I like to write. In addition to the work I’ve done as a Technical Writer, I’ve maintained a personal blog for 11 years – words are awesome.
My specialty is end user documentation, but I’ve written a wide variety of pieces. You’ll find a very small sampling of my work below – for obvious reasons, I’m unable to show you documents that are currently in use by my previous employers, but you can read all about how my work was received on the Adulations page.
If there’s anything specific you would like to see, please feel free to contact me!
Documentation
In addition to producing technical documentation, I also work as a technical trainer. I find the two roles go together like chocolate and peanut butter – great on their own, but amazing together. When you hire me, you don’t just get someone who can turn technical buzz words into something legible – you get someone who is able to understand your processes and tools, teach proper use to others, and provide concise, user-friendly documentation to back it all up.
- Windows Live ID Signup – a document written to guide users through setting up a required Windows Live account in order to access a web portal
- Technical Support Walkthrough – coming soon!
Employee Manual/New Employee Onboarding
I don’t have a background in Human Resources, but I’m a huge fan of procedures and policies. I’m also very knowledgable about the challenges facing not only new employees, but managers trying to fit new staff into their busy schedules. I’ve done a great deal of work creating custom Onboarding Plans for a wide variety of teams, making sure that new hires have all the information they need to settle into the role, the training required to work with internal systems and procedures, and a friendly face to turn to in case of questions.
- Sample Table of Contents for Employee Manual
- Multi-departmental Process Flow for bringing in a new hire
- Sample Training Schedule for new Sales Hire
Making it Fun
No one likes reading documentation because it’s dry, boring stuff – and that’s where I come in. There’s absolutely no reason why written instructions can’t be fun and engaging as well as informative, and I love the challenge of turning something that would put most people to sleep into a fun read. One of the best compliments I’ve ever received was from a new employee who told me she read a manual I had written from cover to cover just to find all the Easter Eggs I had hidden inside. People rarely learn things when they don’t care, so I consider it my job to make people care about the content through training and learning materials.
The document below is an actual training tool I created several years ago, to help Technical Support learn how to determine the correct process to follow when faced with an onslaught of information. It’s done in the style of a Choose Your Own Adventure book: when the file is printed (dual-sided – I love trees) and assembled, it can be read as a book. It’s a memorable and fun way to introduce a branched process to a team, and I had a lot of fun making it.
click to view .PDF
