Advice for new technical writers

It's spring, and that's graduation season! A few weeks ago, we asked our community for their advice for new graduates as they look for their first job. Here's what you had to say:

Ashley O'Brien says to keep your options open:

Knowledge management is so big! As tech communicators we're experts at writing for the web, interviewing subject matter experts, and defining the needs of our audience. Feel confident applying for roles that mention instructional design or content strategy and seek out those folks for informational interviews.

Robin Bland recommends demonstrating your experience:

The best way to show you're ready for a technical writing gig is to demonstrate your experience. Start a blog. Write an article. Write several articles. The first thing they'll do when you apply for a job is look at what you've written, so they can see if you're ready.

Teegan also suggests writing samples:

I can't emphasize enough that we want to know how you write. Link to that in your resume. Have something to show in an interview.

Ryan Brosas keeps it simple:

Focus on clear, simple explanations.

Brenda C. says to learn new tools:

A lot of the graduates we interview know about writing, but they don't know the tools we use. You'll get ahead if you learn the tools used in your industry. Oxygen is a good start.

Jim Hall suggests an internship:

If you are still a student, look for an internship where you can gain experience in technical writing or editing. For example, you might format articles into a book or you might edit an article.

You can also get experience by writing for an "open community" website like Technically We Write, or Both.org, or All Things Open, or anywhere else. Or volunteer to edit or write documentation for an open source project—most projects would be happy to have someone help update the documentation. Anything you can do while you're still a student will give you experience that you'll need for a job search.