How I got in was first by building up a strong portfolio of previously published articles (both magazine and newspaper). So when I got to my first job interview there was no question that I could write, period.

That left me with the need to prove the second element of the equation — whether I could write “technical” documents. And for that I did what I recommend all my readers to do: I created my own samples by preparing two different user manuals. There is nothing that prevents you from sitting down and writing an installation manual for that new TV set you just bought or an HR policy manual for your kid’s kindergarten. The opportunities are almost infinite. So you show those samples and hopefully one of your prospective employers will like what she sees.

Another tip: try to apply for those jobs which mention MS Word or MS Office as the main writing platform. In my experience, such “shops” tend to have an easier documentation load and might be more open to first-time tech writers.

In software industry, you can also try this sideways move: you can enter as a tester and then slowly make the transition to full-time technical writing.

Another lateral move: find a job at an HR department and then gradually volunteer to write their policy and guideline manuals and help files.

One other solution is to spread around your resume to as many technical recruiters as possible. The whole idea of becoming a technical writer was actually suggested to me in the first place by a recruiter. I was looking for a job as a reporter and my life suddenly changed with the question “have you ever thought of becoming a technical writer?” You never know the kind of openings recruiters have at any given moment.

I’d also post my resume to high-traffic hi-tech job sites like Monster and Dice.

It’s a matter of perseverance and being at the right place at the right time. But there are plenty of tech writing jobs around and I’m sure if you hang in there and keep plugging it on a daily basis you’ll break through. Let me know how it goes and I’d be happy to comment on your progress. My e-mail is open 24×7 to all FWJ readers: writer111-at-gmail-dot-com

Good luck and God bless you all!

Can I ask how to get a first technical writing gig? I’ve only seen job openings for seasoned technical writers. Thanks!

Andrea, thanks for the compliment. Glad to be of help.

Aaron, you do not need to buy FrameMaker at all to get started. Download the OpenOffice suite (or NeoOffice if you have a Mac). It’s just as good as MS Office and it’s also free. You can not only create a great user’s or system admin guide with it but can also export it as MS Word and no one will know the difference. It also comes with a spreadsheet program (like Excel) and a slide-presentation program (like PowerPoint) as well. Just give it a try.

P.S. I provide weekly tech writing tips to those who register with my free tech writing list.

I was interested in trying technical writing as well and still may.

Thank you for including the tools of the trade. Framemaker is a bit pricey (okay, really pricey) so I think I’ll dabble at the lower end of the scale for now.

I’ve never really done technical writing, that’s certainly an excellent skill to have.