Technical Writing Job Test

Table of Contents

Take this Technical Writing Job Test before deciding on a technical writing career

If you are just starting out on your professional career or thinking to make a career change, you might want to use the below check list to see if technical writing would be the correct choice for you.

1) Are you good with language?

Have you been noted since you were a child for your ease with spoken and written words? That’s a must for a technical writer.

Correct answer: YES

2) Do you like to work outdoors?

Technical writing is an indoors activity.

Correct answer: NO

3) Do you like to work with others?

Technical writing is not a solitary activity. It’s a group effort. You’ll need to interact with a number of different experts to get the job done.

Correct answer: YES

4) Do you like technology?

You’ll need to learn new technical concepts and systems on a regular basis so that you’ll be able to describe them to others in a language they can understand.

Correct answer: YES

5) Do you need a byline?

Do you need to become famous? Technical writers usually do not earn any bylines. They do not sign their work. They mostly remain anonymous.

Correct answer: NO

6) Are you patient with details?

Technical writing takes a lot of patience for learning complicated systems and a painstaking dedication to details. If you are an impatient person by nature, you may want to consider another line of work for yourself.

Correct answer: YES

7) Do you care for correctness and accuracy?

If you feel at home with the idea that things “may be wrong from time to time,” or the idea that “if a statement is not 100% true it’s not a big deal,” then you probably need another line of work since as a technical writer you may end up writing the operational procedures for a nuclear plant or an airforce base.

Correct answer: YES

8) Do you need a steady monthly income?

Steady monthly income can be generated either by steady full-time employment or a steady volume of freelance technical writing jobs. There is a good market for technical writing (including medical writing) out there to make that dream a possibility. If that is a goal for you, then you should seriously consider switching to technical writing even though, like anything else in life, there are is no 100% guarantee that you’ll accomplish that goal right away. Sometimes it takes time to find the right tech writing job. But patience usually pays.

Correct answer: YES

9) Do you care for job benefits?

Would you like to have health insurance both for you and your loved ones, paid annual vacations as well as sick and personal days, a retirement plan a part of which is paid by your employer, paid job training, opportunity to travel and participate in exciting professional meetings and activities? The specific contents of the total benefit package varies from one employer and position to another but usually a full-time technical writing position comes with such a package. If you care about such benefits a full-time employment as a technical writer might be an excellent choice for you.