Technical writers are valuable assets. They bring a variety of backgrounds, experience, knowledge, and skill sets to a project team. However, hiring a tech writer and expecting excellence without taking the time to onboard them is a recipe for disaster.
ProEdit’s staffing experts are providing the following tips to help you smoothly integrate and onboard a new technical writer into your team.
Prepare Ahead of Time
Regardless of whether you’ve hired a permanent or contract technical writer, you need to ensure that all important components are in place on the first day of work.
The best way to prepare to onboard a new writer is by preparing a checklist of all the required resources. If the position is on-site, this may include setting up a dedicated workspace, providing equipment such as a computer, and ensuring that the IT department has set up all required access permissions.
If your new hire is working remotely, you will need to also consider offsite capabilities, including secure file sharing, video conferencing tools, and remote access to the company’s network.
Make Introductions
Technical writers often work solo among a larger team of developers or engineers. Do your best to make them feel they are part of the team. On the first day, introduce your new hire to all major players and stakeholders.
Your technical writer will be expected to interview subject matter experts and collaborate with cross-functional teams. Introductions will help to create a smoother transition and working relationship. Also, ensure that the technical writer has the contact information necessary to communicate with the subject matter experts and stakeholders.
The onboarding period is also when you should make new writers familiar with your products or services. This could include a pitch from the sales team to get writers up to speed about your brand, as well as allowing new hires to review documents such as landing pages, case studies, and sales presentations.
Set Clear Expectations
Set your expectations right from the start. This crucial step improves the success of any new hire. Outline the technical writer’s daily expectations, types of deliverables, project deadlines, preferred style guides, and any other relevant responsibilities. It is helpful to put these expectations in writing, either in a job description, procedure manual, or other documentation.
We recommend that you give your new writer a short, first assignment they can complete within just a few days or even hours. This is a great exercise to give you a clearer picture of their capabilities as well as provide your new hire the opportunity for success early on. Having weekly one-on-one sessions with your technical writer is also an effective coaching method that can accelerate the learning process, ultimately leading to increased productivity.
Paint the Big Picture
Sometimes, technical writers are tasked with documenting a portion of a much larger project, so you must communicate the “big picture.” Not only will your new hires need to know their role within the project, but they also need to understand the desired results.
Technical writers who understand the objectives of a project and how it relates to the company as a whole tend to take more ownership of their work. This also helps to strengthen your content strategy and work processes by ensuring that individual writers know how their work helps the organization achieve its goals.
Provide a Lifeline
New employees sometimes feel lost. Providing them with a lifeline is good practice until they are acclimated. You may ask them to shadow another employee for a few days or assign them a “buddy” they can go to if they have any questions. The buddy does not have to be another technical writer; choose a veteran employee who will display good work habits and reflect the company’s culture.
At ProEdit, we apply these and other best practices to ensure the success of technical writers within the companies in which they are placed. Contact us today if you would like to learn more about hiring and onboarding technical writers.