Are there any technical writer jobs available in the Washington D.C. area? (Arlington: expense, employers)

[slaminjamin87]

Originally Posted by kutra11

Please treat this as constructive criticism... ...

Yasin:

You should really improve your writing skills. Your posts are rife with grammatical errors. Tech-Writing Hiring Managers have a very, very low threshold for forgiving typos and errors when reviewing resumes from Tech Writers. They expect their fellow brethren to be as meticulous as possible when it comes to writing.

If you have a resume and a cover letter, comb through it with the most minute details. Your resume and cover letter reflect who you are and what you do for a living... ...that is, you write, and they are supposed to present your superior writing skills! Unlike a developer who can get his/her foot through the door with a sloppy resume (purely by virtue of technical key words) and then impress the hiring managers by writing code in the interview, your challenge or opportunity to impress the hiring manager starts with having an impeccable resume and cover letter.

A lot of companies have written tests during the in-person interview. This is to evaluate the candidate's writing skills. They do it because it is hard to judge if the pre-interview, submitted written samples were really written by the candidate.

Good luck!

Thanks for your helpful advice Kutra11. I do try to improve on my writing skills on a daily basis, and if I made several grammar mistakes, I'm very sorry. I'm just trying to let out my feelings and frustration on this forum to describe my job search experience.

Anyway, my resume itself is very good, but the problem is that I don't have 4-6 years of experience and a security clearance, which most companies do require in their job description.

[CAVA1990]

Originally Posted by slaminjamin87

Anyway, my resume itself is very good, but the problem is that I don't have 4-6 years of experience and a security clearance, which most companies do require in their job description.

Remember, they put their "dream on" list of qualifications in the posting. That doesn't mean that's what they're going to end up bringing in. With the shortage of good people with some skillsets within allowable pay ranges, they'll often compromise in one or more areas to get the best person available at the time for the price. I know plenty of people who've gotten clearance jobs who didn't have one until the hiring company helped them get an interim one.

[slaminjamin87]

I understand your point CAVA1990, and I did apply to some jobs with clearance requirements and I haven't had any good luck on those so far.

For example, two months ago, I had an interview for a technical writer position at Six3 Systems in Tysons Corner. Six3 Systems is a defense contractor company created by Harding Security Associates (HSA). The interview itself went very well, and the vice president did ask me if I had a security clearance. I did told them that I don't have a clearance but I can easily get one. The VP did say that not having a clearance will not factor into their decision making process for their next candidate.

Two weeks later, they decided to hire another candidate because they had a security clearance. The VP and hiring manager did liked my resume, but they went with a more experienced candidate. At that point, I stopped applying for technical writer positions that require a clearance. I just feel that I get discriminated in these interviews one way or another.

[Carlingtonian]

Originally Posted by kutra11

Please treat this as constructive criticism... ...

You should really improve your writing skills. Your posts are rife with grammatical errors. Tech-Writing Hiring Managers have a very, very low threshold for forgiving typos and errors when reviewing resumes from Tech Writers. They expect their fellow brethren to be as meticulous as possible when it comes to writing.

I realize you meant this constructively, and the recipient of your advice was much more gracious than many folks would have been. But if you're going to ding someone on his/her writing (and in a public forum, no less), make sure your own writing is perfect. (Better yet, do it in a PM.)

There is no reason to caplitalize "hiring managers" or "tech writers." Those aren't proper nouns; the former is just a generic noun, and the latter is just a title. (Only in German are all nouns capitalized. Yeah, yeah, I know most federal government writers love to do the same, but that doesn't make it right.) In addition, "fellow brethren" is redundant. You also used an ellipsis (actually, two of them) where you should've used a semicolon (in your second paragraph).

I'm an editor by profession--for the feds, in fact--and I'd gauge your writing and his (or hers) in this thread to be around the same level of grammatical correctness: overall, pretty good. (In fact, I'd put his a little above yours.) I also took a quick look at our friend's other posts, and they seem to be quite grammatical (especially for an Internet forum), so I don't see the basis for your criticism. (If you're alluding to what are obviously typos, well, we all make our share of those if we type too fast, too late at night, or after too many glasses of wine.)

That said, I agree with your admonition to make sure the cover letter and resume are perfect.

[CAVA1990]

Originally Posted by Carlingtonian

I realize you meant this constructively, and the recipient of your advice was much more gracious than many folks would have been. But if you're going to ding someone on his/her writing (and in a public forum, no less), make sure your own writing is perfect. (Better yet, do it in a PM.)

Isn't your second sentence really a clause of the first? I was taught not to begin a sentence with "but" or "and". Also, I'd have put a comma after the "but".

[Carlingtonian]

Originally Posted by CAVA1990

I was taught not to begin a sentence with "but" or "and". Also, I'd have put a comma after the "but".

Actually, the former is a very antiquated "rule" that was never really a rule. In fact, many great writers routinely start sentences with conjunctions. This link has more on the matter: Non-Errors .

In fact, there should not be a comma after "but" or "and" when either one starts a sentence, because they aren't adverbs.

I love slang, and I love colloquialisms. I use "wanna" and "gotta" all the time in my informal writing. I think only a buffoon would change "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" to be grammatically "correct." But those examples are intentional decisions made to convey a particular tone. The things that bother me are oddities that seep into common use because people see others perpetrating them and think those people must be right. (Which is why I'm trying to get people in the U.S. government to stop writing "U.S. Government.")

Anyway. I just took issue with a public criticism of someone's writing that itself was ungrammatical. (That said, if some 20-something kid had come on here and posted in all lower-case with wanton misspellings, asking why they can't find a job, then OK, I can see letting them know they need to change their habits. But again, I'd do it in a PM.)

[CAVA1990]

Originally Posted by Carlingtonian

Actually, the former is a very antiquated "rule" that was never really a rule. In fact, many great writers routinely start sentences with conjunctions. This link has more on the matter: Non-Errors .

In fact, there should not be a comma after "but" or "and" when either one starts a sentence, because they aren't adverbs.

You just made me feel antiquated. It's heresy but I tend to write the way I speak so I normally put a comma where I would pause between words.

The dissection of others' writing is a dangerous game, as it invites close scrutiny of the critic's own. I'd hate to have someone follow me around on here pointing out every foible.

[Carlingtonian]

Originally Posted by CAVA1990

I'd hate to have someone follow me around on here pointing out every foible.

I agree completely--which is why I had to speak up when I saw someone being unfairly accused of habitually bad grammar.

[stpickrell]

An Interim Secret clearance can be gotten in a week or so. I'd feel free to apply to positions that require that.

A Top Secret or Top Secret/SCI clearance needs months and months to go through, and while a company may like you, they need to find someone ASAP.

[slaminjamin87]

Originally Posted by stpickrell

An Interim Secret clearance can be gotten in a week or so. I'd feel free to apply to positions that require that.

A Top Secret or Top Secret/SCI clearance needs months and months to go through, and while a company may like you, they need to find someone ASAP.

I understand that suggestion, but most of the technical writer positions that I found require a Top Secret/SCI clearance. If I do found a position that doesn't require those high level security clearances, then I will definitely apply.

Also, this discussion is about my job search in technical writing, not about my writing skills. If someone does criticize on my writing skills and make their own writing mistakes in the process, then that comment will be deleted. Thanks for your help and cooperation!!!