Technical Writer Resume Example & Writing Guide
- What should your technical writer resume include?
- How can you create a professional summary?
- How should you describe your work experience as a technical writer?
- Include a fitting technical writer resume education and certifications section
- Which key skills are relevant for a technical writer resume?
- How to select the most impactful technical writer resume template
- Copyable technical writer resume example
- Key takeaways for writing a technical writer resume
Craft a standout technical writer resume with our job-winning resume example and expert writing guide. Discover how to present your technical expertise and top-flight communication skills, including professional insights on content, formatting, and structure to ensure that you market yourself as the best technical writer for the job.
Rapid advances in technology show no signs of slowing down and neither does the demand for talented technical writers. But, while you may find it a breeze to author clear and concise technical specifications, user guides, and manuals, writing about yourself in your resume is a whole different prospect.
This resume guide and technical writer resume example will cover the following topics:
What should a technical writer resume include
Advice on each section of your resume (summary, work history, education)
Adding relevant key skills to your resume
Choosing the right resume template for a technical writer
What should your technical writer resume include?
When you’re applying for a job as a technical writer, it’s important to show that you have the specific skills and experience required to thrive in the role. You'll want to display your ability to deliver accurate and user-friendly technical documentation in line with key project milestones. Communicating the value you can bring to a potential employer is also important and can help you stand out from the competition.
Your technical writer resume should contain the following elements:
The resume header with your contact information
The resume summary
The employment history section
The resume skills section
The education section
How can you create a professional summary?
For your technical writer resume to be successful you’ll need to open with a strong and convincing professional summary. This is the first section the hiring manager will see, so it needs to clearly communicate your technical writing capabilities and the added value you can bring to the table.
One way to spark the hiring manager’s interest is to include a “branding statement” at the beginning of your profile. This short, catchy statement (15 to 20 words) should outline the level and scope of your technical writing career in such a way that the reader is keen to read on and learn more about you.
Follow this with a short paragraph of three or four sentences that provides more specifics on your hard skills (industry-specific) and soft skills. This could include your experience in collating technical information, creating high-quality user guides and manuals, collaborating with key stakeholders, and leading top-performing writing teams.
See our adaptable technical writer resume summary below.
Industrious Senior Technical Writer with a comprehensive background in developing accurate, user-friendly technical documentation. Excellent communication skills, able to liaise effectively with project teams and internal/external stakeholders to gather relevant product information and requirements. Expert in authoring clear, concise technical specifications, user guides, manuals, and release notes to support deadline-driven software product launches. Highly organized project manager with ability to allocate tasks, track project progress across departments, and cooperate with vendors and third parties to ensure timely project completion. Motivational leader and mentor who thrives on supporting team members and new hires.
How should you describe your work experience as a technical writer?
The all-important professional experience section is your opportunity to align your technical writing experience with the advertised role. The devil is in the details here. The first thing to do is review (and re-review) the job description to identify the essential requirements of the role. Look out for skills and experience that are repeated or emphasized as these are the areas you need to focus on.
Balance short paragraphs of core responsibilities, with bullet-pointed achievements, making sure to include details of your project wins as much as possible. Even without quantifiable results, you can describe ways you excelled, such as highlighting the range of deliverables produced or key technologies mastered
For example:
Learned to use AuthorIt, a single-source authoring tool, to create sophisticated documents while also developing online and instructor-led courses for the technical writing team.
Take a look at the adaptable technical writer resume employment history section below.
Senior Technical Writer at Oracle Corporation, Bedford, MA 2015 - present
Oversee the development and management of technical documentation for all Oracle products and services.
Collaborate with various departments, including Engineering, Support, Product Management, and Services to author product launch documents, such as user guides, technical specifications, and instructions as well as infographics and customer journey maps for print and online.
Utilize JIRA and Confluence to track progress in an Agile environment and provide updates to management.
Perform extensive research to identify possible areas of improvement based on user feedback and develop technical solutions to troubleshoot issues.
Design training videos for multiple software applications while arranging voice-over talents to present features effectively.
Supervised top-performing, cross-functional project team tasked with improving the onboarding experience for small-to-medium business customers, receiving numerous client accolades.
Wrote content for user interface objects, including window titles, error messages, and tips.
Technical Writer at Oracle Corporation, Bedford, MA 2010 - 2014
Consulted with engineers to gather requirements for technical product features, preparing detailed documents to meet aggressive release schedules.
Developed and consistently updated technical documentation, including installation guides, database schema documents, and user guides.
Wrote release notes, including known issues, to support software products and software updates. Utilized JIRA to document work and track progress.
Worked in PDF and HTML formats to export final documentation.
Developed PDF documents for technical specifications, requirements documents, and other technical literature.
Translated complex technical concepts into concise, easy-to-follow user documents.
Information Developer at Phase Forward, Incorporated, Waltham, MA 2007 - 2010
Designed detailed training courses for software applications and conducted classes at various locations for multiple business partners.
Gathered product information and customer specifications through interviews, document analyses, requirement workshops, business process descriptions, and use cases scenarios.
Learned to use AuthorIt, a single-source authoring tool, to create sophisticated documents while also developing online and instructor-led courses for professional development.
Became highly familiar with the Waterfall development cycle, using it to streamline processes and enhance efficiency.
Expert Tip
Avoid using too much technical jargon on your resume
As a technical writer, there’s bound to be a lot of technical references on your resume. However, overusing industry-specific jargon can have a negative effect, particularly if your resume is being screened by HR staff or recruiters who don’t have a technical background. Using the job description as your guide, focus on how your actions helped the organization rather than overdoing the technical jargon or acronyms.
Include a fitting technical writer resume education and certifications section
Highlighting your degrees, credentials, and certifications the right way is vital on your technical writer resume; recruiters will want to see that you’re suitably qualified for the job opening. Here’s some key areas to focus on:
List your education in reverse order with the highest degree first. Keep it short and sweet, detailing just the degree level, area of study, university name, and location.
List any technical proficiencies in a separate section. Specific platforms and tools you have used as a technical writer should be highlighted as will be of great interest to recruiters. These can be placed after your professional experience and before the education section so they are more prominent.
Master of Education in Elementary Education at Southern New Hampshire University, Manchester, NH
Bachelor of Arts in English at Clemson University, Clemson, SC
Which key skills are relevant for a technical writer resume?
When deciding which skills to include on your resume, look closely at the technical writer job listing so you can identify the terms that are repeated or emphasized as important. Sprinkle these keywords across the resume, incorporating ones specific to each job opportunity in the areas of expertise section.
This ensures that your resume performs well not only when reviewed by a human but also when parsed by applicant tracking systems many companies now use. (To learn more about conquering the ATS, check out our article on resume ATS optimization.) Consider including the following skills:
Technical documentation
Research & development
Full lifecycle project management
Technical manuals & user guides
Research and development
Stakeholder engagement
Cross-functional collaboration
How to select the most impactful technical writer resume template
The best format to use is a clean and organized resume template with clear sections to maximize readability. You only have mere seconds to impress a recruiter scanning your resume, so having the essential information in a clear format is vital.
Stick to reverse chronological order for your professional experience section to make your most recent and relevant work experience prominent. Keep it concise and to the point, across one or two pages.
When exploring our many resume templates in our resume builder, select the resume layout that fits your situation best. Find inspiration with over 100 available resume examples.
Copyable technical writer resume example
Summary example
Industrious Senior Technical Writer with a comprehensive background in developing accurate, user-friendly technical documentation. Excellent communication skills, able to liaise effectively with project teams and internal/external stakeholders to gather relevant product information and requirements. Expert in authoring clear, concise technical specifications, user guides, manuals, and release notes to support deadline-driven software product launches. Highly organized project manager with ability to allocate tasks, track project progress across departments, and cooperate with vendors and third parties to ensure timely project completion. Motivational leader and mentor who thrives on supporting team members and new hires.
Employment history example
Senior Technical Writer at Oracle Corporation, Bedford, MA 2015 - present
Oversee the development and management of technical documentation for all Oracle products and services.
Collaborate with various departments, including Engineering, Support, Product Management, and Services to author product launch documents, such as user guides, technical specifications, and instructions as well as infographics and customer journey maps for print and online.
Utilize JIRA and Confluence to track progress in an Agile environment and provide updates to management.
Perform extensive research to identify possible areas of improvement based on user feedback and develop technical solutions to troubleshoot issues.
Design training videos for multiple software applications while arranging voice-over talents to present features effectively.
Supervised top-performing, cross-functional project team tasked with improving the onboarding experience for small-to-medium business customers, receiving numerous client accolades.
Wrote content for user interface objects, including window titles, error messages, and tips.
Technical Writer at Oracle Corporation, Bedford, MA 2010 - 2014
Consulted with engineers to gather requirements for technical product features, preparing detailed documents to meet aggressive release schedules.
Developed and consistently updated technical documentation, including installation guides, database schema documents, and user guides.
Wrote release notes, including known issues, to support software products and software updates. Utilized JIRA to document work and track progress.
Worked in PDF and HTML formats to export final documentation.
Developed PDF documents for technical specifications, requirements documents, and other technical literature.
Translated complex technical concepts into concise, easy-to-follow user documents.
Information Developer at Phase Forward, Incorporated, Waltham, MA 2007 - 2010
Designed detailed training courses for software applications and conducted classes at various locations for multiple business partners.
Gathered product information and customer specifications through interviews, document analyses, requirement workshops, business process descriptions, and use cases scenarios.
Learned to use AuthorIt, a single-source authoring tool, to create sophisticated documents while also developing online and instructor-led courses for professional development.
Became highly familiar with the Waterfall development cycle, using it to streamline processes and enhance efficiency.
Education example
Master of Education in Elementary Education at Southern New Hampshire University, Manchester, NH
Bachelor of Arts in English at Clemson University, Clemson, SC
Skills example
C++, Java, JavaScript, Perl, IRIS, In-Design, Jira, Confluence, AuthorIt, Oracle, Adobe Dreamweaver and Notepad++, MS Office Suite.
Technical Documentation & Editing
Research & Development
Technical Manuals & User Guides
Product Launch / Implementation
Stakeholder Communication
Client Relationship Management
Team Leadership & Mentoring
Key takeaways for writing a technical writer resume
Technical writing is in demand but also a competitive field, so it’s vital to have a resume that showcases your technical skills, experience, and project wins in a succinct and impactful way.
Mention core technologies and key projects in your resume relevant to the job opening to let the hiring manager know the added value you will bring to their organization.
Target your resume for recruiters and applicant tracking systems by including keywords in each section. Use the job description for keywords to match.
Make your life easier by using our online resume builder to create your technical writer resume with adaptable templates and AI-powered content.
