Skip to content
Check resume
Product & Design

Technical Writer resume example

Documentation managers want to see what you documented, for whom, and in which toolchain. Say whether you write API references, admin guides, release notes, SOPs or regulated manuals, and name the stack: Markdown in Git, DITA in an XML editor, or MadCap Flare. Prove the docs worked with fewer support tickets, faster onboarding or a clean audit.

Updated

Elliot Margolin

Technical Writer | API & Admin Documentation, Docs-as-Code | Setup tickets cut 28%

  • Raleigh, NC
  • elliot.margolin@example.com
  • +1 (919) 555-0171
  • linkedin.com/in/your-name

Summary

Technical writer with seven years documenting data and analytics software for administrators and developers. Owns the REST API reference, admin guide and release notes for a cloud data platform, written in Markdown and reviewed through Git pull requests. Tests every procedure on a clean environment before publishing. A background in technical support shapes every guide for readers who are stuck on a step.

Work Experience

Technical Writer II

Jun 2021 – Present

Neuse Analytics Cloud · Raleigh, NC

  • Own the API reference for 120 endpoints, with tested request examples in Python, cURL and JavaScript.
  • Rebuilt the admin guide around 14 setup tasks, and setup-related support tickets fell 28% over two quarters.
  • Moved docs from Confluence to Docusaurus in Git, so engineers now review doc changes in the same pull request as code.

Technical Writer

Feb 2019 – May 2021

Crabtree Lab Systems · Cary, NC

  • Wrote installation and maintenance manuals for 4 lab instruments in MadCap Flare, single sourced to PDF and HTML.
  • Set up topic reuse and conditional text, cutting the time to produce a new model's manual from 8 weeks to 5.
  • Interviewed field engineers after each install to fix unclear steps, closing 45 doc issues in the first year.

Technical Support Specialist

Jul 2017 – Jan 2019

Crabtree Lab Systems · Cary, NC

  • Answered tier 2 software questions from lab customers and wrote 70 knowledge base articles from recurring cases.
  • Flagged gaps in the user guide to the docs team, which led to the move into technical writing.

Education

Bachelor of Arts, English, Technical and Professional Writing concentration

2013 – 2017

North Carolina State University

Skills

Core competencies

  • API Reference (OpenAPI, Postman)
  • Docs-as-Code (Markdown, Git, Docusaurus)
  • Task-Based Information Architecture

Writing & Editing

  • Microsoft Writing Style Guide
  • Release Notes
  • Admin & Install Guides
  • Plain Language Editing

Collaboration

  • SME Interviews
  • Sprint Reviews
  • Jira Doc Tickets
  • Localization Prep

Certifications

  • MadCap Advanced Developer (MAD) for Flare · MadCap Software, 2020

Languages

  • English · Native
  • German · Professional working proficiency

The full sample as text. Rendered in the Vellum template, a layout applicant tracking systems read in order.

Fictional person: the name and contact details are invented. Any resemblance to a real person is coincidental.

Technical Writer resume summary examples

Pick the one closest to your level and replace the specifics with your own.

  • Entry level

    Technical writer moving from two years of tier 2 software support, after writing 70 help center articles that support agents still link daily. Writes task-based procedures in Markdown, works in Git with pull request reviews and tests every step against the product. Completed a certificate in technical communication and has a public sample set covering a REST API and a setup guide.

  • Mid level

    Technical writer with six years documenting B2B software for administrators and developers. Owns the API reference, admin guide and release notes for a data platform, authored as docs-as-code with Markdown, Git and a static site generator. Restructured the help center by task and cut setup-related support tickets by 28%. Works inside two Scrum teams.

  • Senior

    Senior technical writer and documentation lead with twelve years in medical device and industrial software. Built a DITA content model with reuse across 9 product manuals, runs a team of 3 writers and owns the style guide. Brought documentation through FDA and ISO 13485 audits with no findings on procedures. Partners with regulatory and engineering on every release.

Common mistakes on a technical writer resume

  • Calling yourself a strong writer without naming the docs

    Fix: Every applicant says they write clearly. Say what you produced and for which readers: "REST API reference for 140 endpoints used by partner developers" or "maintenance procedures for line technicians." Doc types, audiences and volume give the reader a picture of your actual work.

  • Leaving out the toolchain

    Fix: Teams hire for their stack. If you work in docs-as-code, name the static site generator, Git workflow and review process. If you author in DITA or Flare, mention topic reuse, conditional text and single sourcing to PDF and HTML. A reader who sees their own tools on your page can picture you on day one.

  • Hiding how you work with engineers and experts

    Fix: Technical writers get information from people who are busy. Show how you do it: interviews with subject matter experts, sitting in sprint reviews, testing the product yourself, getting reviews signed off. A bullet about cutting review cycles or catching an error by running the steps proves you do more than polish text.

  • Writing a resume with long, unedited sentences

    Fix: A technical writer's resume is a writing sample. Keep sentences short, use parallel structure in every bullet, and stay consistent with tense, capitalization and product names. Check that numbers, dates and tool names match across the page. A typo here undercuts the main skill you are selling.

What should a technical writer resume include?

A technical writer resume should open with a two or three line summary of your focus, then show each role as results rather than duties. Name the skills the posting asks for, such as API Reference, User Guides and Admin Guides. Start bullets with verbs like Documented, Restructured and Authored, and give each one a number where you honestly have one. If you hold a credential such as MadCap Advanced Developer (MAD) for Flare, list it in its own section.

Document types

  • API Reference
  • User Guides
  • Admin Guides
  • Release Notes
  • Standard Operating Procedures
  • Quick Start Guides
  • Knowledge Base Articles

Authoring tools

  • MadCap Flare
  • Oxygen XML Editor
  • Confluence
  • Paligo
  • Adobe FrameMaker
  • Snagit

Docs-as-code

  • Markdown
  • Git & GitHub
  • Pull Request Reviews
  • Static Site Generators
  • Docusaurus
  • OpenAPI / Swagger
  • Postman

Structure and reuse

  • DITA XML
  • Topic-Based Authoring
  • Single Sourcing
  • Conditional Text
  • Content Reuse
  • Information Architecture

Standards and review

  • Microsoft Writing Style Guide
  • Chicago Manual of Style
  • Plain Language
  • SME Review
  • Document Control
  • Localization Readiness

Action verbs

  • Documented
  • Restructured
  • Authored
  • Edited
  • Interviewed
  • Published

Certifications

  • MadCap Advanced Developer (MAD) for Flare
  • Information Mapping Professional (IMP)
  • Certificate in Technical Communication (college or university program)

Match these against the job posting you are applying to: the free resume checker shows which keywords your resume is missing.

Technical Writer resume bullet examples

The numbers are illustrative. Keep the structure (verb, action, measurable result) and use figures you can back up.

  • Documented 140 REST API endpoints from the OpenAPI spec, adding code samples in 3 languages and cutting partner support questions by 35%.
  • Restructured a 600-page help center by user task, and searches with no results dropped from 18% to 7%.
  • Authored release notes for 26 releases a year, working from Jira tickets and engineer interviews within 2 days of each code freeze.
  • Moved product docs from a wiki to docs-as-code in Git, giving engineers pull request reviews and cutting review time by half.
  • Built a DITA topic library with 40% reuse across 9 manuals, shortening each new product manual by about 3 weeks.
  • Interviewed 15 subject matter experts to write the first installation guide for a lab instrument, used by field engineers at 200 sites.
  • Edited 80 standard operating procedures into a single template, and the next quality audit found no documentation gaps.
  • Tested every step of a 50-step setup guide on a clean system, catching 6 missing prerequisites before release.
  • Wrote a quick start guide that took time to first successful API call from 3 hours to 25 minutes in usability sessions.
  • Prepared English source files for translation into 7 languages, cutting localization costs by trimming repeated text.

How to stand out as a technical writer applicant

Tailor every application to the posting: the resume, the cover letter and the answers you prepare for the interview.

  • Match the doc types and tools in the posting

    Read what the team ships before you edit your resume. An API documentation role wants OpenAPI, code samples and Git. A regulated manufacturer wants controlled documents, DITA and audits. Mirror their doc types and tools in your headline and first bullets, and pick writing samples that match. Leave unrelated tools in a short skills line. Tailor your technical writer resume

  • Treat the cover letter as a writing test

    Hiring managers read your cover letter as a sample. Keep it to three short paragraphs, use the product's real terminology, and state one documentation problem you solved and its result. Name the samples you linked and what each shows. Proofread it twice, then read it aloud. Write a technical writer cover letter

  • Prepare for a writing exercise

    Many teams give a short test: edit a messy procedure, document a sample API endpoint, or write a guide from a product demo. Practice by timing yourself on a public API or a household appliance manual. In the interview, be ready to explain how you get information from busy experts and how you measure whether docs help. Practice technical writer interview questions

  • Pull the exact terms from each posting

    Documentation postings mix tool names, doc types and domains in ways that are easy to miss. Paste the posting into a skills extractor and list every term it finds. Keep the ones that match your real experience, and use the posting's spelling, such as "docs-as-code" or "DITA," so your resume and the posting speak the same language. Extract skills from a technical writing posting

Salary (official data)

Official pay statistics for the occupation that matches this role, copied exactly as each statistics office publishes them.

  • United States

    Median gross annual pay: $90,390 a year · Median gross hourly pay: $43.46 an hour

    Middle half of earners: $70,880 to $115,510 · 10th to 90th percentile: $57,440 to $145,270

    Official occupation: Technical Writers (SOC 27-3042)

    Gross wages of employees in all industries, before deductions; excludes the self-employed.

    Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Public domain.

  • United Kingdom

    Median gross annual pay: £41,250 a year

    Official occupation: Authors, writers and translators (SOC 2020 3412)

    Gross annual pay of full-time employee jobs (employees on adult rates in the same job for more than a year).

    Provisional figures: the publisher revises them a year later.

    Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, tax year to 5 April 2026, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

  • Canada

    Median gross hourly pay: CA$40.91 an hour · Median gross weekly pay: CA$1,563 a week

    Official occupation group: Professional occupations in art and culture (NOC 2021 51)

    Usual gross wages of full-time employees (30 hours or more a week) at their main job, including tips, commissions and bonuses.

    Source: Statistics Canada, Table 14-10-0417-01 Employee wages by occupation, annual, 2025. Reproduced and distributed on an "as is" basis with the permission of Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence). This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.

  • Ireland

    Mean gross annual pay of the whole major group: €70,522 a year

    Major occupation group: Professionals (ISCO-08 2)

    Mean gross annual earnings, including bonuses, for the whole major occupation group in enterprises with 10 or more employees. Eurostat publishes no median by occupation.

    Source: Eurostat, Structure of Earnings Survey (earn_ses22_28), 2022, CC BY 4.0. Ruubu matched the role to an ISCO-08 major group; Eurostat is not responsible for this use of its data.

Figures cover everyone in the official occupation, at every experience level. They are not a job offer, a forecast or a Ruubu estimate. Ruubu matches each role to the closest official occupation. An official occupation can include related jobs.

How we choose and show official salary data

Technical Writer resume questions

How do I share writing samples when my docs are behind a login?

Much technical writing is proprietary, so build a small public set. Rewrite a public open source README, document a free API, or recreate one of your guides with the product details removed, and only with your employer's permission if it is based on their material. Link two or three samples from your resume and say what each one shows: structure, API detail or plain-language editing.

Do I need a technical degree to be a technical writer?

Often not. Writers come from English, journalism, teaching, support and engineering backgrounds. What matters is showing you can learn a complex product quickly and explain it accurately. For software docs, show comfort with Git, Markdown, APIs and a terminal. For medical device, aerospace or manufacturing documentation, domain knowledge and experience with controlled documents help more than a specific degree.

How can I measure the impact of documentation?

Pick numbers that someone else tracks. Support ticket volume on a topic before and after a guide went live, search terms with no results in the help center, time to first API call for new developers, onboarding time for new staff, or audit findings tied to procedures. Page views alone are weak, so pair them with an outcome when you can.

Is moving from content writing to technical writing realistic?

Yes, but your resume has to show the shift. Content writing aims to persuade and rank. Technical writing aims to help someone finish a task correctly. Pull forward any how-to articles, help center pages, product FAQs or internal procedures you wrote, describe the users and tasks, and add one sample that walks through a technical process step by step.

Keep reading

How we write and review resume examples: editorial policy.

Check your technical writer resume before you apply

Paste or upload your resume to get a score out of 100 from 14 checks, with a list of what to fix first.

Check my resume free
Try it free

Tailor your resume to the job you want