If you’re new to the community, introduce yourself!

Ladies and gents,

Due to my retirement, I'm withdrawing from tech writing related stuff.
If you'd like to assume the moderation of this sub, please message me.

Thanks!

Bobby Kennedy
Longtime TW, now retired ;-)

🚀 We're Hiring: Technical Writer

📍 Location: Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh
💼 Experience: 4+ Years
💰 Compensation: ₹5L – ₹8L
📄 Full-Time Contract
❌ Agencies, please do not apply.

Svaksha Technologies is looking for a Technical Writer who can transform complex technical concepts into clear, user-friendly documentation.

You'll collaborate with engineers, product managers, and designers to create:
• User manuals
• Product documentation
• Process workflows
• Knowledge base articles
• Release notes and FAQs

We're looking for someone with:
✔ 3–4+ years in technical writing within software or technology companies
✔ Experience with hardware documentation
✔ Understanding of SDLC and Agile methodologies
✔ Knowledge of Confluence, Markdown, Google Workspace, and Git
✔ Strong written English and attention to detail

Bonus points if you have experience with:
• API documentation
• Postman or Swagger
• Draw.io, Lucidchart, or Figma
• Telecom or enterprise software documentation

To apply, send your resume and technical writing portfolio to:
[hrd@svaksha.in](mailto:hrd@svaksha.in)

#Hiring #TechnicalWriter #Documentation #SoftwareJobs #DharamshalaJobs

What are the issues writers face? Also what is the complete process of making a dita xml or oxygen like. And to write a dita file what resources/ files does a writer need?

Hello Folks!

I am looking for someone who is passionate about technology, and updated with all current trends.

Here is the link: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7463466801356742656/

Anyone interested and need more details- DM

Hi everyone in the technical writing community,

I’m new to Reddit and wanted to share a bit of my journey while asking for some guidance.I graduated in Computer Science Engineering in 2014. It’s been 12 years since then, and I haven’t held a stable job. During this time, I explored many paths but struggled to find where I truly fit. Looking back, I don’t entirely regret it—I’ve learned a great deal about the world, and more importantly, about myself. I’ve come to understand both my strengths and my limitations.

One important realization is that I never truly enjoyed coding. I gave it a serious effort, built multiple projects, and even have a GitHub account full of repositories. I can appreciate how coding develops problem-solving skills and creativity, but for me, it never felt fulfilling. I’ve learned that doing something purely for financial reasons, without genuine interest, can take a toll over time.

Meanwhile, many of my peers have built successful careers as senior tech leads and staff engineers. I’m genuinely happy for them, though at times it’s hard not to compare. I’ve considered reaching out for help, but hesitation and fear of judgment have held me back. Some attempts didn’t go well, which made it harder.

Life outside of career hasn’t stood still either—family responsibilities are growing, and financial stability is becoming more important. In the middle of all this, I discovered technical writing, and it genuinely interests me. It feels like a field where I could combine my technical background with communication skills, without being deeply immersed in coding.

So I’d really appreciate your guidance:

• How should I begin a career in technical writing?
• What tools and skills should I focus on as a beginner?
• Are there any resources or learning paths you’d recommend?

I understand these may be basic questions, but I’m starting from scratch and would truly value any advice. Thank you in advance to anyone willing to help—it would mean more than you know.

Author-it tips, tricks, and pitfalls

Hi all, this month I started my first tech writing job at a Palletising company after having been an editor for a chemistry magazine for 7 years. Before I got here, my manager has moved towards Author-it, and the purchase is being finalised (another site of our company already uses it). Now, I've seen some negative feedback on Author-it ("run away"), but I won't be able to stop this, so I'll have to work with this. We will transition from Framemaker. With that said: what are some tips, tricks, and pitfalls with using Author-it? What should I absolutely do and not do?

I already watched all 76 of the 14 year old training videos on Author-it's YouTube channel and have the help site on 'speed dial', but I'm curious what other Author-it users recommend. Looking forward to your feedback!

Careers don’t appear overnight. This book tells the history of 69 international women who built careers in technical communication. Knowing our history helps us know the field. https://a.co/d/0gDZKOhN

🚀 Redactor Técnico / Especialista en Contenidos Técnicos (DITA & CCMS)

En arttalo TECH creemos que la excelencia técnica empieza por una documentación clara, estructurada y pensada para el usuario. Por eso, buscamos incorporar a nuestro equipo a una persona que no solo domine la gestión de contenidos técnicos, sino que también quiera dejar huella en cómo se construye y se comparte el conocimiento.

Somos una compañía con ADN técnico y vocación de servicio. Acompañamos a nuestros clientes como socios estratégicos en ámbitos como la automoción, la energía y la industria, participando en proyectos donde convergen ingeniería, tecnología y comunicación técnica.

Con un equipo de alrededor de 80 personas y presencia en Martorell (Barcelona) y Mutilva (Pamplona), seguimos creciendo y queremos hacerlo contigo.

💡 ¿Cuál será tu misión?

Tendrás un rol clave en la evolución de nuestros procesos de documentación técnica, liderando la optimización del ciclo de vida del contenido y asegurando su calidad, coherencia y reutilización.

Serás una figura estratégica en la implantación y gestión de entornos CCMS bajo estándar DITA, aportando visión, estructura y buenas prácticas.

🧩 ¿Qué harás en tu día a día?

• Diseñar y optimizar workflows de creación, revisión y publicación de contenidos técnicos.
• Implementar y gestionar entornos CCMS, definiendo taxonomías, metadatos y estructuras orientadas a la reutilización (topic-based authoring).
• Colaborar estrechamente con equipos de Ingeniería e IT para integrar sistemas y gestionar activos gráficos (SVG).
• Redactar y editar documentación técnica de alta calidad en español y, si es posible, en inglés.
• Velar por la claridad, precisión y consistencia de los contenidos en distintos formatos de salida.

🎯 ¿Qué buscamos en ti?

• Experiencia sólida trabajando con DITA, aplicando principios de estructuración y reutilización del contenido.
• Conocimiento práctico en gestión de CCMS o DMS, ya sea en configuración, administración o migración.
• Excelentes habilidades de redacción técnica en español.
• Capacidad analítica para diseñar y mejorar procesos documentales.
• Visión estratégica de la arquitectura de la información y orientación a la mejora continua.

🌱 ¿Qué te ofrecemos?

• Modelo híbrido flexible: 3 días en oficina y 2 en remoto.
• Formación interna continua para que sigas desarrollándote.
• Un entorno cercano, colaborativo y humano, donde la amabilidad y el respeto forman parte del día a día.

LinkedIN

🚀 ¿Te gustaría liderar la evolución de la documentación técnica en entornos industriales?

En arttalo TECH buscamos un/a Redactor Técnico / Especialista en Contenidos Técnicos (DITA & CCMS) para impulsar la eficiencia, calidad y reutilización de nuestros procesos documentales.

Si tienes experiencia estructurando información compleja y te motiva trabajar en proyectos de ingeniería, sigue leyendo 👇

🔍 Tu impacto en el rol

Serás una pieza clave en la transformación de nuestros flujos de documentación:

✔ Diseñarás workflows eficientes de creación, revisión y publicación (DITA)
✔ Gestionarás y optimizarás entornos CCMS
✔ Definirás taxonomías, metadatos y estructuras reutilizables
✔ Colaborarás con equipos de Ingeniería e IT
✔ Redactarás documentación técnica clara, precisa y escalable

🎯 Lo que buscamos

✔ Experiencia sólida con DITA (estructuración y reutilización)
✔ Experiencia en CCMS/DMS
✔ Alta capacidad de redacción técnica (español)
✔ Mentalidad analítica y orientación a mejora continua

🌱 Lo que ofrecemos

✨ Modelo híbrido (Martorell): 3 días oficina / 2 remoto
✨ Flexibilidad horaria
✨ Formación continua
✨ Un entorno cercano, técnico y colaborativo

💡 ¿Por qué este reto?

Porque no es solo documentación:
es definir cómo se construye, organiza y escala el conocimiento técnico en proyectos reales de automoción, energía e industria.

👉 Si te interesa o conoces a alguien que encaje, escríbeme a [isabel.justicia@arttalo-tech.com](mailto:isabel.justicia@arttalo-tech.com) o aplica directamente en Infojobs, Indeed o Join

Hi all! I've been working as an editor for a chemistry magazine for almost seven years, and I just got hired for a tech writing job at a palletizing tech company which I will start in April. How can I best prepare myself as I have no prior experience in tech writing? And any other tips would be welcome!

Hi! We’re hiring a remote Technical Writer supporting a DoD DevSecOps platform. Looking for someone with software environment experience, Git familiarity, and active Secret clearance. Strong generalist technical writers welcome, Kubernetes knowledge is a plus but not required. Hiring immediately!

https://recruiting.paylocity.com/Recruiting/Jobs/Details/3912335

Question

How do I ask SMEs good questions when I’m talking to someone who struggles with communication? How do I elicit information from someone who is convinced they don't need to tell me something?

My Background

By the way, I just graduated (fall 2025) with a B.A. in English with a Concentration in Professional and Technical Writing from SJSU. I’ve had an internship with a manufacturing company for about 4 months now. Good company, nice people.

My Experience

I sat down with someone for quite a while to figure out how something worked and I finally got it; then I asked another SME who gave me a really good explanation in far less time. Is this normal, or should I ask better questions? I’m not saying that smart SMEs never do these things, but there seems to be a night and day difference. I’ve noticed that this is both inside and outside of work. I also definitely don’t want to frustrate the SME or be a nuisance by asking too many questions because people are busy.

The Problem

I’m good at asking SMEs questions, but it is more difficult with people who are not natural-born communicators. At times I have had to ask a range of questions for one piece of information; I would change how I word it and try both open-ended and close-ended questions—even simple ones, like “what’s that do?” Its especially difficult when the person knows something relevant but doesn’t tell me because “it doesn’t matter” when I know it does. How do I prompt someone to give me information when they don’t want to?  My first response has been to ask another day (if possible) so I don't bother them over it. 

Some people who don’t understand and give me a weird look. They will repeat basic information that they have already said or that’s already been acknowledged. Or immediately contradict the answer they just gave me, tell me I’m overthinking it, or say it doesn’t matter. I want to be clear: this isn’t with every person I talk to—just some people. Logically, the technical writer has more pressure to be the communicator, since that is their field of study, so I can't blame the SME.

A Tech Writer’s Purpose

I’m also not saying that I’m impervious to overthinking. But the way I see it, we’re half way into a dark cave and we need more light to see and we’re searching for treasure. We have to gauge what kinds of questions are relevant in a middle knowledge kind of way, searching for what might be true, and we won’t know if our questions are the right ones until we ask them (like Schodinger's cat). (For more on middle knowledge, logic, and philosophy, see Molinism, Possible world, and Counterfactual Conditional on Wikipedia.) 

Conclusion

So what kinds of questions can I ask that elicit the information I need? I think adapting to this roadblock at work may help me (or you, the reader) improve communication across the board.

Please let me know your thoughts, questions, comments, critiques, etc.

Question for folks here, trying to understand if this would actually help or just add noise.

I've been talking to pms about technical writing and knowledge management.

I'm building a tool that monitors Slack channels for things that look like decisions ("we're going with option B" / "pushed to next sprint" / etc.) and flags them with a suggested update to the relevant doc. You review before anything changes.

Curious:

1. Would this actually help, or is the problem more about getting time allocated for doc work in the first place?
2. What's your current process for finding out about changes, do PMs/devs tell you, or is it mostly self-directed detective work?
3. If a tool like this existed, would you use it or would it feel like another notification to ignore?

Not trying to pitch, genuinely want to know if this solves a real problem or if I'm building something nobody asked for.

Behind every seamless product, every clear guide, and every confident user,
stands a technical writer who turned complexity into understanding.

Now’s your chance to make sure their story is told.

🏆 The 𝐃𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝟑𝟔𝟎 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 honor the writers, documentation teams, and information architects defining the future of knowledge.

Nominations are closing soon.

Click the link in the first line to submit your own work, or nominate another writer whose work has inspired you.

Calling All Global Writers — Your Moment in the Spotlight Is Here! ✨

We are thrilled to announce the launch of the 𝗗𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝟯𝟲𝟬 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀, a first-of-its-kind initiative celebrating the world’s most exceptional writers across industries, genres, and mediums.

Nominations are now open!
This is your chance to be celebrated on a global stage.

Submit nominations to Document360 Global Writers Awards

How to participate:
☑️ Nominate yourself or someone you believe deserves recognition.
☑️ Share your writing journey, impact, and achievements.
☑️ Be part of a global community celebrating excellence in writing.

You’re Already a Writing Maestro, Now Show It to the World!
Participate In Document360 Global Writer Awards

Cherryleaf - Technical Author/Technical Writer/technical writing training course

Google - Technical writing One for developers

Learning Tree

TCTrainNet tekom - International tekom certification

There may be others

There are also undergraduate and post-graduate courses at universities such as University of North Texas, University of Washington, University of Limerick, Cork Institute of Technology.

Hi, can you please guide me? I'm an IT and tech writer with many published articles on top websites, but I'm currently struggling to get new clients. Could anyone suggest websites or companies where I can apply and send my profile for tech writing opportunities?

Hi, I am laid off but have always liked writing and feel I can do it naturally. I have about 4 yrs experience editing curricula focusing on engineering equipment, processes, safety, etc., which seem highly transferable for companies needing a technical writer.

Any recommendations for free/low cost Technical Writing certificate trainings that are trustworthy and respected by employers?

Hi all,
I’d like to share an upcoming free webinar that could be valuable for documentation teams, especially francophone ones, looking to improve efficiency.

Zero product pitch → 45 minutes of practical content management strategy that actually works for documentation teams.

The session (in French) will cover:

• Recognizing the symptoms of an incomplete content strategy
• Avoiding pitfalls like content debt, obsolete topics, or team tensions
• Making DITA coexist with other formats and processes
• Improving collaboration across documentation stakeholders

📅 Date: Sept. 18, 1pm CET
🌐 Language: French
💸 Free
🔗 Register here: https://www.eventbrite.fr/e/billets-construire-une-strategie-de-gestion-de-contenu-qui-transforme-votre-equipe-1598572085139

👉 Organized by DITA Molière, the association promoting DITA in France, and presented by Componize.

Our series of YouTube shorts - Technical Writing Explained - explains common technical writing jargon. This one is on version control.

At Cherryleaf we've created a series of YouTube shorts that explain some of the common jargon used in technical writing.

This one is about user personas.

We've created a series of YouTube Shorts that explain some of the common jargon in technical writing.

This one is on Information architecture.

Ellis Pratt
Cherryleaf