ARTICULATING TECHNICAL COMMUNICATORS' VALUE TO EMPLOYERS

摘要

In a competitive job market and changing economy, experienced and new technical communicators need to articulate and defend their value to employers. One way to accomplish this is to practice four principles that author Robert B. Reich wrote about in his book The Work of Nations. This paper analyzes the four principles and shows how they are practiced in iFixit, an experiential learning program for technical communication. Also, this paper shows how these principles have been adapted over the years in the study of technical communication. William Hart-Davidson (2001) wrote in Technical Communication, "The knowledge and skills of technical communicators is, indeed, in high demand at the highest level of technological decision-making: research, policy, business planning, management and design. Trouble is, few people know that this expertise is native to technical communication" (146). Aspiring technical communicators, such as myself, find trying to enter the field challenging. We craft our resumes to meet the requirements and qualifications presented on job advertisements, but when it comes time to interview, it can be nerve-racking to articulate our value to prospective employers. How can we showcase our writing, organizational, and content-creating talents in the best way possible? How can we show that we want to enter this community of writers, where innovation and adaptability are virtuous, and allow us to become an essential part of the creative process? In this analysis, I will present several strategies that aspiring and experienced technical communicators can use to showcase their value to employers. I will use the website edu.iFixit.com, an experiential learning program in technical communication to show each strategy being applied, by writing repair instructions. The goal is to show employers we possess the core competencies of technical communication, articulating our importance to the user experience. This articulation can lead to employers seeing us as an asset to their company and their customers. Four strategies are adapted from Robert B. Reich's book The Work of Nations (1991). The book describes the character of a "symbolic-analyst" who can "simplify reality into abstract images that can be rearranged, juggled, experimented with, communicated to other specialists, and then, eventually, transformed back into reality. The manipulations are done with analytic tools, sharpened by experience" (Reich 178). While he describes an ideal education curriculum in his book, his ideas have been applied to technical communication. A scholar outside the field gives a unique perspective to the profession, and his values are exactly what employers are looking for technical communicators to present.