Writing Technical Resume

So you want to create your technical writing resume? Your resume is usually your first--and sometimes your only--impression on a prospective employer. It is critical that you create a tech writing resume that grabs the attention, details the appropriate information, and gets you in the employer's door. This webpage gives you resources and advice on how writing technical resume content that will get you the technical writing job you want.

Here are some tips and advice on creating a technical writing resume:

  • Contact Information. Include every conceivable method of contacting you in an easily accessible format.
  • No Bland Writing. Use power verbs. Show how you acted upon things, how you made things happen, not how they just happened or came to be.
  • Details. Make sure you describe the details of your technical writing experience. Explain specifically the subjects and types of technical writing projects you have worked on. But do it succinctly, don't be too wordy--which is the mark of a horrible technical writer anyway.
  • Accessible Layout. Organize your information in a layout that allows the recruiter or interviewer to be able to pick out the main points of your technical writer resume quickly. Make effective use of headings, bullet points, and spacing. You are a technical writer--you must demonstrate that you know how to do this type of technical work. Do not make it look like a book with paragraphs of written text.
  • Match Your Resume to the Desired Job and Salary. If you are aiming for a high-profile job, you'd better supply a high-profile resume.

I highly recommend a few outstanding books and guides on resumes and how to write resumes:

The Resume Handbook: How to Write Outstanding Resumes and Cover Letters for Every Situation. Showcase your polished technical writing skills and professional talents in your technical writing resume and cover letter using this book, which has launched hundreds of thousands into career success. This book shows you exactly how to write the resume and cover letter that get the immediate attention of recruiters and employers. Featuring thirty-two of the best resumes ever written and filled with no-nonsense advice, this outstanding guide gives you the edge you need in a competitive technical writing marketplace.

Get the Interview Every Time: Fortune 500 Hiring Professionals' Tips for Writing Winning Resumes and Cover Letters. This guide is an informative and up-to-date resource for job seekers who are looking for solid direction from Fortune 500 executives, packed with sample resumes and cover letters that represent what hiring managers, directors, and vice presidents want to see.

Some great websites that teach you how to write an effective resume are: