Demand For Technical Writing: Top 10 Jobs That You Can Take Up
No matter what industry it is, there will always be a demand for technical writing. Communication is the most important factor- whether it is between employees, shareholders, and business partners. However, the issue is that not everyone will understand the information you are providing. This is the reason why you need good technical writers. These writers will help you to simplify all the complex information so that most people can easily understand it. Also, just because the name is the technical writer does not mean they only work in the technology industry. You will find them everywhere as written communication is growing day by day.
Is the demand for technical writing growing?
Communication is the key in every industry. Thus there will be a need for communication between business partners, employees, etc. The technical writer’s job is to share the information in simple words, which can be understood by everyone. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, it is believed that demand for technical writing will grow by 10-11 percent by 2026.
You may want to read this article about How to Become a Technical Writer?
What is the reason behind this fast-growing industry?
The world is changing every day, constantly new technologies and machinery are invented and thus our work routine and daily life changes as well due to this. For example, when 1st Gen computers were invented people used them differently, and as technology advances, people operate PCs differently now. Moreover, it is reported that in the year 2016, most of the technical writers works in computers and related industries.
However, it is not only for the computer industry, but also, medical industries, financial industries, and web-based industries have been grown immensely in the past few years.
If there is a development or invention in technology or products of any type, there will always be a need for technical writers who will convey the information to the public.
Have a look at the Top 10 Technical Writing Courses in India
Career for Technical Writers in India
The demand for technological solutions such as Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence is growing day by day in India. Also, the related industry to this are the fields like the academy, advertising, telecommunications consulting is growing.
Since technology will grow more and more in the future, the demand for technical writing will grow as well. Technical writers have been in demand in India for fast 3-4 years, and in the next 10 years, it will become one of the mainstream industries. Hence technical writing is a great career option in the future.
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How to start as a Professional Technical Writer
Define your niche
To create more demand for technical writing you need to find your niche and also have basic experience in writing. The more content you provide for your niche, there will be a better chance for brands to hire you. Moreover, most of the recruiters hire someone because of their specialty.
Create a portfolio
Having a portfolio is the most important thing when you are a technical writer. It will help the recruiters know how much potential you have as a writer. Hence, writing samples will boost your chance to get a job. There is a lot of free publishing site where you can write.
Learn the Fundamentals of Technical Writing
Improve the writing skills
Only writing won’t be the only thing that will get you a job. You need to improve your skills and have to create engaging content. However, the only way you can do it is by writing articles every day or at least 4 times a week.
The more you will write and publish these articles, the faster your skills will enhance. Once you improve your skills, then you need to focus on enhancing your editing skills as well.
Importance of templates
People who are technical writers always have templates so that they can keep track of their schedule and also helps to write faster. Moreover, it will help you to be more consistent with your writing structure which will help the brand.
Check out Technical Communication: A New Throb in Writing Domain
Focus on the reader
When you are writing something, make sure that the public wants to know it. Always write thinking about the customers. Moreover, do not deviate from the brand’s story.
Cut out jargon
Your articles should be to the point and brief. The best way to do this is to remove all the idioms from the sentences and give straightforward answers as it will help the audience more.
Also, check out the Technical Documentation Course
Importance of SEO
Every brand wants their website to rank on top on Google as it will give them the most organic traffic. However, it is not possible without SEO techniques. Hence, you need to have excellent knowledge about SEO and how it works.
Learn about the Career Growth in Technical Writing
Use Active Voice
Try to use as much active voice as you can as it is easier to understand than passive voice. Active voice means subject + verb + object. An example of active and passive voice is:
Passive Voice: This movie is directed by Miss. Shetal Roy.
Active Voice: Miss. Shetal Roy directed this movie.
As you can see, active voice is more direct and crisper than passive voice.
Structure of the Sentence
Whenever you are writing something, make sure the vital data is always on top so that it can grab the audience’s attention. Even on sentences, try to make an important part in the front. An example: Scientists had some concerns, but the project was successful.
Improved sentence: The project was successful even though scientists had some concerns in the beginning.
Visually Pleasing
Make your article pleasing to the eyes, as reading a long paragraph can be really boring, and people might not even find the information they are looking for. Add headings, sub-headings, bullets, numbers, etc to make it easier to read. Also, add images and videos as they will help the audience more to understand the document.
Jobs that demand for technical writing
You already know why technical writers are so much in demand right now, and they will keep growing. Here are 10 writing jobs or gigs that you can do at home to make money.
#1 Case Studies
This is mainly the content that you will provide to the customers, which will build trust between the company and the product or service. Furthermore, a case study writer will recognize the problems and then give out various options to fix them.
But the writer will also highlight the best solution for every issue. Also, experts back case studies with important information, like what happened before and after the issue was fixed. Evidently, this shows the authenticity of the brand.
If you want to be an expert in case study writing, then you need to read a lot of these thoroughly. Take notes and write them down. Moreover, try to solve every challenge with 3 – 4 solutions on your own. Now out of these 3 – 4 solutions, choose the best one and then provide proof to back it up.
#2 White Paper Job
Another demand for technical writing is the white paper job which is quite similar to the case study. Here you need to write powerful documents on a specific matter that will help the readers. Moreover, you need to do thorough research to make a good white paper article.
You need to do very deep research and also understand how to solve the specific problem with the best solution that will provide knowledge of the problem to the customers and how they can fix it.
Moreover, in simple words, white papers will suggest the best answer for solving an issue. This strategy makes a business more trustable to its customers and potential buyers in the future.
#3 UX Writer
In today’s world, the best way to connect to customers is by online media. This is why all organizations try to create an encouraging and positive experience for the customers. Experts said most organizations make a lot of profit is because they give a lot of importance to the UX.
Thus, it proves that having a good UX will benefit the business in the long run. This is the reason companies are now making user-friendly websites. Once a website is user-friendly, it will gain more revenue very quickly.
Furthermore, UX writers are selected on how well they can write an article that has an understanding between the consumers and the companies. In simple terms, it helps to close the gap between the public and the brand’s product.
In addition, the UX writer should know how to make engaging content on every platform and should have deep knowledge about the target audience.
Not only do you need to do thorough researches on the brand’s target audience but also create excellent copies for apps, websites, products, and many more. The material of the content should help the consumers and also potential buyers.
#4 Game Rule Writer
In recent years, the gaming industry which consists of board and video games is growing rapidly and that’s why there is a demand for technical writing.
However, to maintain fairness in the games, some rules are needed to be followed, one of them being the writers should write the game rules. Moreover, there is also a lot of regulations that all the competitors need to follow.
The rules stated what should be followed and what is not allowed in the matches. Hence, if you have a lot of knowledge about games, you can write detailed guidelines of the games and has in-depth knowledge of how to play them it then you should consider game rule writing jobs.
#5 Report Writing Job
Report writers will write formal and detailed documents that will explain an event by observing and inquiring about it. Moreover, it has a lot of different branches such as:
- News report writer
- Academic report writer
- Business report writer
Like every other writing job, even report writing needs to be understood because you need to convey all the information and data from analysis and researches.
#6 Review Writer
It is a type of writing where you will write about your thoughts about a particular product. Most of the time review writers will focus on both the pros and cons of the product or service or brand.
There are a lot of different parts of review writer such as:
- Book reviews
- One product review
- Versus review
- Movie review
- Consumer guide review
- App review and many more.
Furthermore, the writers will make reviews that will help the audience if they want to buy that particular product or service. Review writers are in demand as 98% of people do read reviews online before they buy something. Almost 65% of people have said they read reviews about the company before they apply there.
Furthermore, almost 90% of customers have said online reviews do have an influence on them when they are buying something online. 90% of people between the age of 18 to 35 see the online review as a personal suggestion.
Hence, there is a huge demand for technical writing in this niche.
#7 Technical Content Writing
Due to the globalization of digital marketing, most brands are creating new websites and apps. Since there is a lot of new websites growing every day these brands always are looking for content writers who can make materials that can help the audience and also helps to build the brand.
Hence, your work is to create different types of content that will help the public to understand the brand’s product or service. The articles should be written in a way that will build trust between the brand and its target audience.
#8 Technical Copywriter
Another demand for technical writing is a copywriter. A copywriter’s work is quite the same as that of a technical content writer. However, the difference is copywriter helps gain revenue whereas content writer helps in the marketing department. In simple words, the content writer share information about the brand, and the copywriter helps to sell the brand.
Furthermore, writers have to make promotional content for the brand. Some of the important responsivity of a copywriter is:
- Emails
- Creating things for the landing page
- Website copy
- Billboards
- To know how to craft the web page’s copy
- Marketing content
- Catalogs
- Ad copy
- Brochures
Moreover, brands will ask you to write engaging content that not only promote the brand but also make the audience pay for the brand’s product or services. Sometimes copywriters also create articles that will talk about the brand’s value to the target audience.
#9 Grant Writing
Grant writers generally write proposals so that the organizations can obtain funds. Hence you need to format all the data, write drafts, and make proposals on behalf of the organization.
However, if you are still unsure how grant writing works, then there are a lot of free samples available on the internet. Study some templates and samples and upskill yourself.
Skills that a grant writer must have included:
- Excellent communication skills mean both hard skills and soft skills.
- Can organize stuff
- Research skill should be top-notch
- Prepare essential documents
#10 Cover Letter and Resume Writer
These are a type of technical writing and that’s why there is a lot of demand for technical writing in this field. Most of these works are from international clients, hence you will also be able to work from home. Knowing the situation right now, this is a great career option.
Furthermore, most people use a cover letter and resume for a lot of different reasons. So, you are going to write compelling articles that will help your client to get a remote job.
Hence, if you are great at writing CVs, cover letters, and resumes, then this is a job for you. A good resume will mention the core knowledge and skills, how much experience your client has, and their education history. To write an excellent CV you need to add all of these and also make sure it is to the point.
FAQ about Technical Writers
Ques 1: Do we need a degree to be a technical writer?
Ans: There is no specific degree that you need to be a technical writer. However, there are various professional courses where you can get a certificate.
Ques 2: Is there a chance that demand for technical writing will increase in the future?
Ans: The world right now depends on digital media the most. Every brand and organizations have their websites where they can promote their products or services. Hence there will always be demand for technical writing, and it will increase every year as new brands are made.
Ques 3: Where can I find jobs as a freelance technical writer?
Ans: There are a lot of websites and apps where you can find a job. Some of the most popular platforms are:
Naukri
Upwork
Freelancer
Ques 4: What is the average salary of a technical writer?
Ans: The average salary for a technical writer is $50,000 per year. However, your degree and experience matter a lot as well.
Ques 5: What type of tools do I need?
Ans: There are 4 types of tools that you need which includes:
Page layout tools
Recording tools
Graphic tools
Authoring tools
Conclusion
There is a lot of demand for technical writing. In the next few years, this field will flourish more. Moreover, learning technical writing is very easy, and you can learn it within few weeks. Furthermore, there are a lot of job opportunities hence getting a job will be a lot easier.
