Feature

Ten Steps to Getting a Writing Job

by John Collins

You've decided to become a technical writer, and are looking for your first job in the field. Or, perhaps, you're already a technical writer, but are looking for a change of venue. You've sharpened up your résumé, pulled out the newspaper Careers section, found an ad, and consider yourself the ideal candidate—the person for whom the ad was written in the first place. Once you drop your application in the mail, however, you feel a little less confident, a day or two goes by and you become certain you'll get one of those all-too-familiar form letters, so sweet in their rejection. But then the phone rings, and you are called to come in. Oh no, you never counted on actually getting an interview!

As a manager in a documentation services firm, I regularly find myself in the position of assessing the qualities of applicants for writing positions. Through many interviews over several years, I've come to recognize fairly quickly what impresses me and what doesn't; what inclines me to ask someone back, and what immediately closes the door. The ten tips that follow sum up, in a general way, the things I find important when interviewing.

1. Send a Covering Letter

The first step toward a successful interview is, of course, getting the interview itself. That event is usually preceded by sending a résumé, either unsolicited or in response to an ad. Your résumé may sing praises about your skills and talents, but unless it is accompanied by a covering letter, I won't read it. Nor, in fact, will our firm even acknowledge its receipt.

The reasons are two-fold. First, if you haven't extended me the courtesy of writing a personal letter explaining why you are sending your résumé, why should I write a letter explaining why I am rejecting your application? Second, and equally important, the position being sought is that of a writer. The unwillingness to write a letter does not reflect particularly well on someone wishing to fill a position that requires such skills. A good letter demonstrates creative talent, insight, and ability; it helps convince me that you sincerely want to work for me. It opens the door.

2. Be on Time

This may seem an obvious point, but it's an important and often misunderstood one. You see, while applicants are rarely late for an interview, they are often irritatingly early. Most people looking to hire a new employee are busy. Schedules are tight, and any bumps in the road can only serve to increase tension. If I'm not in a meeting and an applicant arrives 20 minutes early, I'm either obliged to start before I'm ready, or leave him or her waiting until the appointed time. Call me a softy, but that makes me feel a little guilty right from the start, and guilt generally transforms into resentment. A good rule of thumb is to arrive five minutes before your scheduled time, even if it means waiting outside for 15 minutes before going in.

3. Dress Well

Too many interviewees show up in what is obviously their only pair of dress pants (complete with dress Reeboks); I've had people with holes in their shirts, stains on their clothes, a general unkempt appearance, and slovenly manner. While a "GQ" look isn't necessary, success, in this or any business, includes being well-groomed. When I'm interviewing someone, I become our client. I have to assume that you are arriving at this interview looking as good as I could ever expect you to look before one of our clients.

4. Show Confidence

An interview is, of course, an assessment of how well you might do if given a position. You must be able to discern the appropriate time to listen and the appropriate time to speak. You must be able to demonstrate a general level of competence, to immediately put the client (me) at ease by showing your understanding of the task. You must know what is expected of you, and clearly communicate that knowledge. You must be able to allow the client to relax.

Likewise, you should take control of an interview in a subtle fashion. Direct the questions with your answers; lead the discussion into areas that demonstrate your competence and skills; highlight your achievements and attributes. Look me in the eye, not challengingly, but confidently; answer completely, and segue into broader topics of discussion; speak clearly and directly. Take charge. Again, I become the client in an interview, and I want to know I'm in good hands.

5. Try to Build Trust

This point travels hand-in-hand with the previous one. You need to gain the trust of the interviewer. You need to convince me that a client would trust you with their project, not to mention thousands of dollars of their money.

Trust is gained in many subtle ways, and in different ways for different people. With me, one of the keys is conceptual intelligence. I need to know that you can grasp concepts quickly, almost immediately; that's a crucial part of gaining a client's trust, and so a crucial part of gaining mine. Demonstrate a keen grasp of concepts, and a large measure of native intelligence, and you've gone a long way.

6. Know Something about the Company

Any company you may want to work for likely has a reputation, a specific focus for their business, and clients they have worked for in the past. They market themselves in a certain fashion, and likely have material that explains that to whomever wishes to know. Find these things out. Go to the library, get marketing information, find out what successes the company has had, who they've done work for in the past, how they position themselves among their competition (and who that competition is).

If you are just looking for a job as a writer somewhere, and can't be bothered to do a little research into where you are planning a career, then I'm not interested. This may not hold true at all companies, and it also depends on the level of position you are seeking, but knowing a little bit about who you are going to talk to will never hurt you, and can possibly greatly benefit you.

7. Don't Ramble

In an interview, you need to be personable and forthcoming; you need to amplify all of your answers with meaningful, focussed dialogue. In a first interview, however, you should not engage in idle chat. Don't feel that you need to make friends with me because, frankly, I don't have time for it. I've got a dozen other people to see, and all I want to discover at this point is if you are worth talking to further.

That's not to say you should be cold and impersonal. You need to demonstrate your ability to interact well, both with clients and with members of your team, but don't overdo it. A different relationship may form in later interviews and if you are hired, but for now you need to remain strictly professional.

8. Bring Samples

Even if you're not asked to bring samples, bring them anyway. I want to see them. It is perfectly acceptable if you aren't able to make copies and only bring the samples to show at the interview. I can take a few minutes and look through them then, and read a few passages of your work. A few photocopied pages to keep on hand to remind me of your skills later would help, though.

Also, don't worry if the only samples you have don't match the job you are seeking. When I look at a sample of writing, I am not looking, necessarily, for an example of a chapter about installing accounting software on a mainframe. I want to see how you construct your sentences, organize your thoughts, and make words flow; I want to hear the rhythm in your writing, and the sensuality of your words.

9.Offer References

Third-party confirmation is a valuable thing. I need to have those wonderful things you had said about yourself confirmed by someone who does not have a vested interest in your success (in other words, your mother or best friend do not make fully credible references).

Provide at least three references, at least two from people who have supervised or managed you. Even if you have never worked as a writer before, your work habits in past jobs say a lot about your possibility for future success. If you haven't worked at all, provide names of professors. If you can't come up with anybody to provide as a reference, I am left to wonder why, and assume that it's because nobody likes you.

10. Follow Up

You have done all of the right things, gotten through the interview, and feel quite positive about your chances. I've said I will get back to you in about a week one way or the other, we shook hands, and you left. You need to keep control of your destiny here by following up. If you said you would provide anything to me (forgotten samples, references, etc.), do it right away, that afternoon or the next day. After you've dropped off the samples, call and ensure I received them. Show that you want the job.

There is a fine line to walk here. It is important that I remember who you are, and seeing your name on a telephone message will remind me of that. When you leave a message, however, be explicit. If I just see your name and number, I'll probably assume you are just pestering me.

If you remember the above points, and carry them out rigorously, you've done all you can. You still may not get the job, but it will not be through lack of preparedness.