Tech Writing is a Personality Game

This weekend, I visited with my friend's mother. Her friend from out-of-town happened to be staying with her.

I have had the pleasure of meeting the friend before. This woman had been a computer programmer back during the dawn of the computer age, when computers took up entire rooms, if not buildings. And what never escapes me each time I meet her is that her personality is exactly what you would expect of a woman computer programmer from the '50s: piercing yet friendly gaze, measured and deliberate clip when speaking, methodical way of moving about, etc.

The meeting reminded me of what my Favourite Recruiter of All Time once told me- tech writing is all about personality. And it struck me, as I thought a bit about this woman pioneer, that the personality of a winning technical writer runs counter to what most job sites indicate. Indeed, a survey of those Jobs for Introverts lists should include software engineers, because it is a job where you are typically left alone to figure out how to meet the specifications. But a technical writer? I think we would be better represented if we go on the Extroverts list.

Why, you might ask? If you consider for a moment that at least 75% of your time as a tech writer is spent doing research, you'll have your answer. Research involves understanding various personalities, and interacting with those personalities in such a way as to garner the necessary information to produce your materials. If you're a quiet type who is left floundering when faced with talking to people, then tech writing will prove difficult for you. And since my tech comm program was highly selective, the fact that every last student in the program was quite outgoing is instructive. Our personalities were as important a factor in our gaining entry as our work/study histories.

That's not to say that you need to be the life of the party in order to do well as a technical writer. In fact, you would be better served if you left that the Sales team. But a knack at getting people to talk to you will serve you well in your career, as will managing to get along with different personalities in general.

Happy job hunting!