Do you want to find your first technical writing job but have no idea where to begin? Having a good portfolio can be the key!! Your portfolio is your own portfolio like a portfolio of products – it demonstrates what you can do and how effectively you can do it.
This is a step-by-step guide to help you create a striking technical writing portfolio that can get you the job.
Why Do You Need a Technical Writing Portfolio?
Picture this, going for an interview and wanting a job but there is no way of proving it. Portfolio is a way to provide the real examples of your writing skills. Employers will want to know if you are capable of putting complex things into simple words and your portfolio does that.
- A strong portfolio helps you:
- Show off your writing skills.
- Use it to prove that you are aware of technical matters.
- Make yourself different from other job seekers.
So, how does one begin to develop one? Let’s dive in!
What Should You Include in Your Portfolio?
It’s equally important to select the right projects to work on. It is recommended that you submit a set of writing examples that show your writing ability. Some great examples are:
- User Guides & Manuals: A set of procedures that help the user accomplish a specific task with the help of software or tools.
- How-To Articles: A guidance that assists people in grasping technical concepts.
- API Documentation: If you are good with code, then explaining about APIs is a good skill.
- Knowledge Base Articles: Frequently asked questions about a product or service.
- Case Studies or Reports: Prove your research skills and the ability to describe the results.
You do not need to be employed to come up with these projects at all. Choose a widely used piece of software and create an end user’s guide for it, or explain how a website is to be made.
How to Create High-Quality Content
Having an idea of what to include is one thing: how can you ensure your work is unique? The three rules for good technical writing are to be clear, concise, and correct.
Here are a few tips to improve your content:
- Be Clear: To make the language understandable, it is better not to use terminologies as much as possible.
- Keep It Short: Don’t include any extra information—be concise.
- Check Grammar: Some of the common mistakes can be easily corrected by using an application such as Grammarly or Hemingway.
- Format Properly: Ensure you use headings, bullet points and images to make it easy to read through the content you are providing.
This kind of writing practice is that will help you produce better and better work until it is just right!
Where to Showcase Your Portfolio
Once you have a couple of good pieces of writing, it is time to display them! There are many ways to create an online portfolio:
- Personal Website: Choose Wix or WordPress and other similar services to create your own website.
- LinkedIn: It is also possible to add your work as “Featured” in your profile.
- GitHub: If you have technical documentation, that is the best place to put it on GitHub.
It is important that your portfolio is simple to use and appears to be polished. This being said, a simple and clear design will always make a good first impression.
Adding Testimonials and Certifications
Looking for a way to build up your portfolio even more? You should also provide recommendations from other people, such as teachers, clients, or even your mentors. It can give sanity to your skills.
You should also list certifications from courses you’ve completed, such as:
- Google Technical Writing Course
- Udemy or Coursera certifications
- Any software documentation training
This proves to the employers that you have a passion for learning and enhancing your skills.
Keep Your Portfolio Updated
Creating a portfolio is not a one-off process. It is recommended that you keep on adding new projects as you gain experience. Always find out what is new in technical writing and try to do better every time.
Note that the more recent the portfolio, the higher the chances of getting a job!
Conclusion
Developing a stellar technical writing portfolio is not easy but it is necessary. Thus, the readers will see only your best works, keep the portfolio free from mistakes, and update it with new samples as often as possible, thus increasing the chances of getting the first job as a technical writer.
So what are you waiting for? Don’t wait, and start building your portfolio right now to kick-start your dream career!
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