Technical Writer Resume

Companies rely on the expertise of technical writers to simplify complex ideas for their audiences. Convince them you’re the right person for the role by presenting your technical writing skills in an exceptional resume.

Follow these three tips to write a job-winning technical writer resume:

Highlight your technical writer skills

As a technical writer, it’s important to highlight your technical knowledge, research skills, and computer literacy throughout the skills section of your resume. In some cases, technical writers also create visuals to accompany written content, so graphic design skills are also an asset.

To show them you’re the ideal candidate, modify your work experience bullet points to emphasize job-specific hard and soft skills.

For example, if you’re applying to be a technical writer that specializes in end-user documentation, here’s how you can emphasize your relevant skills in the experience section of your resume:

•  Created all end-user guides for 10+ flagship technical products

Additionally, you should list any of your relevant technical skills in the skills section of your resume. If you’re not sure where to start, here are some of the most important technical writer hard skills to have:

• Research skills
• Audience analysis
• Preparing various types of technical content (user manuals, case studies, and technical reports)
• Industry terminology
• Spelling and punctuation
• Proofreading
• Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, and Outlook)
• Project management software (Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft Project, and Confluence)
• User Experience (UX) Design
• Autodesk AutoCAD
• Adobe Systems (InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator)
• CSS
• Drupal
• GitHub
• FrameMaker

Additionally, here are some technical writer soft skills employers look for:

• Creative thinking
• Time management skills
• Organizational skills
• Attention to detail
• Multitasking
• Open to feedback
• Teamwork
• Critical thinking
• Decision-making skills
• Project management skills

Open with a strong technical writer resume summary

Hiring managers have hundreds of job applications to review, so you need to catch their attention immediately.

To grab them from the start, begin your resume off with a strong resume summary that explains why you’re uniquely qualified for the job.

To write a convincing technical writer resume summary, sum up your skills and experience in a few short sentences. Keep in mind that your summary should be aligned with the needs of the company, so they can visualize how you’ll fit in.

Here’s an example of a great technical writer resume summary:

Creative, resourceful Technical Writer with 10+ years of experience in documenting software systems, products, and interfaces for a variety of audiences and industries. Adept at working with developers and quality assurance teams.

In the example, the applicant effectively summarizes their years of experience and areas of expertise while emphasizing job-specific skills, such as creative thinking and collaboration. In two short sentences, they list their key strengths and showcase their technical knowledge, including software systems, interfaces, and quality assurance.

Add hard numbers to your achievements

When hiring for a technical writer, employers prioritize the quality and clarity of your work. But in order to determine whether you’re a great fit, a hiring manager will also focus on other key metrics such as your productivity, efficiency, and ability to enhance end-user experiences.

To assure them you’re capable of delivering results, focus on your accomplishments in your resume bullet points and use real numbers to show them what you can achieve.

Here are a few examples of how to use hard numbers in your technical writer resume:

•  Increased end-user satisfaction by 15% and received positive feedback for quality documentation, clarity, and work process

•  Composed 90,000+ words of end-user documentation for multiple technical products, such as employee management, electronic registration, and analytical systems

•  Collaborated with 15+ subject matter experts to develop knowledge and understanding of product operations and best practices