By Nathan Kubicek | Member
The 3.9-trillion-dollar global construction industry is deceptively rife with opportunity for the technical and professional writer. My own path to a professional writing career in construction was circuitous and almost unintentional, but the recent economic travails that have plagued the industry as a whole have created a “new frontier” for professional writers. Now more than ever, progressive companies are putting a renewed focus into marketing strategies, internal communication, and documentation management, in order to be leaner competitors in an increasingly cutthroat industry.
I didn't begin my career with a roadmap or any real thought about what an “ideal” job might mean to me. When I graduated college with a degree in technical and professional writing, my goal was to find a job as a technical writer in one of the “standard” technical writing industries in my region: manufacturing or software. My aspirations weren't lofty at that point. I needed to find a job that afforded me three meals per day and I wanted to use my degree. Luckily, I found a job in the manufacturing industry that satisfied both requirements. My first job as a Jr. Technical Writer was challenging, rewarding, and it proved to be a valuable learning experience. I wrote process guides, reformatted company documentation, and edited training curricula. Most importantly I discovered that, while I enjoyed the technical writing profession, I might find a more rewarding career in an industry that better aligned with my own interests and background. I had grown up around construction and have always been fascinated by the building process. I also had a longtime interest in grant writing, and when I discovered that a large and progressive construction company was hiring a grant writer, I leapt at the opportunity.
Grant Writing and Technical Writing
I was offered the job and began at Crossland Construction Company, seeking funding opportunities for innovative construction education projects at regional schools. As is the case with most writing jobs, the position rapidly evolved to include a mélange of technical, professional, and grant-writing assignments. I wasn't surprised by the expansion of my original job description, but I was surprised to learn that most general contractors don't maintain a fulltime team of professional and technical writers. The amount of documentation generated by the construction process is staggering! There are RFPs, RFQs, bid packages, contracts, subcontracts, liens, scheduling, pre-planning, bonding requirements, and the list goes on. There are thousands of project details that not only need to be tracked, but they need to be organized and made accessible for quick retrieval in the future. As a technical writer, the organization, formatting, and dissemination of historical data is vital to being able to “sell” a company to potential clients.
Marketing
In addition to the challenges faced by capturing and managing the vast amount of raw project data, professional writers are tasked with converting that information into marketable content for potential clients. The construction industry is filled with left-brained, technical thinkers that typically are more comfortable with math than the written word. A professional writer in this industry must “translate” the technical composition of a building into accessible and illustrative language that potential clients can use to make informed decisions. When a project is complete, our marketing department captures photographs and tells the story of the entire construction process on a single-page, summarizing profile sheet. It takes a professional writer to be able to succinctly capture the activities and outcomes of projects that, in many cases, take years to complete.
Internal Communication
The bigger any company gets and the more successful they become, the greater the need becomes for well written, internal communication. Successful communication of company initiatives through various social media, a company intranet, and organic word-of-mouth are vital in allowing employees to be good ambassadors of the company. In the construction industry, many employees are nomadic, so company communication needs to be mobile and easily accessible on multiple media platforms.
As previously stated, the construction industry, in my view, is the new frontier in professional writing. Many facets of technical and professional writing will become more necessary as the industry continues to grow and evolve. Communication of services, the management of company data, and the ability to keep employees informed will continue to be a challenge best faced by a professional and technical writer.
