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 that 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, could it reach a higher level in just 5 years? Certainly that is also possible.

Individual cases always vary. But I think the following is a useful overview image in terms of presenting you with an overview of the technical writing landscape and providing some general reference points. 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:

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

• Writing and editing interface and how-to documentation, including user guides, installation guides, quick reference guides, release notes, system setup guides, help files.
• Structured, single source authorship.
• Graphic design, illustration, print and web design skills.
• Assist projects as a lead writer and supervise one or more junior writers.
• Optional: simple website and document translation and localization skills.
• Optional: Publish articles in popular professional periodicals like STC Intercom.
• Optional: act as a Jury in professional technical communication competitions.

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 how-to documentation, including user guides, installation guides, quick reference guides, release notes, system configuration guides, help files, API guides.
• Structured and single source authoring, including DITA structuring and database publishing.
• Graphic design, illustration, print and web design skills.
• Lead projects as a senior writer and supervise one or more junior and senior writers.
• Advanced localization skills for online and print documentation projects.
• Publish articles in peer-reviewed professional journals such as STC Technical Communication.
• Optional: serve as the main jury in professional technical communication competitions.

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 publishing editor (TEX, PatternStream, etc.)

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