3 levels and 3 technical writing profiles

If you’re wondering what levels you can expect to achieve in a technical writing career, here are 3 profiles just to give you a rough idea.

Don’t forget this is just a rough picture and it doesn’t mean you have to go through each level in exactly the same way.

Perhaps you can start from the Intermediate level if you bring with you a solid background in software skills and work experience.

Or who knows, it could reach a higher level in just 5 years? That is certainly possible too.

Individual cases always vary. But I think what follows is a useful overview in terms of presenting you with a general survey of the technical landscape of writing and providing some general benchmarks. They are not based on any scientific study, but on my personal experience of more than 10 years as a technical writer.

Let me know if you have any questions about these professional profiles.

Profile 1: Junior level technical writer

Time at work: 0-5 years

Working skills:

• Writing interface documentation including user guides, installation guides, quick reference guides, release notes, help files.
• No supervisory or management skills.
• Optional: graphic and illustration skills.

Software skills:

• Microsoft Office Suite
• Optional: FrameMaker (unstructured)
• Optional: Photoshop
• Optional: illustrator
• Optional: help file editor (RoboHelp, Flare, Quadralay, DoctoHelp, etc.)
• Optional: version control software (MS Source Safe, etc.)

Profile 2: Intermediate level technical writer

Time at work: 5-10 years

Working skills:

• Write and edit interface and procedural documentation including user guides, installation guides, quick reference guides, release notes, system configuration guides, help files.
• Single source and structured authorship.
• Graphic, illustrative, printed and web design skills.
• Attend projects as lead writer and supervise one or more junior writers.
• Optional: simple documents and website localization and translation skills.
• Optional: Publish articles in popular professional publications like STC Intercom.
• Optional: serve as a jury in professional technical communication skills.

Software skills:

• Microsoft Office Suite
• FrameMaker (unstructured and structured)
• Photoshop
• Illustrator
• Help file editor (RoboHelp, Flare, Quadralay, DoctoHelp, etc.)
• Version control software (MS Source Safe, etc.)
• Optional: advanced version and content management software (Agile, etc.)
• Optional: Dreamweaver and / or HTML encoding

Profile 3: Senior Technical Writer

Time at work: More than 10 years

Working skills:

• Writing and editing interface and procedural documentation including user guides, installation guides, quick reference guides, release notes, system configuration guides, help files, API guides.
• Single source and structured authorship, including DITA structuring and database publishing.
• Graphic, illustrative, printed and web design skills.
• Leading projects as lead writer and supervising one or more junior and senior writers.
• Advanced localization skills for printed and online documentation projects.
• Publication of articles in peer-reviewed professional periodicals, such as STC Technical Communication.
• Optional: serve as Principal Jury in professional technical communication contests.

Software skills:

• Microsoft Office Suite
• FrameMaker (unstructured and structured)
• Photoshop
• Illustrator
• Help file editor (RoboHelp, Flare, Quadralay, DoctoHelp, etc.)
• Version control software (MS Source Safe, etc.)
• Optional: advanced version and content management software (Agile, etc.)
• Optional: Dreamweaver and / or HTML encoding
• Optional: XML editor (FrameMaker, Arbortext, Oxygen, etc.)
• Optional: database publication editor (TEX, PatternStream, etc.)

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