—Liz Pohland
I frequently hear concerns from technical communicators about increased pressure to prove their value to hiring managers and employers. But I often wonder how this can be accomplished amidst such rapid technological change, advancements in how we manage content, and outdated or poorly written job descriptions. Two articles in this issue suggest ways we might approach the concern.
In their article, “TechCom 2.0: Reinventing Our Relevance in the 2000s,” Jack Molisani and Scott Abel explain how, as a result of the exciting and rapid changes in technology, technical communicators must learn new skills and market themselves in new ways. Through interviews with hiring managers, they suggest that emphasizing technical writing in our job descriptions may not be as effective as it once was and that our portfolios need to include a more expanded skillset. Using a SWOT analysis, they evaluate five strengths (core competencies) and weaknesses to most technical communication roles.
In an interesting juxtaposition, Connie Lewis has also written an article on providing value, however, as her title suggests (“Leading from the ‘Write’”), she emphasizes the writing and collaboration skills technical communicators bring to their projects and to project managers as evidence of their value.
In the other two articles, Geoff Hart and Brad Connatser provide specific examples of ways to improve your work. If you’re working with data and graphs, follow Connatser’s advice on the limitations of bubble charts. If you need a new approach to process management, try Hart’s recommendation of the Kaizen method.
Finally, I invite readers to visit Intercom online to comment on these articles and to submit ideas for future articles (to intercom@stc.org). Upcoming issues will focus on mobile communication, visual design, and technical editing. Visit http://intercom.stc.org/write-for-intercom/editorial-calendar/ to see the full calendar, deadlines, and writing guidelines.
Speaking of keeping up with technological change, I was surprised to see that the article references in this note from the editor are not hyperlinks. Yes, when I reduced the zoom level of the page and looked around, I realized that this is the cover page of an online version of a magazine, and that the referenced articles’ links are at the bottom-right, under Table of Contents. But that took effort, and what if my native language were not English? Keeping up with technological change (from the last millennium, let alone this one, includes adjusting print material for the web, and considering readers from different backgrounds.