tech writing brief

8/8/2019 Tech Writing Brief

1/73

A user guide, also commonly known as a manual, is a technical communicationdocument intended to give assistance to people using a particular system. They are

written by a technical writer.

User guides are most commonly associated with electronic goods, computer

hardware and software.

Most user guides contain both a written guide and the associated images. In the case

of computer applications it is usual to include screenshots of how the program should

look, and hardware manuals often include clear, simplified diagrams. The language iswritten to match up with the intended audience with jargon kept to a minimum or

explained thoroughly.

Contents

The usual sections of a user manual often include:

A preface, containing details of related documents and information on how to best

use the user guide

A contents page

A guide on how to use at least the main functions of the system

A troubleshooting section detailing possible errors or problems that may occur alongwith how to fix them

A FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Where to find further help and contact details

A glossary and, for larger documents, an index

Quick Reference Cards

Quick references come in many different shapes and sizes, including sliderules, posters, templates, wallet cards, stickers/magnets,

pamphlets/brochures, reference cards, and small-format booklets. (For moreinformation on these formats, see the sidebar Quick Reference Guide to

Quick Reference Accessibility.

As tools and toys become more hightech, its sometimes important to giveusers just enough information to operate them successfully and safely.

Relevant, brief, and accessible quick references can provide a welcomesolution to this problem.

Like any documentation product, quick references require a thoroughaudience analysis and a good grasp of the information needed to help users

perform tasks safely. Armed with this information and an understanding ofthe keys to crafting a successful quick reference, technical communicators are


2/73

well equipped to deal with the challenges of providing just enoughinformation, at the right time, in just the right way.

What Is A Functional Specification?

Functional specifications (functional specs), in the end, are the blueprint for

how you want a particular web project or application to look and work. Itdetails what the finished product will do, how a user will interact with it, and

what it will look like. By creating a blueprint of the product first, time andproductivity are saved during the development stage because the

programmers can program instead of also working out the logic of the user-experience. It will also enable you to manage the expectations of your clients

or management, as they will know exactly what to expect.

Why write a Functional Spec?

A key benefit of writing up a Functional Spec is in streamlining the

development process. The developer working from the spec has, ideally, all oftheir questions answered about the application and can start building it. And

since this is a spec that was approved by the client, they are building nothingless than what the client is expecting. There should be nothing left to guess orinterpret when the spec is completed...and this, in a nut, explains my love

affair with the Functional Spec.

Why should I consider FrameMaker?Adobe FrameMaker is a rich application with many capabilities. The following

is not a complete list of capabilities, but are some of the key requirementsthat Adobe FrameMaker meets. You might consider unstructured FrameMaker

if:Your primary information delivery format is print or PDF (printed or delivered

online).

You need support for single-source publishing, for multiple related documentsand/or multiple output formats.Your documents include complex tables, graphics, cross-references, and

complex numbering.Your documents tend to be large and are difficult to maintain (due to system

crashes and file corruption) in other authoring applications.You need to create multiple documents with identical formatting (for example,

a documentation set for a complex product).

Why should I consider structured FrameMaker?Structured FrameMaker offers all of the capabilities of unstructured

FrameMaker. In addition, it meets the following additional business

requirements:

You need to create XML but want to work in a familiar authoring environment

without dealing with the minutiae of XML syntax.You need to enforce a consistent structure within and across documents.

You need a guided editing interface to support authors in creating validstructured and/or XML documents.

You need to create valid XML documents because of your publishingrequirements, customer requirements, or content management needs.

You need to publish print or PDF documents from XML source files.


3/73

Conclusion

XML-based publishing can substantially improve an organizations capabilities

for delivering its user assistance in multiple formats to multiple devices, andto manage that content for reuse. Although substantial effort is required for

any XML publishing project, the return on investment can also be substantial.For organizations seeking to create and edit content in XML, structured

FrameMaker is a capable authoring tool, that has the added advantage ofbeing familiar to many technical writers. Structured FrameMakers guided

editing and validating capabilities can even provide benefits to organizationsthat arent immediately migrating to XML, but wish to improve the

consistency between documents in content and structure.

Why DITA? (http://dita.xml.org/why-dita)

For some, perhaps the real question is Why XML? (or What is XML?), but

assuming you have answered those questions (and are using XML), then thenext step is to locate an appropriate data model for your content. This is an

important step because you will spend a lot of time and money developingprocesses and selecting tools to support your chosen data model. XML, by

definition, is extensible and allows you to create any valid structure that suitsyour needs, but before you decide to develop your own, consider the pre-

existing options (see Don't Invent XML Languages for a discussion on why notto develop your own). If you can leverage and build on top of someone else's

work, why not?

DITA is a data model for authoring and publishing topic-based content. It wasdeveloped by IBM for internal use and has since been released to the open-

source community (now under the guidance of OASIS). This architecture anddata model were designed by a cross-company workgroup representing user

assistance teams working throughout IBM. After an initial investigation in late1999, the workgroup developed the architecture collaboratively during 2000

through postings to a database and weekly teleconferences. Since that timeIBM has migrated thousands of pages of content to DITA.

But, why DITA?

Well, assuming your content fits into the topic-based data model, DITA's

increasing popularity means that more and more authoring and publishing

tools will be developed to support that model. The DITA Open Toolkit allowsyou to generate many popular output formats (HTML, HTML Help, PDF, Java

Help, etc.) from DITA-based content. If you develop your own data model,

you'll have to pay to develop those transformations. DITA's modular

architecture, supports efficient reuse of content at the word, phrase or topiclevel. DITA also has the concept of "specialization," which allows you todevelop elements of your own that are based on core DITA elements. This

helps you to customize DITA to support your particular types of content whilecontinuing to take advantage of the base DITA tools and transformations.

Why Author-it?
http://www.google.com/search?q=%22why+XML%22&btnG=Searchhttp://www.tbray.org/ongoing/When/200x/2006/01/08/No-New-XML-Languageshttp://sourceforge.net/projects/dita-ot/http://www.tbray.org/ongoing/When/200x/2006/01/08/No-New-XML-Languageshttp://sourceforge.net/projects/dita-ot/http://www.google.com/search?q=%22why+XML%22&btnG=Search


4/73

Complete - Author-it is a complete end-to-end solution for authoring,

managing, localizing, and publishing content to multiple outputsTrue Single Sourcing - one source for all content, allows reuse of any

componentProven - Author-it is already implemented in thousands of sites, including

many Fortune 100 organizations, in over 50 countriesCollaborative - allows authors and other contributors work together as a team

Dependable - Author-it is built on reliable, scalable, open technologies, likeXML, .Net, and relational databases

Achievable - Author-it ships enterprise-ready; Author-it is built from thebottom up to be scalable.

A Content ManagementSystem (CMS) is a software system used forcontent management. Content management systems are deployed primarilyfor interactive use by a potentially large number of contributors. For example,

the software for the website Wikipedia is based on a wiki, which is a particular

type of content management system. For the purposes of this page, ContentManagement means Web Content Management. Other related forms of

content management are listed below.

The content managed includes computer files, image media, audio files,

electronic documents and web content. The idea behind a CMS is to makethese files available inter-office, as well as over the web. A Content

Management System would most often be used as archival as well. Manycompanies use a CMS to store files in a non-proprietary form. Companies use

a CMS to share files with ease, as most systems use server based software,even further broadening file availability. As shown below, many Content

Management Systems include a feature for Web Content, and some have afeature for a "workflow process."

"Work flow" is the idea of moving an electronic document along for eitherapproval, or for adding content. Some Content Management Systems willeasily facilitate this process with email notification, and automated routing.

This is ideally a collaborative creation of documents. A CMS facilitates theorganization, control, and publication of a large body of documents and other

content, such as images and multimedia resources.

A web content management system is a content management system withadditional features to ease the tasks required to publish web content to web

sites.

List of CMS

Fedora (Supported Databases MySQL or Oracle)

Joomla! (Supported Databases MySQL)Documentum (Supported Databases Microsoft SQL server , IBM, DB2)

Today's content management systems are elaborate software/database

applications designed to store and process large amounts of complexinformation.

Any application which manages information could technically be considered a

CMS, such as Help Desk software, Address/contact management systems,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_systemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Content_managementhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipediahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_filehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_filehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_documenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_contenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workflowhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collaborative_creationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multimediahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_contenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_sitehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_sitehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_systemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Content_managementhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipediahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_filehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_filehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_documenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_contenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workflowhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collaborative_creationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multimediahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_contenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_sitehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_site


5/73

web blogs, etc. However, a classic content management system isgenerally regarded as a framework of tools that are less application ordata-specific.

A Help authoring tool or HAT is a software program used by technicalwriters to create online Help.

Some common Help authoring tools include:Doc-To-Help: An authoring tool based on Microsoft Word.Adobe FrameMaker: The most common tool for large technical documents.Requires other tools to convert content to online Help.

Microsoft HTML Help SDK: A collection of tools for creating files inMicrosoft's HTML Help format.Macromedia RoboHelp: A specialized tool for creating online help.Microsoft Word: Widely used for technical writing despite its limitations.Requires other tools to convert content to online Help.Epic Editor: An XML-based authoring tool.Microsoft Visio: Software for creating diagrams.Webworks Publisher: Converts documents in various formats to otherformats, primarily HTML.

AuthorIT: A collaborative authoring tool used for single-source contentmanagement.Republicorp XDK: An XML, HTML, and Help toolkit based on Microsoft Word.

Technical Writing Process

Know your audience

Who is the reader?How much information does the reader need?

What is the readers present knowledge base?What will the reader do with the information?

What are readers sensitivities?

What are the readers biases?How much time does the reader have to read?

Gather InformationKey to gathering information

Interviewing skillsReading skills

Networking skillsInterpersonal relations

Brainstorm InformationGather as much information as possible

Keep a free mind and do not monitor the order of your thoughts.

Let thoughts flow. Jot them down or type them in the order as they come.

Accepts words, phrases or complete thoughts.Do not attempt to group or arrange information.

Do not restrict yourself to the format or grammar of the ideas.Categorize & Organize Information

Gather informationJot down topic headings (Random Order)

Delete irrelevant topicsGroup related topics

Arrange topic headings
http://www.klariti.com/technical-writing/What-is-Adobe-Framemaker.shtmlhttp://www.klariti.com/technical-writing/What-is-%20Microsoft-Publisher.shtmlhttp://www.klariti.com/technical-writing/What-is-Adobe-Framemaker.shtmlhttp://www.klariti.com/technical-writing/What-is-%20Microsoft-Publisher.shtml


6/73

Pyramid Writing TechniqueOrganize Information

Pick a patternChronological

PsychologicalGeneral to specific

Problem to solutionWhole to parts

Most important to least importantComparison/ contrast

Cause/ effectSpatial

Design DocumentUse an abstract, TOC or other front matter elements

Use vertical listsUse enumerated lists

Use visual elements

Write shorter sentencesUse headers and footers

Paragraph more frequentlyBreak information into sections/ chaptersUse more white space

Use two column formatUse ragged right text, instead of right justified text

Write DocumentWrite section by section

Write only, and not revise as you writeBe yourself. Dont mime the style of experts

Use simple words/ sentencesKeep sentences short

Repeat nouns to avoid ambiguity

Dont be afraid to failRevise DocumentUse simple words/ avoid euphemism

Use short sentencesUse bias free communication

Use active voice extensivelyUse passive voice appropriately

Write numbers in narrative appropriatelyWrite abbreviations appropriately

Maintain parallel constructionKeep text concise

Keep to the subject

Check spellings (UK, USA)

Check capitalization and punctuationAvoid low information contents words/ redundant words.

Avoid vague words/ abstract expressionsAvoid negative constructions. Use only when necessary.

Avoid inverted word orderUse simple words

Monitor use ofJargon

Euphemisms


7/73

AcronymsNeologisms

Bias free communicationAvoid bias regard to

GenderRace

AbilityActive and Passive Voice

Use passive voicewhen actor is unknown

as a tool for tactful expressionto emphasize certain words or group of words

Writing NumbersBasic rule

Spell out single-digit numbers (one to nine inclusive)Use figures for multiple-digit numbers (10 and above)

Exceptions to this rule exist.Abbreviating Terms

Centimeter cmdecibel dBcathode-ray-tube crt

singular sing.meters m

hours h or hr

Exceptionsmorning a.m.

Inside diameter IDnumber(s) No.

The three basic rules are

Use lowercase letters, unless abbreviation is formed from a persons nameOmit all periods, unless abbreviation forms another wordWrite plural abbreviations in the same form as the singular abbreviation.

Do not create abbreviations when standard one already existsParallelism

Low information content words/ redundant wordsVague words/ abstract expressions-eg.

Abstract-While the crew was in town theypicked up spare parts.Concrete-While the crew was in town they boughtspare parts. OR While the

crew was in town they stole spare parts.Abstract-The project will take a long time.

Concrete-The project will require 300 work hours. OR The project will lastfour

months.

Negative ConstructionPositive

Save your work, and then turn off your computer.It is possible to lose all your work, so back it up to be safe.

NegativeDo not turn off your computer without saving your work.

It is not impossible to lose all your work, so back it up to be safe.Inverted word order

Before you may begin using the system, you must log on to it.


8/73

In addition to its command processing functions, another feature of the shellis its programming capability.

Log on to a system before using it.The shell has command processing and programming capabilities.

What is Information Mapping?

Information mapping is a technique of dividing and labeling information foreasy comprehension, use and recall. It was developed by Robert E. Horn.

Information Mapping is a structured approach to creating clear, concise and

highly usable information focused on the target audience. It does this throughanalysing, organising and presenting the information based on audience

needs and the purpose of the information. Information Mapping is bothsubject matter and media independent.

Horn and his colleagues identified dozens of common documentation types,

then analyzed them into structural components called information blocks.

They identified over 200 common block types. These were assembled intoinformation types using information maps.

The seven most common information types were concept, procedure, process,principle, fact, structure, and classification.

These types are loosely related to the three basic information types in Darwin

Information Typing Architecture - concept, task, and reference. AnInformation Mapping procedure is a set of steps for a person. A process is a

set of steps for a system. Both resemble the DITA task.DITA topics (concept, task, and reference) are assembled into documents

using DITA maps.

What is XML?

XML stands for EXtensible Markup LanguageXML is a markup language much like HTML

XML was designed to describe dataXML tags are not predefined. You must define your own tags

XML uses a Document Type Definition (DTD) or an XML Schema to describethe data

XML with a DTD or XML Schema is designed to be self-descriptiveXML is a W3C Recommendation

XML was designed to carry data.

XML is not a replacement for HTML.

XML and HTML were designed with different goals:XML was designed to describe data and to focus on what data is.

HTML was designed to display data and to focus on how data looks.HTML is about displaying information, while XML is about describing

information.

It is important to understand that XML was designed to store, carry, andexchange data. XML was not designed to display data.


9/73

Enterprise Resource Planning systems (ERPs) integrate (or attempt tointegrate) all data and processes of an organization into a unified system. A

typical ERP system will use multiple components of computer software andhardware to achieve the integration. A key ingredient of most ERP systems is

the use of a unified database to store data for the various system modules

Ideally, ERP delivers a single database that contains all data for the softwaremodules, which would include manufacturing, Supply Chain Management,

financials, Accounts, HR, CRM. ERP vendors are SAP, Oracle Corporation,PeopleSoft.

API Documentation Tutorial

In this tutorial, I will focus on the basics of an API function.

What is an API?

An API (Application Programming Interface) allows programmers to accessand extend the functionality of a program through well-defined data

structures and subroutine calls.

Take Windows as an example. Let us say you want to change the double click

time for the mouse. How will you accomplish this? You accomplish thisthrough a Windows API function called SetDoubleClickTime. Windowsprovides this specific API function for setting the double click time.Collections of API functions constitute the Windows API.

What comprises an API function?

Examining our example API function SetDoubleClickTime we find that theAPI function comprises of a single Integer parameter called uInterval as

input to the API.This API function also returns a Boolean value indicating whether the APIfunction call was successful or not.

Every API function consists of certain parameters as input to the API functionand certain parameters that the API function returns as output.

Where does the API function reside?

An API function definition always resides in a Header file along with various other

function definitions. Our API function definition SetDoubleClickTime resides in aheader file calledWindows.h. Collections of these header files are usually made into dll fileson Windows (or .so files on Unix) along with other files that contain the compiled code forthese functions, and are categorized according to the functionality they provide. Our specific

header file Windows.h resides in a dll called user32.dll. These dll files are shared, so thatmany programs can make use of them without every program having to have their own copy.

Documenting an API

When documenting an API, the following points must be covered:

Name and Purpose of the API function

Name of the header file it resides in


10/73

Input parameters and their typesReturn parameters and their types

Any issues to be aware of when using the API functionExample code showing how to use the API function

Let us document our example API function:

Name: SetDoubleClickTime

Purpose: The SetDoubleClickTime function sets the double-click time for the mouse.A double-click is a series of two clicks of a mouse button, the second occurring within

a specified time after the first. The double-click time is the maximum number ofmilliseconds that may occur between the first and second clicks of a double-click.

Header file: Windows.h in user32.dll

Input Parameters: (1) uInterval of type Integer. This specifies the number of

milliseconds that may occur between the first and second clicks of a double-click. If

this parameter is set to zero, the system uses the default double-click time of 500milliseconds.

Return Parameters: The return value is a Boolean. If the function succeeds, thereturn value is non-zero. If the function fails, the return value is zero.

Issues to be aware of: None

Example:

This example is ONLY meant to illustrate the fact that an example use of the APIfunction needs to be present in the documentation. Please do NOT take this example

code literally as it may NOT be syntactically perfect. Write your own proper examplecode pertaining to what you are documenting.

I understand that the code is NOT formatted properly. However, this is a limitationof BB Code.

#include "windows.h"

int main(int)

{

int dblclktime;

bool rtnval;

dblclktime=300;

rtnval=SetDoubleClickTime(dblclktime);if (rtnval==0)

{

printf("Call Failed");

}

else

{

printf("Call Succeeded");

}


11/73

return 0;

}


12/73

Are You Ready for an Unexpected Job Interview?

Most job seekers wait to polish up their interview skills until they are looking for a

new position. Important interview opportunities, however, can present themselves

at any time. For example,

Unplanned internal job openings: There is a sudden opportunity toadvance your career from within, and your boss recommends you as acandidate for the job. ARE YOU READY TO COMMUNICATE YOUR

CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE COMPANY?

A recruiter calls: The position sounds like just the career move youve beenwanting. WILL YOU SAY THE RIGHT THINGS TO WIN THE JOB OR WILL YOU

BLUNDER YOUR BEST CHANCE?A former colleague introduces you to his boss: They are building anexciting new division for their company and looking for new staff. CAN YOUENTICE HIS INTEREST IN YOU AS A MUST-HAVE NEW TEAM MEMBER?

Those who continually grow in their careers are always prepared for thesesituations. Their interview skills are sharp at all times. To know if your skills are

sharp enough to handle a surprise interview, see if you can answer the following fourquestions:

1. Can you concisely state your value proposition in 30 seconds or less?

A value proposition is meant to intrigue your listener with a quick overview of yourskills, expertise, and industry know-how. If you can offer a precise summary of why

you are the perfect candidate for that job, you are more likely to get to the second

or third interview. A concise value proposition can make a critical difference inwinning you a new position.

2. Do you know your top five accomplishments, and can you communicate theirimpact to your employers bottom-line initiatives?

A list of your top accomplishments will allow a potential employer to imagine whatyou can do for him or her. Accomplishments give employers a way to associate your

skills with their needsand a reason to remember you. Be prepared to list your topskills and show how they can help meet corporate needs.

3. Are you prepared to answer your own toughest interview questions or do you

hope they just wont come up?

Dont leave yourself vulnerable to questions like If youre doing so well in your job,why do you want to leave? A good recruiter or hiring manager will see you sweat

and stutter and squirm; youll lose their confidence and destroy a chance to get yourdream job. Think about the questions that will be your biggest pitfallsand be

prepared to answer them.

4. Do you know how to find out your interviewers motivations to understand how

best to answer their questions?


13/73

This is a very important question. Without knowing your interviewers motivations,how will you know if your answers hit the mark of what he or she is looking for in a

perfect candidate? There are many ways to conduct research discreetly anddetermine exactly what that employer needs. Once you have those answers in hand,

you can target your interview answers accordingly.

A good career coach can help you answer all these questions and more, preparingyou for the interviews you planand the interview you didnt expect. With thoseanswers in hand, you can take your career from mediocre to marvelous with

always-ready interview skills.

Be prepared to answer these questions:

How would you best describe yourself?

What is your major achievement: professional and personal?

Why would you like to leave your current organisation?

How do you see yourself five years down the line?

I hope to look back and see that I made a difference".

What is your career objective in the years to come?

I would say I would like to see myself as a Manager/Director/VP or the designation of theinterviewer or his boss depending upon what level you are being interviewed for. This willbring a laugh/smile on the face of the interviewer and the situation a little light. Now isthe time to tell your aspiration, I would say, "coming back to your question, i would liketo take one step at a time and gradually see myself in a position which has much moreresponsibility. A role which will help me contribute directly and positively to the

organizations growth. A role which will help me guide and mentor future aspirants to besuccessful in their tasks. A role which will help me align the teams objectives to theorganizational goals. I wud use one/all to make my case.

What are your weaknesses?

I would say the following two to be my weaknesses (a) My weakness is that i am a littletoo perseverant (b) I like to strike relationships with absolute strangers (c) I am a patientlistener. All these qualities are truly a must for any sales guy. So it works in your favor.

What is more important to you, the money or the job? Great, if I say the money,

the hiring manager doesnt think Im motivated to do the work. If I answer with the job,

the manager doesnt think Ill be upset with a smaller salary offer.

I most likely would respond (if i ever chose to actually seek employment LOL!), that money is

important as it is an essential element when shopping for food. But from my experience,

money is not a longevity factor if the job is not challenging or if the work environment is not

conducive to complementing one's life's goals. Then i go on to say what the happy medium

would be.... The nirvana-like situation would be one in which the company recognizes what i


14/73

bring to the table, utilizes various parameters such as realistic cost of living factors, my

experience, industry-wide market value combined with challenging projects, autonomy,

integrity, respect, sprinkled with a dose of laughter.

Do you prefer to work alone or with others? Swell, I can like to work by myself and be

thought of as a poor team player with no collaborative abilities, or else I work so well withothers I cant get anything done by myself.

. But I like working with people to brainstorm ideas, help get better solutions to problems

and help others for what they need. And if saying yes to all options doesnt work? Then

there is an alternative:

A second way to answer the forced choice is to pick a third option that isnt presented

by the interview question. Do you work better with a manager that gives you free

reign to complete your work the way you want or do you like being micromanaged to

get your work done?

For that type of question, you ignore both options presented and offer up a third

alternative to answer this question. I like a manager that provides clear direction, is

open to seeing early versions of the work so we can make sure Im on track, and to

help clear obstacles that might prevent me from getting done.

Checklist

How to Shape Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn

Seek out recommendations from past bosses, key clients, colleagues, and

direct reports to create a 360-degree picture of your strengths. Tell them thatyoull be happy to do the same for them.

Instead of a generic job title at the top of your profile, such as Owner of John

Doe and Associates, use a short description of valuable credentials that youcan quantify, such as 20-year veteran of $100 million in high-tech mergers,

advises Chris Muccio, author of the book 42 Rules for 24-Hour Success onLinkedIn.

Fill out the Interests section with pursuits, such as charitable projects, that

reinforce your value to potential employers and clients.

For consistency and branding, use a good head shot of yourself as yourphoto, and use the same photo on other social networks, advises Megan

Hendricks, director, employer relations at the College of Business at theUniversity of South Florida.


15/73

Opt for a free vanity address for your profile that uses your full name, such as

linkedin.com/in/janedoe, so colleagues can find your profile easily.

Is your resum the key to a higher salary?

Most job seekers believe that salary negotiation starts once they have an offer in

hand, but nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, your resume can makethe difference between negotiating at the top end of the salary rangeor the bottomendin your next job offer. If that sounds strange to you, consider the following

points:

A prospective employers first impression of you is created entirely by your resume.

The employers first impression of you will assign a value and build a level of urgency

for the employer to contact youbefore someone else does.

First impressions are nearly impossible to change.

If your resume sells your skills short, then you cant expect to receive offers at theupper end of your salary scale. Your current resume could be losing you thousands

of dollars in income power. By making a few key changes in your resume now, youcan position yourself for higher salaries in the future.

There are three resume strategies for promoting high salary negotiation success:

Show that you are a high return on investment with quantifiable results.

Many job seekers throw around the phrase results oriented, but they fail to back it

up with concrete evidenceleaving the reader to conclude otherwise. You may feel

that you have no quantifiable evidence of your value in previous jobs, but every jobhas quantifiable results that can better reflect your worth on your resume. Revenue,

sales dollars and material costs are not the only results that use numbers.

Consider using the number of man-hours saved in process improvements, thepercentage of repeat customers, or the number of peers helped by a particular

efficiency to help reflect your abilities. Every employee is hired to solve problems,and most problems have some quantifiable element at their core.

Illustrate the breadth of your experience.

Notice the use of the word breadth rather than length of experience. Justbecause a candidate has been doing a job for a long time does not necessarily mean

he is worth more. Breadth of experience focuses on quality, not quantity.

There are two key ways to express breadth of experience:

Industry knowledge


16/73

Since industry expertise is usually in high demand, you can show your value through

insider understanding of industry issues.

Transferable skills

If your career spans many industries within the same occupation, highlight the

transferable skills that have enabled you to bridge the gaps from industry to

industry.

Entice the reader to want to know more about you.

Job seekers often make the mistake of assuming that the job of their resume is toinform the reader. Not so! The ONLY job of your resume is to entice the reader to

want to know more about you.

What that translates to is an understanding of what to include and what to leave offyour resume. Too much detail can distract the reader and lose his interest, but notenough information, and the reader will wonder what you have been doing with your

life. A proper balance between detail and result will win the readers interest andleave them saying, Ive got to call this guy for an interview today!

A professional resume writer can create a resume that sells you as a high return on

investment. By portraying you as someone with great breadth of experience and a

wide range of critical skills, potential employers will see you immediately as someoneof high value, building their visionand your self-confidenceof you in the upper

end of the salary scale.

For fast job search results, make sure to avoid these top three cover letter mistakes:

1. Not understanding the hiring motives of your audience2. Repeating rather than introducing your resume

3. Overuse of the word I

Differentiate b/w project & product

A product is an artifact that is produced, is quantifiable, and can be either anend item in itself or a component item. It can be a service, a business

function supporting production or distribution. It can be a result such as,

outcomes or documents. For e.g. a research project develops knowledge thatcan be used to determine whether or not a trend is present or new process

will benefit a society.

A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create unique deliverableswhich are products, services, or results. Projects are not ongoing efforts. It

has a definite beginning and an end. Once the objectives of a project are met,the end is reached.

What is LMS?


17/73

A learning management system (LMS) is software for delivering, tracking and

managing training. LMSs range from systems for managing training records tosoftware for distributing courses over the Internet and offering features for

online collaboration. In many instances, corporate training departmentspurchase LMSs to automate record-keeping as well as the registration of

employees for classroom and online courses. Student self-service (e.g., self-registration on instructor-led training), training workflow (e.g., user

notification, manager approval, wait-list management), the provision of on-line learning (e.g., Computer-Based Training, read & understand), on-line

assessment, management of continuous professional education (CPE),collaborative learning (e.g., application sharing, discussion threads), and

training resource management (e.g., instructors, facilities, equipment), aredimensions to Learning Management Systems.

Most LMSs are web-based to facilitate access to learning content and

administration. LMSs are used by regulated industries (e.g. financial services

and biopharma) for compliance training.

What is your specific interest in technical writing?

Why do you think they want to work with us?

What sort of work culture do you expect in their workplace?

What are your long-term goals? What do you see themselves in 3-5 years

time

What is a White paper?

White papers typically, are authoritative reports or guides used to educate

readers and help people make decisions. Commercially, a white paper is usedas a marketing or sales tool. Many white papers today reveal the benefits ofparticular technologies and products. White papers are almost always,

marketing communications documents designed to promote a specificcompany's solutions or products. Such white papers are often used to

generate sales leads, establish thought leadership, make a business case, orto educate customers. White papers should:

Begin by addressing problems, challenges, or needs, rather than the

solution

Range from 5 to 12 pages in length, on average

Educate as a top priority

Avoid direct selling

Focus on benefits more than features

Contain information useful to the readers Avoid the sense of humor

In the following sections discussing the components of this technical writing, the

term the white paper company refers to the company you are describing (or

working for) in the white paper. The target company refers to who you expect to

read the white paper and be persuaded by it that the white paper company is who

they need to do business with.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_based_training#Computer_Based_Traininghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collaborative_learninghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marketing_communicationshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thought_leaderhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_based_training#Computer_Based_Traininghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collaborative_learninghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marketing_communicationshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thought_leader


18/73

Include the following in your white paper:

Problems and issues currently affecting the market and industry. First thing,

briefly discuss what the target company is dealing with competition,

financial issues, economy, laws, etc that could impact them negatively. Let

them know that the white paper company has an intimate knowledge with

what theyre going through.

Solutions to each problem and issue. The point of bringing up the problems is

to explain how the white paper company can provide solutions for the target

company. Discuss how the white paper company can turn each problem,

issue, or threatening trend into a positive source of income.

Description of solution aspects. If, for example, the white paper company

provides system databases, then describe the technology behind their

particular system database solution. Dont lose the target company because

the CO reading the paper doesnt understand how the technology works.

However, if everything is standard and basic, dont waste time re-defining theobvious.

Show how the white paper company will serve the target company in

particular. Specifically apply the white paper companys solution to the target

companys problem. Why is the white paper company better than its

competitors? Why should the target company choose them? Why now?

Examples, benefits, case studies. Its more of the same but a thorough

example of how another company benefited from utilizing the solution

suggested. Outline what specific things the target company has to gain.

Graphics, charts, images. Anything to make it even more clear in eye popping

color what exactly it is that the target company is missing and how the whitepaper company can fill that hole. Visual effects are more memorable and

stand out on the desk top better than plain text.

Give a list of companies with whom the white paper company could create a

partnership with in order to benefit the target company. If, for example,

another company makes a certain software that would be perfect for the

target companys needs if combined with the white paper companys product,

then that company would be on the list with a brief description why.

Summary. This is the last thing on the white paper and is usually a bullet

point summation of everything you wrote. It may feel like youre writing and

re-writing the same information and, in a way, you are. But each section adds

more dimension and with repetition comes persuasion and clarity.


19/73

Resume Samples

Samples represent that of an actual working technical professional found onthe WEB and modified to protect the privacy of these professionals. Humannames, company names, colleges, software product names are intentionally

made up.

Resume 1

Samples represent that of an actual working technical professional found on the WEBand modified to protect the privacy of these professionals. Human names, company

names, colleges, software product names are intentionally made up.

RANDOLF J. KWAN250 LANCASTER STREET

UNION CITY, CA 95843

OBJECTIVE

SR. TECHNICAL WRITERILLUSTRATOR - CURRICULUM DEVELOPER - TECHNICAL TRAINER

QUALIFICATION SUMMARY

Over 20 years experience with analog/digital systems from technician toengineer at increasing levels of responsibility. Developed and supervised avariety of technical projects including:

Training and technical documentation programs.

Developing training curricula for various technical subjects both informallyand in a classroom setting.

Designing fault-isolation procedures and related reference materials.Development of documentation and templates in Framemaker+SGML.

Scripting interactive on-line help and tutorial packages.

Installation and maintenance of computer, security, andtelecommunications systems.

SKILLS

Excellent oral and written communication skills.Extensive Computer and Technical Skills including:


20/73

Page layout, desktop publishing, illustration, animation, on-linedocumentation and editing.

Development of standard operating procedures and new user training.

Practical experience in data conversion across a variety of platforms Apple,

PC, UNIX, and others .

Ability to interpret schematic diagrams, and other source materials.

Ability to read software code, as source materials, in a variety of languages.

Ability to work independently and as a team member.

Supervisory skills including the ability to:

Communicate well with co-workers, management, and outside vendors.

Edit the work of others in a constructive and non-ego-bruising manner.

Analyze projects and quantify them into tasks and budget requirements.

Independently plan and monitor projects, ensuring timely and cost efficienttask completion.

Make work assignments and gauge individual progress.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

While in sole charge of a technical publications department, institutedproduction and tracking methods, which yielded a time and cost reductionof over 30. This greatly improved document technical content and quality.

Developed database system, which tracked engineering changes andensured that hardware and software changes were accurately reflected inupdates to user publications. This greatly reduced the shipment of outdateddocumentation to end-users.

Developed a database tracking system that matched student entry-levelknowledge and skills with those demonstrable after training. Theapplication of this system resulted in the shortening of training courses byone week 17 and improved student retention by 22 avg.

Developed authoring system for computer laboratory training scenarios,which allowed instructors to reduce the time required to tailor daily labsimulations to the needs of the students, from one hour to 15 minutes 75 .

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY


21/73

SR. TECHNICAL WRITER/ILLUSTRATORINDEPENDENT SOLUTIONS, PACIFICA, CA1996-2001

DOCUMENTATION SPECIALISTON CONTRACT TO MCCLELLAN AFB, TECHNICAL DOCUMENTATION SECTION

ALLSTAR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES, OAKLAND, CA1995-1996

SENIOR TECHNICAL WRITERWOODSIDE GROUP, WOODSIDE, CA1991-1995

CONTRACT TECHNICAL WRITERWOODSIDE GROUP, WOODSIDE, CA1991

TECHNICAL WRITER

NEW COMPUTER SERVICES, MORRO BAY, CA1990-1991

ENGINEERING TECHNICAL WRITERMODERN OUTSOURCING1989-1990

CONTRACT TECHNICAL WRITERWOODSIDE GROUP INC., WOODSIDE, CA1989

SENIOR ENGINEER/ANALYST

BERTON ENGINEER INC., SAN JOSE, CA1988-1989

SENIOR SYSTEMS ANALYST, TECHNICAL WRITER, CURRICULUMDEVELOPMENT SPECIALISTINDEPENDENT CORPORATION, LOS GATOS, CA1978-1988

WRITING SAMPLES AND ADDITIONAL DETAILS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.

Up

Resume 2

Samples represent that of an actual working technical professional found on the WEB

and modified to protect the privacy of these professionals. Human names, company


JENNIFER SOMMERS
http://www.portnov.com/freeresumesample/TechnicalWriterResumes.htm#Up%23Uphttp://www.portnov.com/freeresumesample/TechnicalWriterResumes.htm#Up%23Up


22/73

Objective

To obtain a position where I can contribute my skills as an experiencedprofessional, resulting in a mutually beneficial growth relationship betweenmy employer, my team and myself.

Profile

Technical Writer/Training Developer who successfully established andcontinues to maintain an independent contracting position for 6 plus years;strong business and technical skills, exceptional organizational and projectmanagement ability, fast in learning new technology, amiable and workswell in team and independent environments.

Professional Experience

Software User Release Notes

Produce quarterly and distribute on-line to all company employeesnationwide and clients including Sprint, Ameritech and Yellow Book.

Course Development

Designed and developed:

a one week comprehensive course for the Graphics Receiving Team

a four week comprehensive course for the Graphics Composing Team

Course work developed applying the principles of Instructional Design.

Design process including task analysis and interviewing subject matterexperts.Development process including instructor and student guides, slide showsand exercises.

Documentation

Developed a variety of documents including:

Job Aids for Microsoft Outlook

Graphical Recreations

Training Bulletins

Training Materials overheads, games etc.

Manage and Update over five different courses instructor and studentguides


23/73

Edit and prepare documentation for print

Provide review and feedback of team member s materials

Intranet

Developed Intranet site for the Technical Training teamMaintain and Update site

Work History

N.T.KEATON - Largest Independent Marketer of Yellow Pages Advertising09/1995-Present

Technical Writer/Training Developer

Develop, modify and maintain various types of documentation for aWindows based system including: procedural software user manual,software user release notes, course development instructor and student

guides , training materials, presentations, and job aides.

Independently manage multiple ongoing projects. Created and continue tomaintain RHD training intranet site.

Richardson & Publishing Company

01/1995-09/1995Technical Resource Editor, Electronic Publishing

Judicial case editing, conversion, collection and validation using SGMLcoding.

Created Microsoft Access databases for the editing team.

Provided technical guidance for the general editors, which included creatinginstruction documentation, and training new editors.

Served as a beta tester for MB s cd-rom product as well as the team leaderfor a competition database committee.

Technical Support Representative

03/1994-01/1995

Provided technical support for MB s software, cd-rom and sales support

products.

This involved responding to customer s technical problems using varioustroubleshooting techniques to diagnose and solve the problem over thephone.


24/73

Support included completing follow-ups with customers and working closelywith other departments including editorial, sales, customer service andorder processing.

Also performed cd-rom and software testing, and created softwaredocumentation for team members.

Legal Insurance Company

11/1990-11/1993

Legal Database Manager, Litigation Management Unit

Responsibilities included:

training and supervising a data entry staff of 3;

maintaining and updating a database system, which consisted of all claimsinvolved in litigation;

general accounting of all legal invoices on dBase IV, generating reports,analysis of savings, reporting to senior management, assisting counsel withpreparation of reports, reviewing and summarizing file materials as well asassigning cases to outside counsel.

Education

State University of New York, College at CortlandBachelor of Arts Degree, Economics May 1989Magna Cum LaudePhi Kappa Phi National Honor Society

State University of New York, University at AlbanyCompletion of First Year of Master of Business Administration Program1994-1995GPA 3.18

References and Writing Samples Available Upon Request

Up

Resume 3

Samples represent that of an actual working technical professional found on the WEB

and modified to protect the privacy of these professionals. Human names, company


ALEXANDER E. CARTER37 Hillboro LaneElizabeth, NJ 08832


25/73

OBJECTIVE

Documentation or training development position.

CAREER SUMMARY

Senior technical writer experienced in developing end-user andadministrative information for telecommunication hardware and software.Works directly with development and test teams to gather source materialand review documents. Quick learner who strives to increase his knowledgein computer technologies and enjoys learning new software products anddevelopment tools.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Telecom Technologies, Westfield, NJSeptember, 2000-August, 2001

Contract Technical Writer

Wrote installation and administrative documentation for applicationsoftware for the Next Generation Network Voice-Over-IP product.

Documentation included both UNIX command-line and GUI interfaces.

Followed Telcordia s ISO-certified process for documentation development.

Managed documentation schedules in consultation with development andproject management.

Developed content from requirement and design documents as well asinterviews with software developers.

Worked with FrameMaker 5.5.6 and Visio software.

Transferred to the Infrastructure Solution project an integrated offering ofseven OSS products under a common GUI when first project had to cut staff.

Wrote sections of the System Administration Guide, coordinated theinclusion of information from the contributing products, created indexentries, edited, and generated the overall book.

Contract terminated early due to budget cuts.

CHRONO Corporation, Mongomery, NJ

January, 2000-September, 2000Senior Technical Writer

Produced user, application administration, and installation documentationfor business-to-business E-commerce software that provided Local NumberPortability LNP to Competitive Local Exchange Carriers CLECs .


26/73

Responsible for creating user documents for two versions of DSET s LocalService Management System LSMS Java-based software.

Worked with FrameMaker 5.5.6 and Visio software.

Miranda Technologies

1996-1999Application Software Support

Supported documentation and training group 225 people at eight locationsin New Jersey:

Provided primary support for FrameMaker and FrameMaker + SGMLapplications. Researched conversion problems from earlier releases ofFrameMaker and answered questions about templates. ConsultedFrameMaker documentation, Internet resources, and Adobe technicalsupport to solve problems.

Wrote procedures for installing SGML template on PCs; documentedsolutions to end-user problems in support database.

Installed and set up PCs including networking for Windows95, configuredbrowsers for Internet and mail access, setup remote dial-in access, addedlocal and networked printers, and installed client-server software fornetwork file sharing with UNIX servers.

AT & T

1978-1996Senior Technical Writer

Developed paper documentation and training materials fortelecommunications applications.

Planned and scheduled documents for small teams of writers.

Interviewed subject-matter experts for source material, conducted reviewsof technical content with development and system test teams, testeddocumentation against product.

Followed ISO-certified process for document development. Produceddocuments using Information Mapping and single-source concepts.

Wrote procedures for administration, operations, maintenance, andprovisioning documents using Information Mapping concepts for severaldata networking products.

Developed documentation and training products for GlobeView 2000Asynchronous Transfer Mode ATM and Datakit Virtual Circuit Switch VCSdata networking products.


27/73

Created documentation and training materials for network managementelements of a broadband communications network in a single-sourcedocument using FrameMaker s conditional text capability.

Learned RoboHelp software and completed a Windows help file for afinancial modeling application in 4 months.

EDUCATION

BS in Engineering Technology, Electrical Systems Option, New JerseyInstitute Of Technology.Associate in Engineering with Highest Distinction, Pennsylvania StateUniversity. Major in Electrical Engineering Technology.

TECHNICAL BACKGROUND

Windows 9x and NT operating systems;

development tools FrameMaker 5.5.6 and FrameMaker+SGML 5.5.6

Microsoft Office97

RoboHelp

Visio

Adobe Acrobat Distiller

CorelDraw software

Ten years experience as a user of the UNIX operating system text editors,text formatters, and shell programming .

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Advanced FrameMaker

ISO 9002 Documentation Development Process

Performance and Training Needs Analysis

Instructional Design and Development Workshop

Information Mapping Structured Writing

Online Information Mapping

Authoring with FrameMaker + SGML.


28/73

Up

Resume 4



Bridget Hallmark73 Pond Ln.Plano, TX 75024 USASr. Trainer, Courseware Developer, and Technical Writer

OBJECTIVE:

A permanent or contract position that requires a broad range of managerialand/or technical writing, training, and training development skills such asdesign and implementation of e-Learning or instructor-lead trainingmaterials.

EXPERTISE:

Training/Courseware Development

Developed a web based training solution for TPO which enabled them tosave many thousands of dollars in training costs.

Established and managed an AT&T authorized training department with astaff of 15 instructors in branches located in Honolulu, Los Angeles, NewYork, and San Francisco.

Developed train-the-trainer courseware.

Established and headed the first authorized customer training departmentfor Samna Corporation in the Pacific Basin offering support to distributors,dealers and users in Hawaii, Australia, Hong Kong and New Zealand. Theproduct was renamed Word Pro after being purchased by Lotus.

Assisted AT&T and Samna Corporation in developing courseware which was

marketed directly to users for self-training on Samna and Write Powersoftware.

Trained IBM marketing staff in Asia and Pacific Basin as resellers of afinancial services software product.

Instructed corporate users in most popular UNIX and DOS softwareprograms and computer operations as well as peripherals. Developed,


29/73

tested, and maintained courseware for instructors, users, resellers, andOEM s.

Web Design/Content Development

Over 3 years experience in building web sites and writing Web Content.

Proficient in Dreamweaver, Authorware, Front Page, and CourseBuilder.

Knowledgeable in registering sites with search engines and use of metatags to increase visibility with search engines.

Technical Writing and Help System Development

Over 10 years experience in technical writing of hardware and softwaretraining user manuals.

Over 6 years experience in Help system development, including trainingothers on RoboHelp.

Assisted AT&T with the development of a user manual which accompaniedtheir Write Power software for DOS as well as UNIX, working directly withtheir Division Product Manager.

Assisted Samna Corporation and AT&T in developing competitive analysismaterials. The product was purchased by Lotus and is now called LotusWord Pro.

OTHER:

True team player with managerial experience. Work well as the lead, as partof a team, or alone and completely unsupervised.

Able to communicate ideas in a simple and clear fashion and positivelymotivate others.

Very strong work ethics.

Developed testing materials and participated in the testing of softwareproducts.

Especially interested in cost-saving documentation managementalternatives such as Content Management/Single Sourcing storingdocumentation in a repository as small components which are then reusedto build each manual, Help system, training material, etc.

Enjoy research and remaining current in the e-Learning field.

SOFTWARE SKILLS:


30/73

RoboHelp

FrontPage

HTML

Dreamweaver

Deva

CourseBuilder

Authorware

Microsoft Project

Word

PowerPoint

Visio, and all MS Office products

FrameMaker

Acrobat to develop pdf files

most graphics software such as PhotoShop, PaintShop Pro and Fireworks.

EXPERIENCE:

12/97 - Present

New Investment, Inc.

I incorporated as New Investment, Inc. and normally contract individuallythrough it. When the scope is larger than I can personally provide, Isometimes work on a contract basis with other experienced professionals.These are some of the companies I have contracted with:

TPO, Business ServicesRecently completed a six month contract with TPO. Built a web based Helpsystem and web based e-Learning system for a software program that will

be used by all TPO employees to process expense reports and invoices. TheIntranet based training eliminated the necessity of offering expensiveinstructor-led classes to all TPO employees. Also developed a QuickReference Guide for the program. Much of the material is single sourced re-use of content whenever possible to reduce both production time anddevelopment costs.

Creaton Inc.Documentation/publications management consulting services to assist


31/73

Creaton in selecting software tools for a Content Management system and toassist in planning their Single Sourcing initiative. Wrote a ToolsRequirements document for them which will be the basis for an RFI. Creatonneeds a Web based pull solution in the near future and will probably need apush solution eventually. Reviewed many products from companies such asArbortext, SoftQuad, Ixiasoft, XyEnterprise, Author IT and Chrystal.

SmartCard Inc.Developed Help Development, User Guides, Courseware MaterialsSmartCard s encodable keycard system is used in over 40 of all hotelsworld-wide. Responsibilities included designing a Help system, resellermanuals, customer manuals, and training materials for a Windows basedTouch Screen software system. This was a challenging contract andrequired advanced Help development skills as Windows Help is designed foraccess by a mouse and keyboard rather than a Touch Screen. The trainingmaterial is used to train front desk as well as management personnel. Thecourseware material, customer manuals, and Help systems were translatedto every major language. After completion of the first project, theycontracted me to develop Help, documentation, and courseware materialsfor other SmartCard products.

10/92 - 12/97

RTS, Inc.Help System Lead

Responsibilities included:

overseeing more than 30 Help systems some with over 2,000 topics ,supervising, training, and supporting all permanent and contract helpauthors, developing company standards for User Guides, Help systems, andWizards.

Additional responsibilities included evaluating new Help software tools tomaintain "cutting edge" Help systems.

Developed a method of replacing traditional User Guides with Online UserGuides derived from Help system at significant cost savings to the company.

I also managed a standards setting group comprised of the technical writersfrom all divisions of the company.

10/91 10/92Moore and Watson contract

User Guide and Training Material Development

Contract position with Moore and Watson Consulting Division.

Assigned to Ars Corporation in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Responsibilities included the design and documentation of a user manualsand training materials for field engineers.


32/73

Also trained field engineers on use of the software.

5/89 10/91

Strategic Decisions Limited

Training Manager and Technical Writer

Responsibilities included production of user manuals and training materialsfor a loan application software product for a start up company.

In addition, trained customers in instructor-led classes. Also managed theoffice staff and created a company policy manual.

5/87 5/89BSDI, Singapore Pte. Ltd.

Training /Technical Writing

Responsibilities included production of user manuals and training materialsfor a loan application software product.

Trained customers in instructor-led classes. I was the entire Training andDocumentation department.

11/84 5/87

Computer Support Center InternationalTraining and Support Manager

Original responsibilities included creating a Training Division for corporateclients.

This included developing and implementing in house "train-the-trainer"

courses for hiring, managing, and training staff in 3 branch offices.

Additionally responsible for the development of customer training materials.

AT&T often had our organization provide training for their customers andthey would frequently request that I personally perform the actual training.

Also responsible for overseeing the development of user manuals for allsoftware developed by CSCI.

2/82 11/84

CompStar of Hawaii

Training Specialist/Customer Support

Responsible for training of major accounts on all software productsmarketed by CompStar.

Within 3 months of hire, was promoted to Customer Support of majoraccounts.


33/73

Developed demonstration data and accompanying documentation for salesstaff which increased their product knowledge and sales volume.

Assisted sales staff in Needs Analysis and demonstrations to large accounts.

MISCELLANEOUS:

Long-standing member of Lone Star Chapter of the Society of TechnicalCommunication STC. Active in their Online Help, Independent Contractors,and Information Design special interest groups. Assisted as a judge for STCOnline Publications since 1997. I m also a volunteer Mentor for STC. TheMentoring program is designed to offer career assiBelong to severalInternet lists groups including the Help, Technical Writers lists, InternetResearch lists, and User Interface Design, STC Single Sourcing list, andAWARE Authorware list stance to students who wish to become technicalcommunicators.

Member of Leading Edge Women in Technology and Women in Computing .

Recently had an article that published in Technically Write, a publicationtargeted at technical writers.

Attend seminars regularly Training related, Single Sourcing, ContentManagement, Pubs Management, Usability, Internet Research, HelpDevelopment, etc. to remain current with the industry. During the last 12months I have attended 3 conferences in Chicago, New Orleans, and SanFrancisco as well as a half-day STC seminar in Dallas.

EDUCATION:

BBA Hawaii Pacific CollegeAttend seminars regularly Training, Single Sourcing, Content Management,Pubs Management, Usability, Internet Research, Help Development, etc. toremain current with the industry. During the last 12 months I have attended3 extensive conferences in Chicago, New Orleans, and San Francisco as wellas a half-day STC seminar in Dallas.

Up

Resume 5



JOHN A. PITTSFIELD, PH.D.338 OCEAN AVENUELYNN, MASSACHUSETTS 01901


34/73

Qualifications Summary

Technical writer and editor experienced in technical/scientific paper editing,documentation and user manual development, systems and proceduresanalysis.

Project Experience

Wrote, edited, and produced user and system documentation. Performedonline editorial and production work on scientific and technical researcharticles. Received Society for Technical Communications Award of Merit,1993.

Wrote system descriptions and corporate procedures, based on analyses ofsystem and user requirements.

Interviewing, writing, editing and HTML development of internal online

corporate newsletters.

Systems

User s knowledge of PC graphical environments and editors, includingMicrosoft Office, WordPerfect, Visio, Adobe Acrobat/Distiller, Dreamweaverlight , PageMill, Homesite, and FrameMaker.

Working knowledge of hard-coded HTML markup and web page design usingstandard character-based text editors including vi and emacs.

Working knowledge of UNIX system shell and editing and publication tools,

including vi, emacs, nroff, and troff. User s knowledge of UNIX systemnetworking communications structures and procedures.

Able to read and interpret Cobol programs.

Platform familiarity includes all Microsoft systems from DOS throughWindows XP, OS/2, Solaris, Linux, and UNIX.

Employment History

Princeton Research Center, Princeton, M.A.

June 2002-Present

Contract Technical Editor

Written and Oral Communication, Department of English, The College ofMassachusetts, Norwood, M.A.

January-May 2002Adjunct Professor

Merrill Lynch, Boston, M.A.December 2000-November 30, 2001


35/73

Contracted through Software Guidance & Assistance, Hartsdale, N.Y.

Researched and wrote procedures to document mainframe legacy systemssupporting customer order processing.

Procedures include those related to disaster recovery/site restoration,

procedure preparation methodology, and automated system health checks.

ABCD.COM, Boston, M.A.

May 2000-October 2000Technical Writer

Gathered/analyzed information for systems-level documentation andcoordinated and standardized preexisting documents.

Alpha Bank, Boston, M.A.October 1998-May 2000

Technical Writer

Gathered/analyzed information, and wrote technical specifications and low-level technical user documentation, especially standards documents forCobol programmers at the Boston and Horsham, MA sites involved in theconversion from Cobol Resource to MicroFocus Cobol.

Documented use of file conversion utilities to convert proprietary db traderdata into Excel format.

Documented conversion from Cobol Resource to MicroFocus Cobol, includinga step-by-step Developer s Guide and a guide to using the ConversionUtility.

Tools included Microsoft Office, Dreamweaver, Adobe Acrobat.

Morgan Stanley, Boston, M.A.

March 1995-October 1998

Technical Writer/Editor

Wrote and edited user and system documentation and requirements for allareas of the Firm s trading and backoffice functions using online toolsincluding Microsoft Office, FrameMaker, Visio, and HTML markup.

Projects included:

runtime environment descriptions for our proprietary data filter;

quickstart cards with the Training Department ;

printshop production procedures;


36/73

application-specific help guides for traders using historical volatilityprograms;

guides for external clients accessing commercial aspects of MS s TAPSsystem;

help overviews for traders using the FID market risk exposure programFRISK ;

and a user s guide to the MS Tax Database.

Gathered data for and wrote the Installation and Administrators guides forFirmwide migration from Windows 3.11 to NT 4.0.

Edited IT-Cache, the Firm s international browser-based newsletter forpersonnel in the Information Technology division.

October 1994-January 1995.

Contract Technical Writer/Editor.

Wrote and revised new and preexisting Sybase and recovery softwaredocumentation for an international banking client.

AT&T Global Information Services, Boston, M.A.

April-September 1994Contract Technical Writer, TransAmerica Leasing, Purchase, New York.

Wrote complete user documentation for Novell NetWare-based LAN underdevelopment for corporate-wide use. Full responsibility for documentinginstallation under OS/2 server.

Stevenson Research Center, Chelsea, M.A.

September 1993-March 1994

Contract Technical Writer.

Wrote Tools Reference Manual and Concepts Guide for Agora client-serverproject in AIX/FrameMaker environment.

Jones Technical Journal, Jones Bell Laboratories, Randolf, M.A.February 1989-July 1993

Associate Editor.

Author negotiations;

online editing and rewriting;

consulting with graphic artists and designers;

supervising articles through the production process.


37/73

1976-89Various employer relationships inside and outside the technology sector.

Details upon request.

Education and Training

Ph.D. English Literature , State University of New York, Binghamton, N.Y.A.B., M.A., English , Hunter College, New York, N.Y.

Professional Development seminars, Morgan Stanley, 1995-98; CobolResource and MicroFocus Cobol/NetExpress, Deutsche Bank, 1999.

References

Furnished by request.

Up

Resume 6



PAUL WESTWOOD245 HILL DRIVE

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO 80911

PROFESSIONAL SKILLS

Strong working knowledge of word processing Framemaker and Word

Familiar with Microsoft Office Products Word, Excel, PowerPoint

Creation of both hard copy and online documentation

Comfortable in both PC and UNIX working environments

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

August 2000 PresentColorado Springs, CO

Independent Contractor

I m working part time with a client providing technical editing on theircollege level telecommunications training textbooks.


38/73

I am also creating online audio scripts for the animated illustrations, unitintroductions, and unit summaries in these textbooks in Word.

I m also working with National Semiconductor to produce the Datasheet fortheir next generation GX2 processor chip for set-top boxes.

July 1995 - June 2001ABC Advantage, Colorado Springs, CO

Technical Writer

I created user documentation in Framemaker for computer chipdevelopment tools.

I designed and created the first true online document in the company usingAdobe acrobat reading PDF files.

I worked very closely with engineering and participated in their regularteam meetings.

I conducted engineering review meetings to ensure document accuracy.

I obtained my document information primarily from product functionalspecs, engineering interviews, and use of the products.

I worked in both a UNIX and a PC environment.

January 1993 - July 1995

Colorado Springs, COIndependent Contractor

I did a number of consulting jobs

in the computer industry including software test of backup systems forHewlett-Packard,

conducting computer software and hardware instruction classes forResource Technology Inc.,

and computer troubleshooting and repair for Applied Computer Technology.

November 1980 - January 1993Bell Aerospace Group; Phoenix, AZ

Software Configuration Analyst

I handled Software Configuration Management for software developmentwork on Cockpit Instrumentation Systems.

I tracked software development from card level to system level, along withcreating the required documentation.


39/73

I created and maintained a development tracking library to accommodateFAA audits.

Publications Engineer

I managed a team of writers, editors, and illustrators to create multimillion-

dollar proposals to the military in response to RFPs.

These were multi-volume proposals including a technical volume what wewill provide , management volume who will manage the project , and a costvolume how much will it all cost .

June 1979 - November 1980Hewlett-Packard Co.; Colorado Springs, CO

Technician

Maintained production equipment for manufacturing electronic circuitry.

Technical Writer

Wrote Operating and Software manuals for Desktop Computers.

I assisted in the creation and documentation of the next generation of HPLHewlett-Packard Language being developed in tandem with the nextgeneration of Desktop Computer.

I created a user s manual for the production equipment and conductedtraining classes for equipment operators.

EDUCATION

June 1991. Keller Graduate School of Management; Phoenix, AZMasters in Business Administration w/Information Systems major; GPA3.4/4.0

June 1979. DeVry Institute of Technology; Phoenix, AZBachelor of Science Electronic Engineering Technology; GPA 3.2/4.0

AFFILIATIONS

1995 - Present. Senior Member of the Society for Technical Communication.I use my membership to keep up with the latest industry trends in Technical

Writing. I have served as a judge in their documentation contest.

1995 - Present. Junior Achievement. I have made presentations at localschools to help kids to understand the way their local communities workand to encourage them to stay in school and look to attending college.

1980 - 1993. Arizona Alliance of Businesses. I made presentations at localschools to help kids to understand the value of higher education as both a


40/73

benefit to themselves and their communities to encourage kids to stay inschool and look to college.

Up

Resume 7



SCOTT BENTON19 LAKE DRIVELANCASTER, PA 18436-4018

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGYCONSULTANT

Instructional Design, Training, Technical Writing, Web Design, Process &Procedure Writing, Desktop Publishing, Photography, Graphic Arts, HelpDesk & Desk Side Support, Computer and Network Repair.

SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS

A dedicated, highly motivated, and responsive professional with over 20years industry experience with a unique combination of creativity, analytical

skills, and detail orientation.

Broad based experience.

Proven presentation, communication, design, photographic, technicalsupport, web based, and interpersonal skills.

Quickly grasps complex concepts with the ability to convey the informationin easily understood formats.

Finds imaginative and innovative solutions to complex problems.

Well disciplined with proven ability to meet tight deadline schedules.

Can ascertain needs from wants, cost versus benefits, and can apply solidplanning and organizational skills in coordinating all aspects of each projectfrom beginning through completion.

A history of significant client and customer satisfaction, illustrating anability to understand and provide just what was needed.


41/73

PROFESSIONAL BUSINESS EXPERIENCE:

Johnson College - York, PA

2001 - 2002

Instructional Design & Delivery Consultant

Recruited as an instructor for A+ Service Technician Certification, TrainingProgram.

Cognizant of adult learning theories, ISD methodologies, and new mediatechnologies, provided instruction in computer fundamentals, installation,construction, configuration, upgrading, networking, maintenance andtroubleshooting.

Also provided instruction on operating systems Win9x, WinNT, Win2000, OSfundamentals, installation, and upgrading, device management, diskmanagement, file directory & application management, networking,Internet access configuration, and troubleshooting.

Primary Accomplishment: Turning PC novices into computer professionalscapable of obtaining A+ certification.

Lebanon Fidelity CU - Lebanon, PA

2001


Recruited to train employees in Microsoft Word 97.

Conducted comprehensive instructor led training to People First Fidelityemployees on Microsoft Word 97.

Stampo Company - Pottstown, PA2001


Stampo Company is a commercial bakery with eight operating companiesand more than 200 brands. With more than 8 billion in revenue, Stampomanufactures thousands of products in processing facilities worldwidemarketing them in the more than 85 countries.

Recruited to train Stampo Employees in Microsoft Access 2nd Level.

Provided stand-up classroom instruction to Stampo employees on advancedfeatures of Microsoft Access including, database normalization, form design,and web data access pages.

Free Life Insurance Company - Reading, PA

1998 - 2001

Instructional Design & Delivery Consultant, Technical Writer / WebDesigner / Advanced Technical Support


42/73

Free Life Insurance Company FreeLife has approximately 1.7 trillion of lifeinsurance in force, serving approximately nine million individual householdsin the US. FreeLife currently provides group insurance and retirement andsavings products and services to approximately 64,000 corporations andother institutions, including 86 of the Fortune 100 largest companies.

Recruited to provide hardware, software, and administrative support toclients around the world concerning all hardware, software, and mainframeissues.

Provided outstanding technical support to clients around the worldconcerning hardware and software, mainframe issues, and was responsiblefor new hire training, and the supervision of new consultants.

Primary Accomplishment: the development and implementation of the Free-Entex-Web based informational help desk tool.

The Web tool is designed to integrate context help training materials into a

highly responsive core solution and technical reference.

The context sensitive help improves training while reducing its cost, and theweb tool s Call Flow Processing module reduces costly procedural errors.

Kelsey & Sons, Inc. - Norristown, PA1996 - 1998

Instructional Design and Delivery Specialist / Advanced Technical Support

With annual revenues exceeding 5 billion, Kelsey & Sons is a printer,communications services, and logistics company with over 34,000employees and 55 manufacturing plants worldwide.

Recruited to assist in the implementation and support of Oracle in threestates as well as assist with the instructional design project for OracleInventory, Financials, Distribution, and Manufacturing.

Member of the core team associated with the successful implementation ofOracle.

As a System Resource involved with new client start-ups, handledproduction inventory control issues for warehouse management systems inPennsylvania, Ohio, and Kentucky.

Created the first in house instruction manual on Oracle Customer MastersSetup.

Assisted with the training of users on Oracle as well as proprietarysoftware.

Primary Accomplishment: the development and implementation of bothprocedure and application for order fulfillment of all bulk pick customers,and the training of users in those procedures and application.


43/73

ABC Studio and Lab - Lancaster, PA1976-1996

CEO

A photographer having produced award-winning art, commercial, andportrait photography, with a fully equipped photo studio and color-

processing lab.

In addition to a host of electronic imaging software and equipment, there isa fully stocked makeup room and model-making sculpture studio.

Random List of Accomplishments:

Industry ads for Polygram Records - Mercury Records Division

Sculpture and Photography Exhibited - Everhart Museum, Scranton PA andthe Howard Greenberg Gallery, Woodstock, New York

Recruited by The Catskill Center for Photography, Woodstock, New York toconduct a Master Photography Lighting Seminar.

Recruited to redesign newsletter for the Evidence PhotographersInternational Council

A Theatre and Communication Major: A professional stage performer sincethe age of thirteen, having honed though practical experience, the ability tocapture, communicate, and entertain an audience.

A formally trained actor and public speaker.

An award winning website designer.

TECHNICAL ABILITIES

OS:Dos 3.1 through 7, Windows 3.1, Windows for Workgroups 3.11, Windows95, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows 2000, WindowsXP Professional, Red Hat Linux.

Accounting:Peachtree Complete Accounting, TurboTax for Business, Quick Books Pro2000

Communications:

Connectix Video Phone, Conversa Messenger, Crosstalk Intercomm Suite, CUSee/Me, Eudora Pro 4.0, Internet Phone 5.0, Microsoft NetMeeting, NetOpSchool, and NetOp Remote Control, PcAnywhere, Pretty Good Protection,SmithMicro Hot Fax Messaging Center, Winfax Pro


44/73

Data Bases:Borderbund Dbase 5.0, Corel Paradox, Microsoft Access, Superbase 3.0, FileMaker Pro 5.0

Desktop Publishing:Adobe Acrobat 4.0 full version, Adobe Acrobat 5.0 full version, Adobe

FrameMaker 6.0, Adobe Page Maker 6.5, Corel Ventura 7, Quark XPress4.04, Visio 5, Microsoft Visio 2000

Document Handling:

Delrina Form Flow, Delrina Pro Form, Formbuster Form Wizard, Omni PagePro 8.0, Mips TransForm Suite, Text Bridge Pro

Graphics:Adobe Illustrator 9, Adobe Photosh

tech writing brief

Documents