What are the most in-demand skills for technical writers and documentation specialists?

Technical writers are intermediate people who communicate with everyone from technical experts, and product specialists to a layman who needs to know about the product. Effective communication and grammar, information architecture and related tools, API documentation, and related tools are some skills in demand for a content specialist. Learning to work in agile methodology, learning a coding language of their choice (Java, Python), and learning to create new content sites using site generators are always the best add-ons one could equip themselves with.

Tech writers are essential for creating clear and concise documentation for complex technical concepts. They possess a unique set of skills that bridge the gap between technical experts and end-users. These skills include strong technical knowledge, excellent writing abilities, research proficiency, adaptability, attention to detail, collaboration and communication skills, user empathy, organization and time management, visual communication skills, and a commitment to continuous learning.

The primary skill is the ability to think and document for and from the perspective of the end user. Any technology or tool that can enhance this process is a skill to be acquired. Writing and illustrating with clarity of the topics and concepts and involving information from all individual stakeholders is the key.

Of course, a good technical writer is adept in their chosen language. But what makes a great technical writer? The ability to perspective-take. By considering the perspective of their reader, a tech writer can create a simple, well-structured document that answers the reader's questions. By taking the perspective of their internal stakeholders, a tech writer is able to manage many (often conflicting) requirements, aligning the project team on the needs of their user. Requesting documentation feedback from busy subject matter experts is a difficult task, and leading with empathy can make the request process easier.

A technical writer obviously needs a good grasp of the language, the ability to string words together, and an understanding of the industry and end users they are writing for, as a start. In editing, the primary skill I think is important is the ability to combine input from multiple people and end up with a cohesive and comprehensive whole that has a single voice.

So much of technical writing happens before the writing part! A good tech writer needs to use the tools they are documenting, interview SMEs, and ask the right questions so that once you start writing, you can create documentation that fills the needs of the end user.

Knowing your audience is key to being able to effectively communicate complicated information in an easy to understand format. You must be able to effectively communicate with a subject matter expert, analyze and understand the material so you can determine the best verbiage, tools, and format to use for your audience.

I believe that the ability to grasp complex information and present it to the intended audience in smaller chunks that addresses a specific issue is more important. The simpler it is to understand and the easier it is to access is the key to success for any technical writer.

Besides knowing markup languages, it is also important and very useful to know programming languages. The first reason is that it helps to deeply understand working principles of the software. The second reason is that you can write your own scripts that help you to modernize documentation, ensure consistency, and improve accuracy and readability of the content.

Technical writers connect stakeholders together. When a deficiency in communication happens between stakeholders, you may have to bridge that gap: your engineer may rely heavily on technical jargon, the draft you receive may have usability issues, or management may promote choices not in the interest of the user. As an expert communicator, you’ll often need to provide solutions to these and other problems.

I am fortunate in my current position to be a part of the product design team, so I have folks I can turn to if I need help with getting the design aspects right. It is absolutely important to involve designers, particularly when just starting a project. As a technical writer, your primary job is the words, but if the words are not accessible or easy to navigate, no one is going to read them. I spend a good deal of time visiting help documentation across a number of industries to get a feel for where help center design is going.

As a technical writer in the field of software documentation, you are expected to learn and understand new technologies and concepts quickly. Your role is to explain technical knowledge to an audience, most of the time in areas you may be unfamiliar with. Good research and information-gathering skills, as well as a curious, creative, and problem-solving mindset, are essential to succeeding in this role.

The most in-demand skill a technical writer has to possess, aside from writing proficiency and technical expertise in their field, is empathy. Empathy for your audience and the readers of your work. Empathy helps you anticipate the questions and concerns your readers may have and address them proactively. Putting yourself in the shoes of your readers enables you to see and experience their pain points and challenges firsthand. By understanding their needs and frustrations, you are able to tailor your writing style and tone to match the mindset of your audience and create content that resonates with them and addresses their specific concerns.

Aptitude for technology and attitude to learn and grow As technology is becoming more accessible and easy for end users, it becomes more complex and difficult at the backend. Tech writers should understand this complex backend technologies to be able to deliver a great information experience to customers. Learning never stops for tech writers - whether it's new technologies, new trend in tech writing, or revisitng and revamping existing content. A constant learn and grow mindset is critical for success in this profession.

Something that is absolutely critical is to fully understand if the solution / product you are documenting or providing training for is an update or a whole new installation. Being able to speak to, document and provide examples for the change management side of how this is going to effect the end user community is essential. Adding "this is how you used to do it and this is how you will do it now" documentation is really important. All of it, the good and the bad and how to make the bad, not so bad. Nobody likes change, how you implement the solution can set the tone for how the entire organization accepts it. Food for thought. 😊

Being a technical person doesn't always make for a good technical writer, and finding the balance between being able to express exact technical information and making it easy to digest takes time, this doesn't mean you can't translate the information in your head into a document for an end user, a peer or otherwise. I find it best not to try and jump straight to a tense perfect, grammer concise document, otherwise you'll wrap yourself in knots, start with getting the exact details down first, even if it's close to how you'd talk it out loud. Then take the time to review, reword and edit, making sure not only is the technical detail conveyed, but it's accurate, understandable, and shows a clear path to the end result.