are going to write is all about the technology and it is going to help the technology grow. This is what I thought and scribble in my paper during the written test. Although the exact words and sentences are not the same and I don’t even recall them. Call it my creativity or poor memory, but whenever I would try writing about the same it would be different language. However, it would mean the same.

But to my surprise, these were not the answers what the interviewers were looking from me. As I could see they were looking at same rut repeated hundred times by all the writers. They were not looking for a different answer, a different perspective, or some thing beyond the usual job. I uttered the same usual stuffs during my personal interview and I could see their relieved faces and a victorious smile stating we have nailed you. You have to be the same what we are and think the same what we think.

Little further they started inquiring about my authoring tool knowledge. I told them what all tools I have used so far for the authoring. They kept harping about the tool knowledge what I have not used. As if the tool will do the writing job and not the technical writers. Then what is the fun of interviewing the writers. Better interview the one who is the tool perfect person. A publishing specialist, who would do all the jobs except writing.

I realize that its not the writing or technical writing per se, its the job and the way you look at it. And so far we have been looking at technical writing as the display of authoring tool knowledge and not the writer who knows authoring tools to publish their work without the external help. Perhaps writing is the last thing happens in the technical writing job.

Therefore, if you are a writer and donning a role of a technical writer, think twice how you can add value to the IT industry. I am not sure but perhaps you might have some other way to add value what I failed to understand during the interview.

Test is not tested

The door to work in the software industry as a technical writer begins with a writing test which at time becomes most important for short listing the prospective candidate. The writing test being conducted by various companies to select the technical writers in to their fold most often fails some deserving writer. I am not sure how good the test is tested before it is administered to the prospective writers. As the test varies from companies to companies, its length and breadth to test the knowledge of candidates also increases manifold. Most of the time and places where I have gone for the interviews I failed to understand the mindset of the persons who sets the questions and to understand the real intent of some of the questions. To me, it looked, more often than not that it fails to evaluate the skills and knowledge of the prospective writers.

Writing the test for getting through the interviews reminds me of the academic days which forces you to memorize the subjects for scoring marks to get good grades. I understand and most of us have understood by now that academics have no truck with reality in life. We definitely look beyond that in the professional field to measure our real value in terms of analyzing our potential. But the state of testing a writer’s caliber to fit him in the software industry is not a truly professional story to narrate about. The writing test which is administered on the writers to get selected as technical writer is not true test of their skills. Mind you, this test is not aimed to judge the geniuses of your creative imagination. This test is aimed to know the ability to write procedures and instructions in simple and clear language applying the style guides what the industry follows.

The real skill of a writer is to write. Be it any piece of writing if you have the ability to write you can always learn the style and use that into your document. So, the real intent of the test should be to test the thinking ability of the person and the way thoughts are presented in grammatically correct sentences. But some of the question which are asked has no connect with the writing ability of the writer, it is purely intended to judge the English and grammar knowledge of the writer. The knowledge of grammar and English language are important for writing good English but at the same time writers are not expected to remember entire grammar. They need to know how to use them in the writing. The necessity of queens English for the king’s crown is definitely not desirable.

However, you will keep getting the questions, which will intend to test your knowledge beyond your writing ability. Some of the questions what I came across while writing different tests are as follows:

What is the long term goal of your life?

What is the short term goal of your life?

According to you what is the main hurdle of India’s growth?

What is dangling modifier? Explain it with example.

What is restrictive clause? Explain it with example?

What are parts of speech? Discuss all the parts of speech with example.

What are subject-verb agreements?

What are articles? Describe about different articles.

There may be many more questions which our other writer friends might have faced during the test and can vouch whether it is justified or not.

Some of the questions will be posed to test the knowledge of the tools you have used. The fact is, you need to know the tool to use for the documentation. Your past acquaintance would gain you some mileage but tools would not do the writing on your behalf. It is used for the presentation of your content. Some of the companies have realized lately that tools can be learned while you work on the product. And they have changed their approach in their selection procedure. Similarly, knowledge of process in software development is another desirable factor which is stressed. Whether you have worked on scrum methodologies or age old water fall methodologies does make some difference.

Some of the companies would try to test the domain knowledge of the writers. This is another indigestible fact because a writer who has not worked in some domain would not know even the basics of that domain. The job of technical writer is to get the knowledge from the stake holders of the product that includes subject matter experts, developer and architect and transform that knowledge into writing for the user. The writers are the flexible lot whose job is to learn the technology and domain knowledge on the job. The open mindedness and interest to learn new technology and new domain can let any writers do wonderful job. However, there would be definitely some exceptions, but exception can not be the general perception. As of now, it looks to me that the entire technical writing in India is driven by perception.

All this is done to siphon out the better writers from the good lot. But these tests are not always foolproof. The vivid example came into the light when ten of my ex-colleagues got into a mobile software technology company by virtue of scoring very high in their written test. The secret is one took the grind and let others know the answers in advance. All of them were not the great writers but their score made the interviewer believe in them. No one tried to find anything beyond that.

Giving the subjective tests also does not get you always the better part of a writer. Writing depends on the state of mind. The day when a writer is calm, composed and has clear thinking during the test, he/she might do a good job. If too many things are hovering through the mind, the distraction can lead them end up doing a bad job.

The blend of subjective writing exercise, some of earlier writing samples and a personal interview can give a fare idea about the capability of a writer. Moreover a writing exercise administered a day before the personal interview on two of the topics given by the interviewer in writer’s own time would also provide little more insight. Nevertheless, the judgment of a writer’s capability in an hours test is sheer eyewash. If you pass, its your sheer luck. If you fail, its your destiny. You do not know where the battle of your luck and destiny would take you.

Testing Time

Job Market is terribly down but most often, on an average, I receive around 5 mails seeking Technical writers in various Software organizations. Some of the organizations have sent mails umpteen times for the same position. I wonder these organizations are really hiring writers in this down time. But looking at the advertisements and consultant’s mail it looks that there is demand for Technical Writers in the market. At the same time I look at two of my friends who are searching for a position as a technical writer for past two months but so far they have no offers in hand. Weighing both the sides I am bit confused and not able to conclude as what is happening in the market and is there really a demand for the technical writers.

However, this reminds me of the situation when there is no hope organization conducts interview to keep job seekers hope alive. To a certain extent it seems alright but if there is absolutely no hiring then this fake exercise becomes counter productive. But who knows what Ramlinga Raju did in Satyam, some other CEO might be doing in other organizations. Interview the Job seekers and keep them in the fake payroll and siphon the money on the part of their salaries. Otherwise, two of my friends running pillar to post for past two months and attending more than ten interviews would have had at least one offer in hand. They both have more than 3 years of experience in Technical Writing. If I recall, till October 2008, if you get 3 calls you could be having 2 offers in hand. Message seems to be loud and clear, but to believe in this, is to leave the hope of future. It is not only my friends alone, it could be even me …….. I am scared, disappointed, and worried.

But looking at the questions what one of my friends in one of the interview was asked, it looks as if it is pass time for the recruitment department of the organization. To keep the recruiters busy, job seekers are grilled without any outcome. The real requirement is difficult to analyze. At this point of time when the interviewer’s future is itself in dark, they shoot question such as ‘What is the future of Technical Writing in India?’ Another one asked, ‘Are American writers better or Indian?”

My friend, who faced the interview, did not know how to answer these questions. Nevertheless, till now a facade is created in India especially in software industry that technical writing has very good career and suddenly technical writers are to face this reality. When you do not have job in hand, can you say that this industry promises lots of opportunity for you. Secondly, American and Indians alike are on the firing line and every one may be in the hit list to be fired. Finding out, who is better, that too from a perspective job seeker is utter foolishness. One of the friend rightly once said, ‘Recruiters are now looking for Pankaj Mishra, Arvind Adiga and Arundhati Roy to be technical writers. May be they might ask even Salman Rushdie to do this job.’

I can understand, it was seer frustration but the way he has been treated makes him say so. The postmortem of these interviews presses you hard to do the soul searching, whether you have a place here or not. Well, to say a little about the recruiters, they are nuts and they can pose any sort of questions to you without they themselves even knowing the answer. At a time they feel they are great and they can screw any person during the interview. But tide will turn, if you don not realize the value of good assets now, in the good time they will not recognize you. I mean your organization. These are passing phases and good turn in economy is expected. The crux is how well you can help job seeker contain their aspiration and motivate them to keep their hope alive. Of course technical writing will remain existent even though some of the technical writers find it tough or struggle to get a job. India is emerging as a promising destination for software industry and it will continue to evolve even in documentation. These are just testing time.