Top skills to look for when hiring freelance technical writers
In the current fast-paced and technology-driven world, the need for technical writers has increased as multiple companies across industries look for professionals who can translate complicated technical concepts into user-friendly and clear content. From software manuals to user guide books and product documents, technical writing will play an important role in ensuring that both non-technical and technical audiences understand services and products.
Today, many freelance technical writers working offshore often have engineering backgrounds, along with hands-on experience in scripting and proficiency in project management tools such as Adobe, JIRA, Git/GitHub, and programming languages like Java, FORTRAN, and Pascal. This is one reason why many companies are leveraging remote freelance technical writing talent.
However, due to the limited pool of highly skilled and experienced talent available, hiring the right freelance technical writer can be challenging. It is not only about finding someone with decent writing skills; you will need a writer who understands the details of your industry, can get accustomed to different platforms and tools, and is capable of delivering high-quality, accurate content under strict deadlines. In this blog, we have explored the top skills to look for when you want to hire remote technical writers, thus helping you to make an informed decision that will enhance the quality of the documentation and streamline the communication efforts.
What does a technical writer do?
Technical writers play an important role in helping businesses communicate complex information to multiple stakeholders, thus ensuring that technical content is accessible, accurate, and clear. Their contributions will impact both internal operations and external communications, making them a key asset to any organization. Some of the reasons why technical writers are essential for a business include:
1. Maintain clear communication of complicated concepts
Technical writers possess the skills to convert intricate and technical concepts into a simple, understandable language. Technical writers work on software documentation, product guides, or user manuals. They ensure that even non-technical audiences can easily understand and use the information efficiently. This is important for businesses that deal with complex products or services as they improve customer experience and reduce confusion.
2. Enhances the user experience
Well-written user guides will help with documentation and FAQs, which will significantly improve the user experience (UX). A technical writer at a remote entry level will help customers navigate the products or services with ease, thus reducing frustration and minimizing the requirement for customer support. By providing easy instructions, they ensure that users can make the most of the product without encountering any obstacles.
3. Streamline the internal communication
Apart from the external-facing content, technical writers also contribute to improving documentation like standard operating procedures (SOPs), internal knowledge bases, and training materials. Clear internal documentation will promote efficiency. This will ensure that the teams are aligned and are able to execute the tasks smoothly. It will also assist in onboarding new employees by providing them with the knowledge that they require to integrate seamlessly into a company.
4. Support the legal and compliance requirements
In industries such as finance, healthcare, and manufacturing, businesses should adhere to strict regulations and compliance standards. Technical writers will ensure that all documentation, including the regulatory filings, manual, and reports, meets these legal requirements. This will help businesses avoid compliance violations and legal risks while also maintaining credibility in the industry.
5. Reduces the support costs
By creating thorough and organized documents, technical writers will reduce the number of inquiries to support teams. Customers will likely resolve issues by themselves if they have access to high-quality resources for help. This self-service model will not only enhance the customer experience but also lower the cost of customer support services, therefore making the business highly efficient.
How to hire a technical writer?
Hiring a technical writer could vastly improve the accuracy, clarity, and effectiveness of the product documentation, user manuals, and other technical content. However, to ensure you are selecting the right candidate, it is important to follow a structured process that focuses on technical expertise and strong communication skills. The step-by-step process on how to hire an ideal remote technical writer for your business:
1. Define your requirements
Mention the type of documentation required, which includes user manuals and API guides. Also mention if the role is short-term or long-term and the industry expertise required.
2. Check their relevant expertise
During the process of hiring, employers should look for candidates with strong writing skills, industry knowledge or technical expertise, and the ability to tailor content for the target audiences.
3. Review the portfolio
Employers should ask for samples of previous work, such as user guides or API documentation. Additionally, you should also focus on clarity, accuracy, and how well the content aligns with the needs.
4. Test the skills
You should assign the candidates a small test, such as a mock user guide, to assess the clarity and accuracy of writing and the organization and structure of the content.
5. Evaluate the communication skills
A technical writer should collaborate effectively with teams to collect data and incorporate feedback. This ensures that the candidate can explain complex concepts clearly.
6. Decide between freelance and full-time writers
Decide if you require a freelancer for short-term projects or a full-time employee for ongoing work, especially for roles that require deep product knowledge.
Why should you hire a remote/freelance technical writer?
Hiring a remote technical writer will offer several advantages to businesses, especially those that require precise, high-quality, and user-friendly documentation for their products or services. Freelancers will bring flexibility, efficiency, and expertise to the table, which allows companies to focus on the core business while also ensuring that the complex technical data is communicated clearly. Given below are some of the key benefits of hiring a freelance technical writer:
1. Cost-effective solutions
Unlike the full-time employees, freelance technical writers typically will not require benefits, insurance, or an office space. You will only be required to pay for the work completed, which could result in major savings.
2. Specialized expertise
Freelancers will bring vast knowledge of different industries such as care, engineering, and software development, thus enabling them to quickly understand your services and products.
3. Scalability and flexibility
Remote technical writers will be hired on demand, which will provide the flexibility to scale down or up based on the project requirements. Whether you require a single document or a full set of technical manuals, they could accommodate the timelines and workload.
4. Enables access to global talent
Freelance technical writers can easily be sourced globally, therefore giving you access to a diverse talent pool with varied expertise and experiences.
2. Objective and fresh perspective
Freelancers will bring a fresh and objective perspective to the team. Since they are not directly involved in the day-to-day operations of the company, they can view the content without any preconceived notions, which enables clear and unbiased documentation.
3. Vast expertise in technical writing tools
Freelancers are often well-versed in industry-standard technical writing tools like MadCap Flare, Adobe FrameMaker, and Microsoft Word. They can efficiently adapt to the preferred tools, which ensures that the documentation process is streamlined and efficient.
Top skills of a freelance technical writer
A freelance technical writer should possess a special set of skills to succeed in the competitive and ever-evolving world of technical documentation. These skills are important for translating complicated information into user-friendly, actionable, and clear content. Below are the vital skills that make a freelance technical writer stand out:
1. Strong editing and writing skills
At the core of technical writing is the ability to translate complicated ideas into a simple, clear, and concise manner. A freelance technical writer should be able to write with precision, which ensures that every word will add value. Additionally, strong editing skills are important to refine the curated content, which eliminates errors and ensures consistency in style and tone.
2. Subject matter expertise and technical knowledge
A freelance technical writer should have a clear understanding of the technical subject matter that they are writing about. Whether it is software documentation, an engineering guide, or IT manuals, writers should have the ability to grasp complex concepts quickly. Industry-specific knowledge and technical background in fields such as software development, healthcare, or engineering could give writers the edge required to produce accurate and reliable documentation.
3. Analytical and research skills
Freelance technical writers will work with topics that they might not be entirely familiar with. This will require excellent research skills to gather and curate data from multiple resources. Writers must be adept at analyzing complex technical data and turning it into content that is easy to understand for the target audience. The ability to quickly learn new software, tools, or technologies is also important.
4. Proficiency with the technical writing tools
Familiarity with industry-standard documentation tools is important for a freelance technical writer. Proficiency in software like MadCap Flare, Adobe FrameMaker, Microsoft Word, and Google Docs is essential. Additionally, knowledge of content management systems (CMS) and tools such as GitHub, Jira, and Confluence will help streamline collaboration with teams and manage document versions.
5. Understanding of user-centered design
A freelance technical writer should have a user-centered approach to the writing, which ensures that the content is not only accurate but also easy to navigate. Understanding the principles of UX writing and information architecture is important to ensure that the documentation is accessible and improves the user experience. The ability to write for different audiences, technical and non-technical alike, is an essential skill.
What are the challenges with hiring a freelance technical writer?
Hiring a freelance technical writer comes with various benefits. However, there are multiple challenges that businesses should consider to ensure a successful partnership. Some of them are briefed below:
1. Compliance issues
Managing compliance with local tax laws and labor regulations could get challenging when working with international freelancers. Failure to comply with the legal requirements could result in penalties or damage the business’s reputation.
2. High wire transfer fees
When hiring international freelancers, businesses could find themselves paying high wire transfer fees, which are associated with international payments. These additional costs could increase the overall expense of hiring a freelancer and can make it tough to budget accurately.
3. Difficult to track productivity
Freelancers usually work independently, which could make it quite difficult to track their work, monitor the process, and ensure that the deliverables will meet expectations. Without proper performance tracking, it can get challenging to ensure that the freelancer’s output aligns with the business’s needs, thus leading to potential delays.
How Global Squirrels simplifies hiring freelancers technical writer?
At Global Squirrels, we understand the challenges that businesses face when hiring freelance technical writers. The process could be costly, time-consuming, and often accompanied by logistical hurdles, especially when working with a remote talent across multiple locations.
We streamline the hiring process, thus providing you with easy access to top-tier freelance technical writers who possess the expertise required to create user-friendly and high-quality documentation. Here’s how Global Squirrels and its Employer of Record (EOR) solution can help you overcome the above challenges with hiring freelance technical writers:
1. Dealing with compliance issues
Global Squirrels can help you manage the foreign labor laws, categorization concerns, and tax requirements. As the Employer of Record (EOR), our platform manages legal agreements, benefits, international payroll, and compliance for every nation where you hire. This also reduces the risk and guarantees that your company will comply with the regional laws without needing you to invest in infrastructure or retain legal counsel.
2. Handling of payments and fees
Our EOR setup in multiple countries ensures that cross-border freelancer payments are smooth and affordable, therefore, cutting down unnecessary costs. Your freelancer will be paid on time through the secure payment system, which is often handled via an electronically regulated government network.
3. Performance tracking
One of the most frequent problems with managing remote workers is the lack of visibility into performance and tasks. You can assign one-time or recurring tasks to the remote workers with a single click. Managers and employees could see task statuses at a glance, which ensures transparency and accountability.
Choose our freelancer plans to hire and manage technical writers
At Global Squirrels, we offer flexible freelancer plans that are designed to meet the diverse needs of businesses across industries. Our goal is to simplify the hiring and administration aspect of getting a freelancer technical writer onboard by offering flexibility, transparency, and efficiency.
Freelancer Purple Plan
The Freelancer Purple Plan is perfect for businesses that have already sourced a freelance technical writer. This plan will streamline the onboarding process and handle the administrative tasks. We will take care of all the tasks, ranging from managing payments to compliance with tax laws and labor, contracts, timesheets, and performance monitoring. This plan will ensure the freelance technical writers work efficiently while you focus on the core operations of the business.
Freelancer Orange Plan
The Freelancer Orange Plan will help in finding a freelancer technical writer who will fit your business needs. You can specify the job title, budget, education level, skills, and your desired hiring countries. We deliver pre-screened and background-verified profiles of top candidates within 2-5 working days. Once you have found and interviewed a candidate of your choice, our platform will take over the HR functions, which also include compliance, payments, and performance monitoring.
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