How to hire technical writers

Job description template

Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.

[Job title] at [Company name]
[City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range]

About the role
[Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.]

What you will do
• Analyze developments in specific field to determine need for revisions in previously published materials and development of new material.
• Assist in laying out material for publication.
• Confer with customer representatives, vendors, plant executives, or publisher to establish technical specifications and to determine subject material to be developed for publication.
• Edit, standardize, or make changes to material prepared by other writers or establishment personnel.
• Maintain records and files of work and revisions.
• Organize material and complete writing assignment according to set standards regarding order, clarity, conciseness, style, and terminology.
• Review published materials and recommend revisions or changes in scope, format, content, and methods of reproduction and binding.
• Select photographs, drawings, sketches, diagrams, and charts to illustrate material.

What you bring
• [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any]
• [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: Bachelor's degree]
• Strong writing, reading comprehension, active listening, speaking, critical thinking and active learning skills
• Working knowledge of English Language, computers and electronics and administrative
• [Anything else you would really turn someone away for]

Pay and benefits
[Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $43.46 an hour ($90,390 a year).
[Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.]

How to apply
[Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]

Copy the template Check your finished job post

Interview questions for technical writers

Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.

1. Tell me about a time you had to analyze developments in specific field to determine need for revisions in previously published materials and development of new material. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
2. Tell me about a time you had to assist in laying out material for publication. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
3. Tell me about a time you had to confer with customer representatives, vendors, plant executives, or publisher to establish technical specifications and to determine subject material to be developed for publication. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
4. Tell me about a time you had to edit, standardize, or make changes to material prepared by other writers or establishment personnel. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
5. Describe something important you wrote at work, such as a report, notes or an email. Who read it and what happened next?
6. Tell me about written instructions, a policy or a manual you had to follow closely. How did you make sure you followed it correctly?
7. Tell me about a time you had to understand a request or problem that was explained poorly. How did you make sure you got it right?
8. Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?

Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.

What technical writers do

• Analyze developments in specific field to determine need for revisions in previously published materials and development of new material.
• Assist in laying out material for publication.
• Confer with customer representatives, vendors, plant executives, or publisher to establish technical specifications and to determine subject material to be developed for publication.
• Edit, standardize, or make changes to material prepared by other writers or establishment personnel.
• Maintain records and files of work and revisions.
• Organize material and complete writing assignment according to set standards regarding order, clarity, conciseness, style, and terminology.
• Review published materials and recommend revisions or changes in scope, format, content, and methods of reproduction and binding.
• Select photographs, drawings, sketches, diagrams, and charts to illustrate material.

Skills that matter most

WritingReading ComprehensionActive ListeningSpeakingCritical ThinkingActive LearningEnglish LanguageComputers and ElectronicsAdministrative

Education, experience and outlook for technical writers

• Typical education to start: Bachelor's degree (BLS)
• Related work experience most have: 2 to 4 years (O*NET)
• Experience usually needed to start: Less than 5 years (BLS)
• Training on the job: Short-term on-the-job training (BLS)
• Job outlook: +0.8% over ten years, little or no change · about 3,200 openings a year (BLS)

What to pay technical writers

Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:

See technical writers pay in every state

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Job duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.