Orion, the job title is content developer. Some training will be provided. The only thing I know yet is that I might be put on a team writing educational content. The job description required English language skills and few tools like Word, FrameMaker, RoboHelp etc. I know few of these as I did a course. I am a little confused about what training will they give me, as I do not have technical background, I only did a course in technical writing. The company deals with mostly very technical projects. Is it a good idea to ask my team leader now after I am hired that what exactly are they expecting me to do. What would be the right questions to ask the team leader/ boss in the first few days to get a picture of what exactly they are expecting me to do. Or is it not a good idea to ask any such questions since I have been to interview, read the job description, still I am not very clear. Would it lead to a bad first impression? Can I ask them about content of the training, the duration of the training, and when will I actually work on some project? Or is it too early for such questions? For Rashmii Thank you friend I will be glad to be of some help. I did a technical writing course, but when I started looking for jobs I could not find many technical writing positions. I found this content writing job which was better than other offers I was getting. So I decided to join as my institute teachers said that after 1-2 years of experience it will become easier to get a job as technical writer for me(I do not have much relevant experience also have a gap of some years). If you have any technical degree/diploma you can get a job easily as technical writer(though it is not a necessity since the first criteria is language skills). The only benefit, in my opinion, that people with technical background have over non-tech people is that employers feel more comfortable hiring technical people for a technical project if both have equally good language skills. But any employer will prefer a non-tech person with good language skills over a tech person with not so good similar skill. I would like to add that do a lot of research before joining any course. Before joining the course I learnt some concepts on my own and also looked at lots of jobs on job sites and collected their requirements for a technical writing position. I tried to develop few of those on my own. Please ask any other question you want to.
I have worked with few technical writers in the past. On our projects the technical writers were given the task of composing the installation guide and the manual for using our software and the individual components. Generally, when a technical writer is assigned to a project, they will be explained what documents they are supposed to create and the target audience. The the writer has to come up with the skeleton document where the index, content, fonts, etc are given. Once this gets a go ahead from the tech lead or manager, they have to fill in the other details with help from the technical team. The documents will be periodically reviewed and the required changes (if any) would be suggested. Once the document is given the final approval by the relevant lead/ manager, the writer's job is done and will be assigned to another project.
Hi Soumyapr, Thank you for replying to my question with so much of interest.God bless you dear. Would it be possible for you to tell me the name of the institute you did the technical writing course because i am also put up in bangalore now. And which particular course you opted for and the fees charged. And does the institute assist in placements. Hope i am not asking too much. In case the moderators feel that such info can't be shared here please can you pm me the following info. I am doing a lot of research but i am not able to zero on any particular course or institute. regards rashmii
Hi Sowmya, My advice to you is don't disclose your sal to anyone. I was in the same position like yours. My colleagues were 4 yrs younger to me but 1 year experienced. They asked my sal and were very angry to know their salary was less than mine. They were very hostile to me. Hope it helps. Regards, Viji
Thank you Orion for such good explanations. I am going to join tomorrow and will post my experiences here. Rashmii, I am not sure whether to post the institute name here. The one I went to was very close to my house and that was the main reason I chose it. You can join any of the popular institutes in Bangalore for a course it will be more or less the same. The fees charged by the popular institutes is quiet high can go upto Rs 60,000. I did from a small institute so fees was not very high. But I would like to remind that the reason I got this job was not the institute or the course, the course only helped me in showing the prospective employer that I am willing to work, since I have a gap after my college. I will post more later.
Thanks for the reply .If possible pm me the institute details and name of course.Just to help me in my search of a good course. All the best for your new job.
Rashmii check the twin India and STC India websites for names of some good institutes. Twin India also has a question and answer forum where you can browse for useful information.
Hi Soumya, How was your first day at work? Were all your queries answered? Keep us updated about your job.
hi, Is it advisable to join online technical writing course? Will i be able to learn like a regular classroom course? Please share your inputs. hi soumya, I think you don't want to reveal the name of the institute. That's fine i understand. But please can you give me information regarding the cost or fees of the course how much did they charge you and what was the duration of the course. thanks, regards, rashmii
