Technical Writer skills for your resume and career

They will need to know how to understand and communicate complex information, often contradictory, in a catchy and understandable way. They will have to read professional data online, in business, medicine, health, you name it and then create a sales or summary pitch for investors. So, reading, writing, communication skills will continue to be important. Math, of course, is a big plus, but up to the advanced algebra level... Statistical skills will be helpful. Overall, employers are seeking curious, adventurous, bold, and creative thinkers and communicators for an ever-changing world.

Every article on the subject says that communication skills are the most important skills to have when on the job market - and this is not my bias speaking, even Warren Buffet said it! Public speaking, critical thinking, interpersonal skills, etc., these are things that stand out to employers.

A maintained and active social media presence will publicly demonstrate your writing abilities while also helping you to connect with other writers and job opportunities. As a writer, you always want to be writing, and Twitter is writing, Instagram is writing, etc. They can also be places to announce your current projects. You can only write so much on a resume, but social media allows you to amplify your abilities and keep a record of your work.

In addition to developing your writing ethos, you will have to have a good sense of time management and the ability to focus. You will more than likely be working on several projects simultaneously, with different due dates and requirements. Keeping them all straight and delivering your work on time is critical to acquiring projects in the future. We don't all have the same organizational methods, so you need to know how you work and what workflows are best for you. Then you will need to fine-tune those methods, live with them, make them part of you so that they become part of that writing style you are honing. Writing doesn't always come easy and fast, so the more you can develop a strong sense of organizational skills that are adaptable to the different projects you work on, the more you can manage the requirements of different jobs.

I mentioned developing unique research skills as an important part of your resume, but to me, it is the single most important hard skill for a content writer. You often won't have a lot of time and will have to start a project from scratch. Moving from general information to more specific sources and knowing how and when to do this will make you stand out as a writer who has important things to say. You have to think of your writing as always persuasive, no matter what you are working on. You are telling a story, and you have a specific audience that needs to hear that story. The more specific you can make that story, the better your information and the more unique your approach to the topic will be. Make your writing stand out.

The second is probably the ability to edit your work. I teach many students who tell me they aren't very good at editing their own work. Most likely, it is because they don't like to read their own work. Become a fan of writing; what I mean by that is read writing for the writing itself. Develop a sense for the style of other writers, but most of all, enjoy your own writing. Read your own writing, silently and out loud. Listen to how it sounds, your word choices, your rhythm, the cadence. When something sounds off, you will be able to revise it. Editing does not just mean typos or grammar mechanics (although, it is definitely that as well). This all leads back to developing your own style and brand of writing.