Tips from the Trenches: Job Hunting 101

by Dana Dutson

When I began my career as a technical writer, I was warned repeatedly that I should expect to be laid off—often. Last spring, I experienced my first layoff. The experience was both frightening and exciting. I received a lot of great advice and support—much of it from fellow members of the Rocky Mountain Chapter. For others who are job hunting for any reason, I compiled the advice.

Attitude

• Don’t take it personally.
• Look at a layoff as an opportunity to move on to new experiences.

Network

• Attend STC meetings. The STC members were very supportive – not only did they have good advice, but they also shared job leads.
• Let people know that you are looking. They may give you leads and even be willing to recommend you for a job.
• Join LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com). It’s a social networking site like Facebook and MySpace, but it’s geared toward professionals. The STC has a presence on LinkedIn that allows STC members to network with other STC Group members. For more information on the STC Group on LinkedIn, see "STC is 'LinkedIn'" in this issue of the newsletter.

Work

• Set aside time every day for your job search. Looking for a job is a job. The STCRMC has a jobs list that provides excellent leads. You can sign up to have e-mail notices sent to you whenever a new job is posted.
• Don’t be afraid to take a contract job. You’ll gain more experience and expand your network. Some contracting agencies even offer benefits if you meet their requirements. 
• Find a recruiter and follow up regularly. If you haven’t heard from the recruiter recently, call him or her.
• Think about your long-term career goals. It may be the perfect opportunity for you to transition from a technical writer to an instructional designer, start your own business, or become an independent contractor.

Resume

• Keep your resume and portfolio updated.
• If your current resume is chronological, consider changing to an experience-based resume, especially if you are changing careers. For more information on experience-based and other types of resumes, see "Which Resume Format is Best?" in this issue of the newsletter.
• Post your resume on monster.com or other online job search tools and set up job search agents. The job search agents e-mail jobs to you that match the criteria you set such as location, keywords, full-time, and so on. 
• Customize your resume for each job and make sure to use the same keywords as the job posting. Also, include variations of  keywords such as technical writer, tech writer, technical communicator. Many companies search resumes electronically and only look at resumes that match a certain percentage of keywords or phrases.
• Don’t add “References available upon request” at the end of your resume, but do have your references ready to give to a potential employer.
• Don’t put hobbies or volunteer work unless it is related to the job.
• Have someone else review your resume and cover letter. Your resume is a sample of your work. I heard someone say that an error in a tech writer’s resume is the kiss of death.

The most important advice was:

• Enjoy your time off! Read the stack of books on your nightstand, complete a project you’ve been putting off until you have more time, or go play outside.

I used much of this advice during my job search. I received great job leads from talking to people. I took a short contract job to get me out of the house, which taught me a few new FrameMaker tricks, expanded my network, and gave me new job leads. After a several weeks of “vacation,” I started a new job at a great company, where I am happily employed.

Dana Dutson is a member of the RockyMountain chapter of the STC.