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The world is rapidly
developing and making technological breakthroughs. With every new product
and innovation, companies find it difficult to keep their customers
updated about the product's advantages and functions.
Technical writers make things easier by writing about these
products in a style which is easily understood by the common man. They
develop product manuals, appendices and catalogs. Technical writers also
have to select the right photographs, diagrams, illustrations or graphs
for their documents.
A career in this line also involves writing on various technology-related
topics such as information technology, aerospace, robotics, telecom and
electronics, biotechnology, computers (hardware and software) etc. Most
software firms in India advertise for technical writers on major jobsites.
The pay scale for technical writing is similar to instructional
design. You can start with a salary ranging from Rs 12,000 to 15,000 per
month, depending on how well you have done in your written test and
interview.
Writing for the electronic medium
is different from the print medium. Web readers have a short attention
span and generally scan the web pages rather than read each word
carefully. Also, reading from a computer screen is much slower than
reading a newspaper. Therefore, your writing has to be simple, crisp and
to the point. The writing can be combined with graphics, bullets,
captions, hyperlinks, highlights etc to make the page more attractive. Web
writing does not encourage lengthy content, so the word count should be
limited.
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As a
content developer,
you can join a dot com or any
company that requires dedicated staff to develop, manage and update its
website content.
Professional resume writers can expect to get a starting salary
of Rs 10,000 and above,
Science Writing Scientific writers assist scientists and
researchers to write research papers, articles in scientific journals,
presentations, lab reports, design reports, progress reports, theses,
dissertations, proposals instruction manuals etc. Science writing is often
specialised, as the documents require a high degree of accuracy in the
presentation of facts. A badly written piece could misinterpret facts and
spread the wrong information. A scientific writer must ensure that the
ideas or facts are conveyed well and improve the overall quality of a
document.
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Scientific Writers
must be
precise, clear and objective.
Knowledge of the subject you are writing on is a must. You must also be a
keen observer and keep your mind open to understand subjects and acquire
knowledge.
You can look through job sites or the employment news section in
newspapers for vacancies for a scientific writer. Remuneration for
scientific writers varies with expertise and skill.
Ghost writing Have you ever wondered how famous personalities
from different walks of life come up with well-written memoirs and
autobiographies? All of them may not be great writers. Most of them don't
really sit and pen down their thoughts. They communicate their thoughts to
a writer who is paid to write for them. These ghost writers, as they are
called, don't get credit for authoring the book. They may, at times, be
acknowledged by the person they are writing for or the publisher of the
book for their help. Ghost writers are hired for writing books, stories,
memoirs, autobiographies, magazines articles, reports, editorials and
songs.
A chance to ghost write comes mostly with contacts. The remuneration for
ghost writers is negotiable and varies with experience and skill.
What
you need to know before you apply for a writing job
Most writing jobs
require a person to have a degree in English or mass communication. In
technical writing, knowledge of the technical subject is an added
advantage. Journalism requires you to be well-read and updated about news
from around the world. Almost all the jobs mentioned above require some
experience or knowledge of computer software and desktop and electronic
publishing. The remuneration for each job is highly competitive and once
you make a mark in the field you get to demand the best in the industry.
The recruitment process for most writing jobs includes a
written test (to test your general writing skills and specific
competencies required in the field), interview by a functional expert
(such as a content head or creative director) and an HR interview. With
so many options available to writers, those who are gifted with a flair
for it should not find it difficult to take it up as a career.
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