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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.
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.
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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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