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How do I find an online co-op/work placement?
I am looking for a 12 week co-op program/work placement in technical writing for school. How would I go about finding an online opportunity at this time? #writing #technical-writing #job-hunt #internships
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6 answers
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Jessica’s Answer
If you are interested in getting an internship in technical writing you should:
- Choose a stream, or streams, of technical writing you are interested in. For example, you may be interested in technical writing for software developers, content design for documentation that helps users use software, or product technical writing for electronics or appliances.
- You can use that information to research and make a list of companies that have roles that are similar.
- Have a look online to see if people working at that company as technical writers have written any guides on LinkedIn, Medium, Instagram, and so on. You should also check to see if the company has their own technical writing guidelines online.
- Examine the documentation sets of the company you want to apply for.
- Create a portfolio that includes writing processes that the company uses, or are leading industry practices. No one expects a someone just starting out in technical writing to have the experience of a senior writer, but they do want to see that you think about the whole customer journey and have design thinking skills. Your portfolio doesn't need to be large either, you can highlight 3 different skills or assignments. You can also show transferrable skills, for example, choose a project that required you to work with a variety of different people to get to final product (technical writing can require talking to different people for information).
- Reach out to companies through LinkedIn, or their websites. People are often far more friendly and open to helping than we think.
When you get an interview remember to research through glassdoor or a google search about interview tips for that company.
- Choose a stream, or streams, of technical writing you are interested in. For example, you may be interested in technical writing for software developers, content design for documentation that helps users use software, or product technical writing for electronics or appliances.
- You can use that information to research and make a list of companies that have roles that are similar.
- Have a look online to see if people working at that company as technical writers have written any guides on LinkedIn, Medium, Instagram, and so on. You should also check to see if the company has their own technical writing guidelines online.
- Examine the documentation sets of the company you want to apply for.
- Create a portfolio that includes writing processes that the company uses, or are leading industry practices. No one expects a someone just starting out in technical writing to have the experience of a senior writer, but they do want to see that you think about the whole customer journey and have design thinking skills. Your portfolio doesn't need to be large either, you can highlight 3 different skills or assignments. You can also show transferrable skills, for example, choose a project that required you to work with a variety of different people to get to final product (technical writing can require talking to different people for information).
- Reach out to companies through LinkedIn, or their websites. People are often far more friendly and open to helping than we think.
Jessica recommends the following next steps:
Thank you a lot!
Li
Updated
Mukta’s Answer
Hi Li,
Look up LinkedIn, Indeed, Monster job sites for positions. Under your search criteria, look for opportunities that either say 'remote', 'contract', 'internship', 'virtual', or similar. Those will be the kind of positions that will likely meet your needs.
Good luck with the search!
Look up LinkedIn, Indeed, Monster job sites for positions. Under your search criteria, look for opportunities that either say 'remote', 'contract', 'internship', 'virtual', or similar. Those will be the kind of positions that will likely meet your needs.
Good luck with the search!
Updated
Mike’s Answer
Make sure you have a robust LinkedIn account and include samples of your writing ability. Research companies that interest you and try to find people in that organization to connect with. Very important, in my opinion, your connection invitation should include a personal note saying that you're a student looking to grow your network in your chosen field. Use those connections to start soliciting feedback from industry professionals on this question. They might not be able to help you, but might recommend someone who can. Good luck!
Updated
Gina’s Answer
LinkedIn, indeed.com, monster-- these are all great resources. Also community colleges may have programs or can put you in touch with some organizations/companies.
Updated
Valerie’s Answer
If you go to indeed.com or monster.com you can type in writing job, I think there is an online option as well too. Then you can look at each specific job and see if it matches to what you are looking for. There are tons of jobs out there. Lots of colleges also offer coops, here is one I found https://www.algonquincollege.com/sat/program/technical-writer/.
Best of luck!
Best of luck!
Updated
Juanita’s Answer
Hi,
Since you are based in Ottawa, ON, Canada, please take a look at this link for Technical Writing positions (temporary as well as permanent).
You will need to filter your "What" and "Where" searches in order to arrive at a specific job requirement.
An example for some technical writing positions through indeed.com are:
https://ca.indeed.com/jobs?q=technical+writer&l=Ottawa%2C+ON
Hope this helps.
Good luck with your search.
Since you are based in Ottawa, ON, Canada, please take a look at this link for Technical Writing positions (temporary as well as permanent).
You will need to filter your "What" and "Where" searches in order to arrive at a specific job requirement.
An example for some technical writing positions through indeed.com are:
https://ca.indeed.com/jobs?q=technical+writer&l=Ottawa%2C+ON
Hope this helps.
Good luck with your search.