Question:
I need some advice from you all. I'm considering
taking a job outside the Tech Writing field and I need
your advice on how to handle it on my resume. If I go
from Sr. Technical Writer to... say... an office job,
bank teller, or retail for a while, how do I handle
it? If you've done this in the past, what did you put
on your resume. Hiring managers: What would you like
to see? I don't want to foul up my opportunities in
the future but I need to get benefits and support my
family.
Answer:
- "considering taking a job outside the Tech Writing field and I need
your advice on how to handle it on my resume. If I go from Sr. Technical
Writer to... say... an office job, bank teller, or retail for a while, how
do I handle it?"
I'm not a hiring manager, but I've bounced around in different fields. Most
books I've read on creating résumés emphasize that your résumé should be
tailored to the specific job you are applying for. If you were a senior
technical writer, surely there are aspects of your work and experience that
will be of value in another position. The key is to highlight those aspects
so that they are relevant to the position you are seeking. For example, if
the job you want requires team work and organization, highlight those
aspects of your previous jobs. You can do the same in your cover letter,
too.
A good résumé book will provide lots of tips and examples. Personlly, I've
used "The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Perfect Résumé" and it's companion
book on cover letters.
- There is no shame in doing honest work to support your family. Don't hide it on your résumé. Just list the dates and the job title and move on. (Everyone knows the market stinks right now.) On the other hand, if you can say something about the innovative contribution you make to the organization, even though the job is at a lower level and out of your field, you may as well include that information.
Every job adds experience--organization politics, working with different people, understanding the audience, learning new skills--so embrace the opportunity. Make lemonade.
- Since I don't use a chronological resume, this isn't generally a problem for
me. My tech writing resume's focus on what I've done as a tech writer, not what
I did as a developer or a sales person or other jobs I've held.
As a hiring manager, I'm only interested in relevant experience. So if you tell
me about an office job, which is pretty nebulous in itself, you need to tell me
about what it means for the job I'm filling now. I think all sorts of job and
life experiences can factor into qualifications for a job, but you need to do
the work to package them so I see that they make you a better qualified
candidate than others.
But if your current situation can't be a help to you in getting the kind of
work you really want, I don't think it benefits you to list it on your resume.
(But then I take a non-standard approach to these things anyway.)
- Your question predisposes that a resume is a complete and objective job history. This is a very common assumption, but, I think, a mistaken one.
Instead, think of a resume as a job history tailored to the job that you are applying for. You should never lie on a resume, but what you mention and how you emphasize it should depend on the job that the resume is being used for.
In this case, your non-tech writing work may not even rate a mention on your tech-writing resume. If you feel you must mention it, give it only a line or so. On my own tech-writing resume, my seven years as a sessional university instructor is only mentioned in a single bullet point at the end.
If you do decide to mention non-writing jobs in more detail, mention them in terms of how they are relevant to writing. For example, if a non-writing job gives you managerial experience, then it could be relevant if you are going for a publications manager job. If you can't make the work relevant, then it should be omitted or de-emphasized on your tech-writing resume.
