It’s All About Networking

At first glance, Craig didn’t think technical writing would be his kind of thing.

After growing up in Buffalo (NY), serving in the US Army working as a photographer/photojournalist, and earning a degree in public information journalism, Craig took a technical writing class in Portland, OR.

"When I finished my class, I realized that I enjoyed technical writing and had a knack for it," he says. "I was working as a Fedex courier, and one of my regular stops was a software company. Out of desperation, I asked them if they ever hired  technical writers. The person I asked gave me the card of the technical writing manager, and I ended up with a one-year internship."

Craig was hooked. He moved to the San Francisco Bay area, and write user  documentation for medical hardware and software companies, most notably a manual for a hemodialysis machine.

Re-settling in Cincinnati

Craig’s last place of employment in San Francisco was at Oracle. After leaving Oracle and working several contracts here and there, Craig says  "My landlord served notice he was getting divorced and wanted his town home back. Then my sister (who lives in Cincinnati taking taking care of their elderly father) called me for help with Dad. Since I was thinking about leaving the Bay Area anyway, I thought ‘Now is the time.’"

In November, Craig left San Francisco for the Tri-State area. As a contract writer until the end of April, he produced user documentation for a Dayton company that manufactures large scale industrial water treatment systems.

"The assignment turned out to be pretty good. I actually wrote a software application at this place–a touch-screen user interface for a program that controls all the treatment systems. That shows that I am a well-rounded writer and a quick learner. Just show me the design docs and give me access to the SME."

Now that the contract has ended, he’s in the job market again with some very specific job requirements. "When I look at a contract or job opportunity," he says, "I consider three things:  money, learning opportunities, and fun working environment."

Craig’s Job-Search Strategy

• "It’s all about networking. When people with really good credentials and experience do nothing but send out resumes on the Internet, they’re sending them down a cyber black hole."
• "STC is really helpful. with networking. You’re with other people who are serious writers and they can usually spot the real McCoy from the fraud. These are the first people who will hear about a job, and they may recommend you, or at least inform you."
• "I also look in the usual places: DICE, HotJobs, Monster. You have to basically upload your resume and repost it every three weeks, so you move up to the top of the queue."
• He expects to be successful.

Choosing To Be Optimistic:  Downsized, But Not Out

For Marge, job loss in the current economic downturn is deja vu all over again. Having seen jobs come and go over the past 24 years, she has learned to make the most of career ups and downs.

"I started out as an English teacher," she says, "but after a few years, I said, ‘No, this is not for me.’  So I went to CTC (Cincinnati Technical College, now Cincinnati State University) and got an Associates’ degree in CIM (Computer-Integrated Manufacturing)."

Combining her skills in communication and technology, Marge snagged the first job of her second career with a small software company, where she trained customers in the use of application programs that generated instructions for screw machines. Great job…until she discovered one day that her paycheck bounced. No more company, no more job.

Attitude Is Everything

So Marge expanded her career into technical writing and moved through a contract assignment and several "permanent" employment stints at small software companies. The GE contract ended, and she has been "downsized" twice.

"In 1983-84, just like now, everybody was out of work," she remembers. "I interviewed a lot."

Stability is good, but flexibility is essential. Marge has developed an core of competence and confidence that has centered her and enabled her to adapt to employment swings and remain positive.

"One thing I’ve liked about most of my jobs," she says, "is working for a small company and being the only writer. That puts me in charge of what I do, so I get to decide how things will be done. When I’ve been downsized, I was always the last person they could let go. And every time I’ve changed jobs, it’s been an improvement.

"At this point (mid-March), I’ve been out of work for not quite two months. Sometimes that little discouragement bird whispers in your ear and you can choose to be down and discouraged. Or you can choose to say, ‘This is my opportunity to enjoy some time off while working hard to find that next position.’" .

Marge’s Job Search Strategy

• She posts her resume on various online job sites. "Most useful to me has been CareerBuilder.com, with more relevant jobs. On Monster, I’ve seen maybe one or two tech writing jobs, but CareerBuilder has had a thin steady stream."
• She uses social media networking sites, such as LinkedIn.
• She also networks in person, having once found a "fun" job through networking at an STC meeting.
• She expects to be successful.

The Answer Depends on Whom You Ask

On February 14 and 15, some of us learned a lot about technical communication from a fictional space alien, a carton of Oreos, and five hundred kids. The Tech-Fest Refresher Course in Technical Communication was a rechcomm worshop that showcased at least five cardinal rules to follow when writing procedures.

The task: write a set of procedures telling someone (specifically a space alien named Al) how to eat an Oreo. The response: dozens of kid-written procedures that illustrate some basic technical writing principles.

1. Know your audience.
   The kids never forgot they were talking to aliens. Look at this example:

   You bring the tentacle with the Oreo to your mouth. Put the Oreo in your mouth and collide your top and bottom row of teeth to crush the Oreo…
   Then put it in your mouth. Your mouth is located under your three eyes and above your chin..

2. Help your readers get work done.
   The would-be tech writers made sure their procedures provided instructions for managers as well as workers, as in this example:

   Take a cookie, show it to them…split it in half, eat one half, give the other to them, and tell them that they must work for you to pay for the cookie.

3. Describe the choices that are available.
   Our young Tech-Fest attendees knew that It’s always important to give readers alternatives, as they did in this example:

   1. Open cookie up.
   2. Hold the cookie in your hand.
   3. Lick icing off both halves.
   4. Put cookie halves back together.
   5. Eat the cookie (chew and swallow.)
       or
   1. Stick the whole thing in your mouth.
   2. Chew.
   3. Swallow.

4. Provide details that a novice might not know.
   Techcomm professionals write procedures that help newbies perform their tasks like experts. The kids who visited our exhibit did the same thing:
   

   1. Hold the cookie next to your mouth.
   2.Take a bite from your cookie.
   3. Wipe your mouth with a napkin.
   4.Finish eating your cookie with your mouth and teeth. (Don’t forget to swallow.)

5. Don’t make assumptions.
   Many of the TechFest procedures accounted for the fact that their alien readers might not know things that were obvious to non-aliens. For example:

   You are supposed to eat cookie and not step on cookie…

Working technical communicators might do well to write procedures with these principles in mind.

Finding the Perfect Fit

by Karen Rokich

An accidental technical writer, Lisa Colon didn’t know what to expect when she entered Cedarville University’s Professional Writing (since renamed as Technical and Professional Communication) program in the winter of 2000. What she did know was this: writing and editing were her strengths, and she needed for her talent to become alive.

That program was her introduction to the world of technical communication and it was, she says, "a perfect fit!"

After graduating from Cedarville, Lisa worked as a public relations intern, a loan officer, and a church secretary while searching for her first technical writing job. She found that job at Avery Dennison (formerly Paxar and before that Monarch Marking) in Miamisburg, OH, where she has been working as a Technical Writer for the past four years.

Lisa’s job involves writing and editing manuals for end users, system administrators, programmers, and service repair technicians. Working under the umbrella of the engineering department, she provides a user’s perspective on new product designs and product improvement projects. She works with two cross-functional teams and is lead writer for two different product lines.

Lisa works closely with the service department to respond to customer documentation needs based on feedback through support representatives. She also has the opportunity to do some HTML design and develop online help projects.

Lisa resides in Huber Heights, Ohio with her husband, stepson, and two lovable dogs.

Report from the Self-Employment Trenches

The US Census Bureau reported up to 18.6 million self-employed workers at the end of 2003. A large and growing number of technical communicators have joined their ranks.  Our January meeting featured three such entrepreneurs:  Adrienne Charak, Karen Harrington, and Thea Teich – SWO members who represent a total of more than 23 years of self-employment. (Emergency illness prevented the scheduled fourth panel member Mindy Hoffbauer from participating.)

Adrienne Charak (Charak TechComm, LLC)

• Core business: Technical writing and instructional design, including courseware training, Web content, software documentation, and editing
• Client industries: Telecommunications, medical, life insurance, information technology, and training
• Self-employment pros:  Working remotely with a variety of clients, meeting their needs and deadlines while managing my own business, my own projects and my own time/schedule
• Self-employment cons: Keeping a steady stream of project work and not becoming too isolated
• Self-employment wisdom gleaned from experience:
  Maintain a staff of support personnel, most importantly an accountant, an IT consultant, and a graphic designer.

Karen Harrington (The Write Thing)

• Core business: Technical writing and editing, including print and online software user assistance, new business proposals, and white papers
• Client industries: Software companies (commercial and government contractors)
• Self-employment pros:  Being able to adjust your personal work schedule to fit your life, having a beautiful quiet office conducive to concentration, not having to get permission to purchase tools and equipment
• Self-employment cons: Managing others’ perceptions, lacking IT support, the potential for non-payment
• Self-employment wisdom gleaned from experience:
  Establish a manageable plan that sets personal and professional limits.

Thea Teich (Teich Technical and Marketing Communications)

• Core business: Marketing and technical communication and indexing, including Web content, writing, editing, marketing consulting
• Client industries: Software companies, marketing research, technical publishing, finance companies, manufacturing
• Self-employment pros:  Doing a variety of work and projects, plus working with clients who are project oriented
• Self-employment cons: Dealing with inconsistent, peak-and-valley workloads, potential for isolation
• Self-employment wisdom gleaned from experience:
  Avoid false economy and buy what you need (good chair, good lighting, health/disability and umbrella insurance), but buy only what you need when you need it; avoid spending on nice-to-haves.

Karen Harrington

by Karen Rokich

Twenty years ago, while exploring various vocations and corresponding college courses, Karen S. Harrington, discovered the Technical Writing and Editing (TWE) program at Cincinnati State Community College (formerly Cincinnati Technical College).  She was intrigued by the curriculum which consisted of a variety of communication courses (writing, editing, document design, etc.) as well as technology courses.  As one who loved reading and writing and who was also fascinated by science and technology, the TWE program seemed like a perfect fit for her.  Under the visionary and strategic guidance of Pamela Ecker, the TWE Program Coordinator at that time, she fulfilled the program’s requirements and selected electives that would prepare her for a career suited to her natural abilities and interests.
Upon receiving her degree, she became a member of the Society for Technical Communication (STC).  The Technical Communication profession has steadily evolved to keep pace with technological trends and people’s needs for collecting, retrieving and delivering  information.  Over the years, STC has been in invaluable source of guidance and support;  she has attended and enjoyed multiple STC conferences and currently serves as the Employment Lead for the Southwestern Ohio chapter.
Professionally, she is a creative individual with solid writing, editing, and project administration skills.  She has a strong technical aptitude and an ability to easily grasp new concepts.  Her work experience includes:

• Assessing client-defined information requirements and, in conjunction with project team members, prepare objectives and specifications.
• Documenting processes and designing work products and related style guides.
• Interviewing subject matter experts and researching technical concepts and issues.
• Writing and editing software manuals, online help systems, white papers and scripting language reference guides.
• Creating document templates and style sheets.
• Performing software usability analysis and recommending functional and interface design improvements.
• Gaining familiarity with structured documentation practices, web design, HTML and XML.
• Producing simple illustrations.

In 2008, she launched The Write Thing – an independent consulting business that provides communication services aimed at helping clients achieve their goals.
Personally, she is dedicated to continuous improvement through commitment to life-long learning and empowerment of others.  She is passionate about mentoring, training and inspiring others.

Karen Rokich Is Runner-Up in Clifton Library Writing Contest

Perhaps a patron at the Clifton Branch of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County asked about the reindeer that cavorted atop the library and Graeter’s buildings.  "Where," this nameless person may have queried, "did they really come from?" Maybe then the library’s Powers-That-Be realized that they didn’t have a really good story of origins for the landmark reindeer.

Or maybe not. Whatever the reason, the Branch held a writing contest for the best "Origins of the Reindeer" hypothesis. Our Chapter secretary Karen Rokich won a runner-up spot in that contest.

BTL extends congratulations to her and presents her winning entry below in its entirety.

Yoga Breathing Reins Deer

by Karen Rokich

Santa decided to attend a yoga class at the studio – It’s Yoga on Ludlow Avenue in Clifton.  As he was concentrating on his rhythmic breathing pattern, his imagination started to churn. With one exhalation, one reindeer safely landed atop the Ludlow Library.  With exhalation two, reindeer number two had a soft landing next to reindeer one.  With exhalation three, the third reindeer landed in front of reindeer one, near the edge of the building. 

Exhalation four was unique.  At the end of the exhalation, Santa cried, “Ha, Ha, Ha, He, He, He, Ho, Ho, Ho.”  After a somersault, reindeer four landed adeptly, chin and eyes pointed upward but atop the Greater’s Ice Cream building.

With exhalation five, reindeer number five settled next to reindeer number three.  With exhalation six, the sixth reindeer slid next to the second reindeer.  Reindeer number seven appeared in front of reindeer number six with the blink of Santa’s eye.  Reindeer eight side-stepped next to reindeer six again with the blink of Santa’s eye.  With exhalation seven, reindeer number nine slid star-styled in front of reindeer eight.

After another exhalation, Santa sighed, “Ho, Ho, Ho, Ha, Ha, Ha, He, He, He.”  This reindeer, named Hans, peaking his nose to the street, landed adroitly.  Santa blinked twice and two more reindeers landed…..now a dozen reindeer atop the library.

The thirteen reigning deer atop the library and Graeter’s are singing – Have safe travel and head over to the Esquire Theatre to see the Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

What Is Extra and What Is Essential?

by Bryce A. Walat

Bryce is president of STC Pittsburgh. He wrote this timely item as the chapter’s monthly president’s column and offered to share it with us, because many members are thinking about not renewing or joining, given the current economic situation.

Recently, I’ve heard other STC members talking about the economy, especially the rising cost of fuel, food, health care, and other necessities, and the falling value of their homes and investments. For some STC members, their membership in STC is a prime candidate for an “extra” item to cut from their personal or professional budgets.  You may be thinking about not renewing your membership in STC when it expires, or if you aren’t a current member, you may be having second thoughts about joining STC. If you still plan to renew or join STC, you may also be thinking about cutting back on meetings or events.

Before you decide not to renew or join STC, or skip a meeting you’d like to attend, I’d like to ask you this question: Over your lifetime, what is your most valuable and biggest asset?

1. Your home
2. Your education
3. Your career
4. Your retirement plan

Answer: Your career is your biggest and most important asset. Your career gives you the income to get the necessities of life, such as food, clothing, and shelter, and also to get an education, real estate, a retirement plan, and other investments and assets.  When you think about how much of your time every day you spend working and how much of your lifetime is spent working, you can see why your career is so important. That’s why it’s important to manage your career well.

STC helps you manage your career by helping you to:

• Launch your technical communication career or transition into a technical communication career
• Learn new skills and enhance existing ones
• Find opportunities to network with fellow technical communication professionals
• Find a new job or a better job
• Launch an independent technical communication career
• Find help when you need it
• Improve your “soft” skills, such as public speaking or team-building skills

The cost of STC membership is “chump change” compared to the value it adds to your career. For example, STC’s free or low-cost articles, seminars, and conferences give you knowledge and skills to not only keep up with changes in the fast-paced technical communication field, but also get ready for the technical communication jobs of the future.

On a personal note, I’ve now been through four “career transitions” in my eight years as a technical communicator. In some cases, they occurred because of circumstances beyond my control, such as economic conditions; in others, there were things that I could have done or not done that might have led to a different outcome. In every case, I found STC to be a helpful resource to manage these transitions. STC proved valuable as a go-to for technical communication job leads, ways to improve my technical and interpersonal skills, and just to know that I wasn’t alone in my career transition.  STC Pittsburgh’s WorkQuest was, as the MasterCard slogan goes, priceless.  Also, in every case, employers and potential employers noticed my membership in STC on my resume, and some even knew of me from STC.

As President of STC Pittsburgh, part of my job is promoting the chapter and the Society, and I wrote this column as a way to promote STC and to make a case that STC is more important to your career in times like these. But I also wrote it to explain how STC helped me and why I joined STC.

With that in mind, if you join or renew your membership in November, you’ll receive two months free, because your membership won’t expire until the end of 2009. Visit stc.org to join or renew. Also, ask me about membership, because not only am I STC Pittsburgh’s President, I’m also a member!

ST-What?

You get a blank look when you mention STC? even from some of your techcomm colleagues? That means it’s time.

• Time for you to break the code of silence that has shrouded our profession and our professional society since its inception at the dawn of technology.
• Time for you to spread the word about who we are, what we do, and how much we contribute to the 21st century zeitgeist.
• Time for you jump into the STC Member-Get-a-Member campaign. 

How do you do that, you wonder? Here are some suggestions from the STC web site:

1. Read Tips and Ideas.
2. Read Talking Points.
3. Find the membership application here.
4. Start recruiting.
5. If you have other questions, email Stacey O’Donnell or Lloyd Tucker.

And if the advancement of your profession is not sufficient incentive, here are some goodies that might interest you:

• For every ten members you recruit, your name will be entered to win: An Apple iPhone!
• For every five members you recruit, your name will be entered to win: One of three free, full conference registrations to the STC 2009 Technical Communication Summit (a $795 value!)
• For every three members you recruit, your name will be entered to win: Five free web seminars in 2009.
• For every member you recruit, your name will be entered to win: A free, twelve month membership for the 2009 membership year.

The prizes apply to recruiting all member categories except student. The campaign runs through 31 December 2008.  Awards will be announced in January 2009.

SWO Member Judges ITCC Entries

SWO Senior Member and STC Associate Fellow Sylvia Miller judged in the annual International Technical Publications Competitions of the Society for Technical Communication (STC). STC is an organization dedicated to advancing the arts and sciences of technical communication. It is the largest organization of its type in the world.

The international competition is the result of local competitions. Local STC chapters—both US and nternational—hold competitions by exchanging entries with another STC chapter. The entries Sylvia judged included the following:

• A literature suite promoting piping equipment used in oil drilling
• A literature suite promoting a plug-in hybrid vehicle
• An export manual from the US Dept. of Agriculture
• Two books: one about capturing and analyzing computer security
  metrics and one about writing effective content for Web sites
• A “coffee table book” commemorating five decades of accomplishments
  of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Sylvia and two other judges spent two to three hours per entry, reviewing its content and organization,  copy editing, visual design, and overall effectiveness. They reviewed the same set of entries and completed evaluation forms independently. Then, they conferred via a teleconference to determine the award, if any, for each entry. Although their team did not award a Best of Show this year, they did give a Distinguished Communication award and a couple of other awards.