Technical writing is a process by which technical information is presented through written documents that is ‘user friendly’. The scope of technical documentation is vast and includes everything from business email to business reports, through the help of a user guide. Most people read the documented manuals only when other sources of help do not work. This may be the reason that some of the documentation are poorly prepared.

Software companies are of the opinion that their software is user friendly that calls no need for any manual documentation. However, creating technical documentation is less expensive compared to technical support.

As we begin, it is good to know that the preparation of an effective technical document is not an easy job, it requires planning with proper execution. The following are some steps to follow in order to create an effective documentation:

Step 1:

The first step is to identify the purpose of creating the documentation and the audience for whom it is being prepared. You must be clear in your objective behind creating the documentation and the person or persons who is going to rely on it. Your documentation will be different if a general car mechanic is going to be the audience rather than an software engineer.

Step 2:

Collect information. The person who is responsible for creating the documentation is generally a writer and not an expert in that field. It is necessary to collect all the types of information and facts about the subject to document it. Gathering information means conducting your own research, having a word with an expert, and experimenting with the product.

Step 3:

Organize the information and create an outline. To help you start, you can use an existing document. Consider using a predefined template. Fill in the information as you need and leave the other areas blank as you move forward. Continue to jot down the related topics which allow you to go back in fill in the blanks as you go and lets you compare to the current information you have. This will help you keep a track of all the topics that are covered and even those that are yet to be covered.

Step 4:

After your outline is complete, start preparing a draft. While creating the draft, start filling in the blanks and any other information that needs to be filled. While preparing the draft, it is recommended to allow your ideas to flow freely. You must avoid interrupting or attempting to manipulate the ideas that are flowing or to revise any fact provided.

Step 5:

After you have completed the first draft, take a rest. Allow your mind to relax for a short period of time and then give the draft a glance with a fresh mind. Advisably, pay more attention to things that are important. You may shorten or extend various sections of the draft. You may also rearrange the sentences, paragraphs or even an entire topic if you feel that something is not right in the logical flow of ideas. You may also try to improve your grammar, word usage, or even the styling of the document.

The role of a technical writer is a important. To execute your role in a competent manner, you must be both knowledgeable and skilled in your area of expertise. As a good writer it is important to be aware of the rules of writing, the subject, and the optimum usage of writing tools. Being knowledgeable and skilled are aspects that is beneficial to posses.

Having knowledge means that you are familiar about various writing techniques, about the subject, and the different writing tools. You may have gained this knowledge in your schooling and most of it comes through experience.

If you are skilled, then it means that you can write effectively and use the writing tools to good effect. In other words, skill is your application of your knowledge.

We can understand that it is important to have the knowledge about writing skills in order to deliver the writing project on a successful note. This increases your overall confidence which is important to perform any kind of job. This way, you give more value to your employer and increase your chances of receiving a raise and a promotion.

To gain knowledge in technical writing, it is important to observe, read, and study. It is an established fact that good writers are good readers. There are many books available today that teach good practices for technical writing. There are books available even for learning the use of software programs used for technical writing. With the advent of the Internet, it is not difficult to find the study material on any subject. You can search for study material over the Internet or you can also try out some books in the library closest to you.

In addition to books, you can attend classes or seminars for the same topic. Seminars can be beneficial and you can learn from them.

It’s a jungle out there with number of job seekers applying for the limited number of jobs. Competition is fierce and many people are looking for a job. Each day thousands of job seekers submit their resumes that find its way to the shredder. The vacancies are not filled because most of the deserving people do not reach the interview stage. Often, the reason for this is the mediocre resume that reaches the hiring desk, a resume is frequently the basis of first impression.

Importance of a Resume

The importance of a well written, concise and relevant resume cannot be taken for granted. Time is money, a hiring manager will only have enough time to glance at a resume. If the resume presented is enough to make an impression, the job seeker might get a call for an interview. The job seeker might possess the required skills for the job but if his resume isn’t impressive enough, that reduces the chance of being called. A resume is like an advertisement of the person applying for the job.

To understand the importance of a resume, one has to get into the shoes of a manager that has been assigned the task of recruiting. They know that many applicants will be vying for a single vacancy. It is not possible to meet them individually, interview all of them, conduct background checks on each, or call previous employers. Resources and time constraints make this impossible. The recruiter devises a system to go through the applicants. This is where a resume plays an important role. A poorly written resume with many errors whether will likely find its way to the trash bin. Those that survive have crossed the initial hurdle. The few that remain are thoroughly checked for experience, qualification, work attitude, and accomplishments. These resumes are more likely to get the interview call. This is just one step to getting a job.

It is important that the resume submitted should be made to impress the hiring manager at first glance. The manager may view that the person is responsible enough, at least on paper. With the world getting hooked to the internet, even companies looking to fill up their vacancies accept online resumes. But whether on paper or online, you still need to make a good and professionally written resume.

Resume writing

A great resume is the first step towards getting a job. There are a few things that are essential for any resume and must always be included. The first of these is the contact information which includes your name, address, phone number and email address. Having this information in your resume gives the recruiter a way to contact you and an idea of your organizing ability. Here are some guidelines to be aware of. These are as follows:

1. Qualifications: If a company advertises for an opening that requires someone who has a degree in engineering, ten years of experience and the knowledge of certain software tools, then these are the things a hiring manager would be looking for in a resume. A brief description of the qualifications must be mentioned right at the beginning of the resume. Any other qualifications that might add weight to the resume, can be added.

2. Experience: The next thing that a recruiter looks for is the experience of the applicant. Work experience should be included when submitting a resume. This section can include major accomplishments received from previous jobs. These accomplishments could be related to giving a consistent performance with regard to increasing sales, reducing expenses or even providing outstanding service. The accolades may not be related to the industry being applied, but it presents a valuable impression in the mind of the recruiter.

3. Education: Another essential element of any resume is the educational background. This section contains the schooling background of the candidate. Any other additional courses done with the basic education should also be mentioned here.

Layout of a resume

As mentioned before, the importance of a resume cannot be taken for granted. It is the first opportunity of any candidate to make a first impression. Caution needs to be exercised when you write a good and professional looking resume. There are certain guidelines that can be followed while writing a resume. These guidelines are as follows:

Style of writing

1. The objective: It is important to state your objective statement in the resume. This objective defines the work perspective of the applicant and also portrays his mindset. The objective statement however should not be too elaborate.

2. Quality writing: Good quality writing is essential to make an impression. A candidate might be qualified for the job, but an irrelevant and improperly written resume can ruin his chances of being selected for the interview. Moreover, the resume should not be ambiguous and disoriented.

3. Check for errors: Grammatical or spelling mistakes are a doom for the candidate as this shows his callousness. It is very important to double or even triple check the resume to weed out any such errors.

4. Appropriate categories: One should remember that the manager just has seconds to glance over the resumes. If there is information that attracts the recruiter will move forward to reading the rest of your resume. Specific skills should be placed under appropriate categories and at the appropriate place. Skills and experience should be placed higher on another page.

5. Reverse order: The information presented in a resume should ideally be made in the reverse chronological order starting with the most recent one.

Format of the resume

1. Consistency: It is important to maintain consistency in your writing style and the formatting style throughout the resume.

2. Job titles and skill headings: The skill headings and the job titles should coincide with the job being applied for. This is because quick judgments are made when the resumes. Unrelated skills or job titles create the impression that the applicant is not qualified.

3. Design and appearance: A professional looking resume is concise and provides the relevant information omitting unnecessary information. The design and appearance of the resume does matter, more important is the content.

4. Appropriate formatting: To highlight the credentials bullets can be used. It is prudent to stick to one or two pages of resume. It should be reader friendly.

Content

As mentioned content is what actually matters. This ensures that whatever information has been provided in the resume is accurate and honest. There should be a mention of any personality traits that the candidate possesses such as leadership, independence, confidence and inter personal communication skills etc. One should always avoid writing irrelevant information as this could irk the manager. It is not prudent to list any references on the resume. One should make them available on request. This is precisely due to two reasons, the first being the time needed to inform the person that he has been named as a reference and he might get a call from the office. Secondly the applicant can ensure whether the reference is still contactable or not.

Final edit

When all things seem in place, there is the need to do a final proof reading. For this the applicant can take the help of someone as another person can find out mistakes much faster than oneself.

A resume is not just one’s qualification or experience on paper. It is also his only opportunity to make a first impression. A good resume may be the one thing that determines success in getting a job. Today, with the internet seeking an entry in a variety of industries, writing a professional looking resume has become quite easy with the guidance that is available on the internet. The use of other resources is available. The making of a concise and professional resume has become easy. Many firms provide resume writing services. Therefore professional help can be taken to create a good and impressive resume.

If you are hunting for a new job you may have a good resume prepared. You have a list of good companies you have targeted to submit them to. However, the question remains to be answered is that how will you make a notable impression while introducing yourself to the employer?

Many people think that a cover letter is not required, while others are confused about what should be included in the cover letter. If you have doubts regarding the cover letter then the following article will help you clear those doubts and help you write a great cover letter giving you that an edge!

Is a cover letter required to go along with the resume? The answer is ‘YES’. Whether you are applying for a job by yourself or through a recruiter, the cover letter is one of the most essential prerequisites for a job application. In most cases, big companies recruit people in the hundreds every few months and they have to go through thousands of applications and resumes. Also, there will be openings for different positions. So, it is important to mention the position that you are applying for. This can be achieved through a ‘Cover Letter’.

A ‘Cover Letter’ can be described as a statement of purpose. One objective of the cover letter is to highlight your strengths that are described in your resume.

What does the job require? In addition to your specialized qualifications and skills, your work experience in different environments, coordination with different teams, and your experience in handling critical are qualities you ought to mention. All these capabilities can be mentioned in your cover letter. Your resume will list your educational background and your experience. Why you are successful in your given filled is presented through your cover letter. For example, you have mentioned about handling the sales teams across the Asian subcontinent in your cover letter, then the recruiter will automatically search for that experience in your resume and spend more time reading it keenly. Thus you can describe your important role more briefly in your cover letter.

Recognize your prospective employer. This is one aspect which is important that most people are unaware of it. Individuals tend to focus too much on themselves. A recruiter is going to hire not because you posses specific qualities, they also look for character. One manner to exhibit that is to focus on the requirements of the employer. A good rule of thumb is to acknowledge them in your resume. Using‘You’ means to recognize the requirements of the employer and then moving gradually to ‘I’.

Mention their requirements, and describe your strengths and experience relevant to the position they are looking for. Let them know that you see yourself as a part of their team. You must describe that the combination of their company and your skills can bring great success to the company. You can stress on how your skills can bring change or improvement in their process and products. You must describe in brief your skills and experience combined with the company’s resources can bring out a turnaround or benefit them. Remember to do a thorough research about the company, their operations, their main line of business and the role you will be playing in their company.

Who is the cover letter addressed to? Whenever you write a cover letter, it should be addressed to a specific individual. In case you don’t know the person, make time to find out to address it to the correct person. Ensure that the name of the concerned person is spelled correctly and his designation is mentioned appropriately.

Does it match your resume? This information may be in your resume, the cover letter highlights important achievements or skills you possess. The other benefit of the cover letter is it provides personal insight about your competency and personality.

Can I use the same cover letter again for another company? This may take you less time and effort, but it is certainly not the right thing to do. As mentioned above, the fact that you posses some skills is not the only thing, but they should also match with the requirements of the company. So, it is recommended to highlight those skills which are relevant to the company you applying with and modify your cover letter accordingly. It should not take a lot of time tailoring your cover letter correctly. A well written cover letter shows your discipline and genuine interest in being associated with the company.

How to conclude? A cover letter is a call to action, whether from your side or theirs. For example, you can write that you would be looking forward to their positive response or you may also ask them for a reply over the phone. However, you may write anything that you may like, but don’t forget this part of the letter.

REVIEW You have to go through the entire letter once again. There should be no room for error in your resume, it should be the same with your cover letter. You may ask someone else to take a read through the entire letter, and a spell check is a must is recommended.

Email Cover Letters: Though you have to include all the above points, but in such a way that it remains short. All the highlights and key points of your skills must be completed in 2 to 3 sentences. But you must always make sure that you are writing the cover letter in the context of the job opening. Don’t be too creative with the font size and font style. Just keep the font size simply to 10 and the font style as ‘Arial’.

You may break the content in 2 or 3 paragraphs depending upon the content. In an email cover letter, the subject line becomes very important. So, try to write a good subject line which highlights your profile and makes it very clear about the position that you are applying for. If you can keep the subject line short and simple, that will be an added advantage.

Maintaining a certain image: Although it is important to highlight your abilities and showcase your skills, but at the same time it is also very important that the letter depicts your personality. Don’t try to sound more aggressive of a person if you are more of a simple and soft natured. Also make sure that you are not sounding like a salesman who is desperate to sell his wares. Be enthusiastic but don’t over do it!

Just remember, if your cover letter is not up to the mark then there are more chances that the recruiter may not open the much important attachment, i.e. your resume. This means you may not even get a chance to demonstrate your skills to the recruiter even though you are fit for the opening. If you don’t include a cover letter in the first place itself, then the chances of not opening the attachment increases further. The cover letter has one added benefit.

If by the time your resume reached the recruiter, they had already short listed someone else, then while sending the reply “Thank you for the interest but the vacancy is filled”, your application will get saved in their minds and your resume in their database and they will surely consider your resume in the future openings of the company. This gives you an extra chance that you will need while searching for a new job in the future.

A business letter is an effective and official way of communication between two institutions, people, corporations, people, or persons. Business letters are different from personal letters because they are written within a set of rules and guidelines that have to be followed very strictly.

People panic with the prospect of writing a letter adhering to set guidelines, but to write business letters is not that hard and there is no reason to fear.

Before you start writing a business letter, ask these questions:

1. What is your purpose of writing a business letter?
2. What does the reader want and how will they understand the message you want to convey?
3. Have you answered all the important questions and the needed information has been provided to the reader?
4. Has your purpose been accomplished?
5. Have you included distracting, boring, or confusing information?
6. How do you want your reader to react to your letter?
7. Has your message been clearly conveyed?
8. Have you provided the reader with all the important information to take the necessary action?

The main purpose of a business letter is formally communicating within your company or with another company. The main purpose of business letters is to convey to the people information that you want them to know and if possible persuade them to act in a given manner.

The Important 7 C’s

The main problem with most business letters is that either they are difficult to understand or are drawn out and too long. There is one solution to this problem that many writers follow. They double check the document and its contents to ensure that it is written according to the golden rule of 7 C’s:

• Clear
• Correct
• Concise
• Conversational
• Convincing
• Courteous
• Complete

If you follow these 7 guidelines of business letter writing, then it will help convey your message.

Be Direct
The first thing you must keep in your mind while writing a business letter, is to ensure that the time of the reader is not wasted because of a long letter. Keep in mind the following two questions to ensure yourself this, ‘why are you writing’ and ‘what do you want to accomplish’. The answer to these questions will enable you to write the letter in a straightforward manner. If you take these two questions under consideration before you start writing, your letter will be short and will convey your message to the reader in a better way.

Types of Business Letters
Business letters vary with one common purpose or a common format. People handle different types of businesses, so business letters are written in different ways to achieve different purposes. The answer to coming up with an efficient letter is to be aware of the type of business letter you wish to write. The various types of business letters are adjustment, complaint, order, acknowledgement, and response and inquiry letter.

Adjustment Letter:The adjustment letter is a letter that is to be written as a reply to a complaint letter against something or someone. It serves the purpose of informing its reader that suitable measures are being implemented against the previously specified wrong doing. Besides this, the adjustment letter also operates as an official document to acknowledge the complaint.

Complaint Letter: This letter is quite similar to the adjustment letter. The only difference is that it is not essentially written in response to a wrong doing. Its purpose is to notify its reader about some error that had been detected and requires immediate attention and correction. This letter too acts as an official document informing its reader that actions are being taken to solve the problem.

Order Letter: As the name suggests, an order letter is written for ordering materials that are in short supply and hence, will be required soon. Order letters are commonly also known as POs (Purchase Orders). Once again, this is an official document specifying the transaction between the vendor and the business organization.

Acknowledgement Letter: Main aim of an acknowledgement letter is to show gratitude to its reader for something s/he had done for you in office. It could be simply expressing your thankfulness with respect to some help that had been rendered by its reader or with regards to something you had received from the reader. Although acknowledge letters are not mandatory in a business setting, they are appreciated.

Response Letter: Again, the name ‘Response letter’ is quite self-explanatory. This letter is written as a reply to some other letter that was received by the person. The main idea of writing such a letter is to perform adequate actions in response to a favor that was asked for by the person receiving the letter.

Inquiry Letter: This is a letter written with the objective of conveying a certain request to its reader or as a reply to the request made by its reader in his/her initial letter. Thus, the main purpose of inquiry letters is to get across your request for a certain material or object to the reader.

Business Letter Writing Checklist
Once the business letter you are writing is over, check it with the checklist to ensure that your letter has accomplished the rules set in the checklist. The main fundamental use of the checklist is to ensure that the business letter is: simple, strong, sincere and the most important rule ‘short’. After finishing the letter if you find out that your business letter is at par to all such qualities then congratulate your self for having accomplished just the ideal business letter.

Whether you are a writer, or a manager in a business, one question hovers often, “Have I presented my question clearly”? If you want to be a good writer, learning to communicate effectively is a place to start. If you want to be in a manager’s shoes then nothing in this world will be more important for you than being properly understood and being informed.

So, what is the secret of writing effective letters, emails, proposals and reports? The four Cs will do all the explanation for you. They are:

Be clear, considerate, concise and correct.

Whether you are in the process of writing a 1-2 line email or a big 10 page report, understand the readers’ needs and follow the four Cs. These four Cs will never let you down and you will find that you are able to send your message in a very appropriate manner.

A message that is easy to comprehend is informative. ‘Easy’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘readable’. It doesn’t necessarily mean that it is easy to read. For the past some years there has been much discussion about readability. All these discussions have stressed simple solutions to solve common problems faced in writing. This includes the use of simple and everyday words, brief paragraphs and short sentences, and avoiding usage of foreign expressions.

Using these techniques may appear simple but cannot be considered to be the solution to all the problems faced while writing. The intent of this article is to help you write clearly and concisely. It can be applied to a variety of situations that include: Memo’s, Reporting, Reprimands, and many other business correspondences. Informative writing can be done in a better way if words are selected with proper attention Focus should be given to the formation of sentences, and that ideas and thoughts are presented in a logical manner.

Denotation and connotation are the two ways of giving meaning to any word. Denotation is the idea or the meaning which is conveyed by the word when it is used in day-to-day language. Connotation means the thought (whether emotional or personal) that is assigned to that word. For example; the word “Democracy” denotes a type of government. On the other hand, injury connotes pain.

If we want to communicate effectively, speaking or writing, we run the risk of being misunderstood. We often assume that we know the meaning of the words that are most commonly used (denotative characteristics). But you will be surprised to know that though it may seem to be a simple task but it is not always the case. A writer should know the uniqueness of the word whenever he chooses that word when you communicate. The words must be selected very wisely and this fact has been accepted since biblical times. A short sentence with appropriate words is considered to be the best sentence.

Steps to be followed for Developing Effective Business Writing Skills:
Effective writing may seem to be a very simple and effortless task but actually it involves a lot of preparation, analysis, selection and a good organization of ideas. It is very important to follow this process as this forms the very foundation for the work that will follow. Arrange all the ideas in your thoughts in the very beginning itself. After this, try to implement the following six steps while preparing a business report, a staff paper, or an article for a publication.

1. Establish the basic objective of message:
Before starting, just divide the objectives into general and specific (special) purposes. The general or basic purpose may include informing, question, direct or persuading. If you are unable to define the purpose clearly then it will be very difficult to deliver the message clearly to the intended recipient. You must always keep in mind about the person/s that is going to read, understand or possibly answer the message.

2. Collect all the information and facts that are required:
Always collect all the possible information and facts ready at your disposal. Make sure that the information is up-to-date and correct in every sense. Make recommendations or conclusions in a line with these facts.

3. Organize and separate the matter into main topics:
Always arrange the entire matter or material into various important heads and arrange them sequentially and in a logical chain. Understand carefully the logic exhibited by the outline. Always keep a check that the topics that are related to each other are grouped logically and sequentially. Consider the outline very carefully and alter it to simple or reduced or extended as the situation demands.

4. Prepare a draft of the message in conversational style:
In the beginning, prepare a draft of the matter. While preparing the draft, always try to use a conversational format. Making it a good conversational letter will help you improve it. Keep focus on one point of the message at a time. Don’t try to improve the draft while preparing it. After preparing the draft, keep it aside for some time. Then go through the entire draft with fresh mind and critically. Reason yourself to check whether you have been logical and objective in your understanding. Are there any fall outs in your interpretation? Have you put across your ideas precisely? Is the material enough to satisfy the informational needs of the concerned receiver? Do the ideas flow systematically- in a logical and clear format? Can there be any other meaning derived from the words that have been used?

5. Consider the concerned receiver:
Always ask yourself whether you have kept the background of the receiver in mind. Will he be able to understand the message as you would like him to? Is your message complete in all sense?

Evaluate the text for the practices that are commonly accepted such as capitalizing, punctuating, numbering, and abbreviating. The most important is the words you have chosen are right or not.