This isn’t a new topic. Convincing others why trained and experienced technical communicators are valuable in an organization—and should be paid accordingly—seems to be an ongoing conversation in the tech comm world. As someone currently in the midst of a job search, I also need to communicate why my skills and abilities are more valuable than those of the people I’m competing with, which is a related discussion.
Recently Tom Johnson put together a collaborative post to address a reader’s concern that wages in our field seem to be dropping. The reader was concerned that it might be because too many of us are agreeing to those lower wages. That may be the case, but as several people commented, the current economy has changed the rules of the game and a substandard wage is better than no wage when it comes to putting food on the table and paying your mortgage. Yes, it would be nice if we could all hold out for what we think we’re worth, but reality trumps desire sometimes.
Aside from direct monetary concerns, though, several commenters addressed the larger issue of how we should communicate our value. Most people in the field these days seem to agree that being a good writer isn’t what differentiates us anymore, whether it’s a matter of “anyone can write” or organizations are simply happy with “good enough” and really don’t care to pay for perfection. I find this a little ironic since one of the first steps in every interview process I’ve encountered has been to provide traditional writing samples. Only one place asked for links to an online presence such as a blog.
So if it isn’t the art of writing anymore, what does differentiate us, both from people who “think they can write” and from each other when competing for a job? I like Linda O’s comment to Tom’s post. She says,
Good technical communicators must know how to make connections, put ideas into context, answer questions before they are asked, and be advocates for users. Our strength is in selling ourselves as thinkers and communicators and people who can make a difference in the bottom line of a company.
These are the types of things I need to demonstrate with qualitative examples when I go on interviews, and ultimately how we can advance and extend our worth as a profession. In my case, I’m hoping articulating the value of being a trained (with a master’s degree) technical communicator will make me a better overall candidate than someone who may have domain knowledge but doesn’t talk about audience analysis, content strategy, project management, or minimalist techniques. Tools and technologies are important to employers, too, but learning how to think and put ideas together in a way that benefits users can, as Linda points out, ultimately have an impact on the bottom line when it comes to customers.
I didn’t respond to the low wage question on Tom’s blog, but I have a thought, so I’ll share it here. It has to do with another of our eternal questions regarding whether to be called technical writers and technical communicators. I’m not going to get into that except to call out the difference between a writer and a communicator. Writing is only one form of communication.
We need to be proficient in many forms of communication and media and to understand when each one is called for. We should know how to produce graphics and video. Yes, you have YouTube, so “anyone can make a video,” but not anyone can make a video that makes the company look good. And graphics take particular skills that you can’t get just anywhere, so it’s good for us to develop those skills. We should know when using social media is appropriate for a situation, and so on. I think this is a big part of what can set us apart. Sometimes, we may even become the voice of the project team toward the audience, the consumer.
Hi Peggy,
I think a lot of people underestimate the value of documentation and technical writers/communicators. At the same time though, I think technical writers can also underestimate their own value, and underestimate the high opinion that others have of their work. If your work is good, people will recognise it. Of course, you don’t always hear the good feedback, but if a few people remark that they find the documentation very helpful, chances are this is what a lot of others think too.
Jason
@Ben – Thanks for your comments. I agree, good communication entails a whole lot more than just writing and documentation is becoming much more visual in today’s world. As technical writers/communicators we need to have a much broader skill set that includes knowledge of graphics and video and how to incorporate them effectively in our deliverables.
@Jason – You’re right, people do usually appreciate good work when they see it, even if you don’t get that tangible pat on the back. The challenge is convincing them to give you the opportunity to provide the work of a good technical communicator in the first place.