by Wanda Hill, STC Austin Employment Director

Lost your tech writing job? Wondering what to do? Wondering where to go?

Since 2001, I would venture to say that most of us Austin technical writers have changed jobs, and not necessarily by choice. I'm guessing that losing a technical writing job has happened more than once to many of us. This article is intended for two main groups of technical writers:

• writers who are out of a job
• writers who are looking ahead for their next job

There are a few key actions to take when you find out you don't have a job to return to the next day.

File for Unemployment

As soon as you have finished your final hour of work, write out information that you will need BEFORE you contact Texas Workforce (TWC) to tell them you're unemployed. From http://www.twc.state.tx.us/ui/uiclaim.html—

• Social Security Number
• Last employer's business name and address
• Date (month, day and year) you began working for your last employer
• Last date you performed work for your last employer
• If you worked this week, including Sunday, the number of hours worked and pay rate for this period
• Alien Registration Number (if not a U.S. citizen or National)
• If you filed a Texas claim for unemployment insurance in the last 12 months, you will need your Tele-Serv Personal Identification Number (PIN)
• Information Related to Normal Wage

The above website, in addition to listing the information required for filing for unemployment compensation, also provides more thorough information about the process for filing. Regarding the employer, if you worked as a contractor, you need to provide the information of the agency that paid your wages, not the client where you worked. Do not postpone contacting TWC, as it will delay whatever compensation that is due you. TWC offices phone numbers are at http://www.twc.state.tx.us/ui/bnfts/offices.html.

Look into Networking and Job Resources

Two resources are notable for helping people in the area find work and helping employers find workers.

WorkSource's facilities, personnel, and tools help you in the job hunt. See http://www.worksourceaustin.com/jobseekers/ and http://www.worksourceaustin.com/jobseekers/services_available/job_clubs.htm.

Launch Pad Job Club's (LPJC) weekly meetings provide job search information, programs, and networking guidance. Attend at least one LPJC meeting, held on Fridays, so you can sign up for job-lead emails. (Most job listings are not about writers, but often, there will be several listings that bunch up together that point to a particular employer of interest.) See http://www.launchpadjobclub.com.

Become a Part of the STC Community

WorkSource is one of 28 regional workforce systems in Texas to help people find work and to help employers find workers. Attend at least one Launch Pad Job Club (LPJC) meeting, held on Fridays, so you can sign up for the LPJC-jobs email list and receive job notices. (Most job listings are not about writers, but often, there will be several listings that bunch up together that point to a particular employer of interest.) The Friday meetings are also good for networking.

• Visit the Austin STC job bank page at http://www.stc-austin.org/, where you can link to job listings and also post your resume. Resume posting is free for STC members, and a nominal charge for non-members.
• Attend an STC meeting for networking, where you can listen in on the grapevine, especially regarding who's hiring or thinking of hiring.
• Sign up for the Austin Tech Writers yahoogroup http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Austin_Tech_Writers. The members are technical writers who are either looking for work or on the lookout for the next job. The geographical focus is Austin, although occasional posts are about areas outside Austin. People who hear of job openings are encouraged to share their job leads.
• Sign up for the STC listserve at http://stc-austin.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=19&Itemid=31. After you receive your welcome message, post and ask questions, whether technical or about the job environment.
• Volunteer for a committee. In doing so, you raise your visibility with members who might know of jobs now or later.

Other suggestions for your do list—your ordering may vary.

• If your resume is not up-to-date, make it so.
• Have writing samples to pick from in preparation to show prospective interviewers.
• Contact previous employers, friends, and relatives to let them know you're available. This particular recommendation is standard fare.
• If you've done contract work and/or are amenable to contract work, contact agencies you have worked for or have contacted in the past.
• If you don't yet have a log sheet with a list of contacts, create one. This document should have all necessary contact information, dates of contact, and outcome of contact. This file will serve double duty as a softcopy Rolodex and also as references for the times you contact TWC for unemployment compensation filing.

Stay hopeful!

Added October 20, 2008:
In light of the current climate, if you have a job, it is even more important to be prepared for a job change. Some suggestions:

• Keep your resume updated. (Mine your status reports for useful information for new/upgraded skills, accomplishments, tools. If you don't do status reports, start.)
• Keep in contact or make contact with others for mutual information sharing—face-to-face, email, phone, social gatherings (happy hours, lunches, dinners), professional organization memberships/meetings, social networks (LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.), special-interest email lists, combinations of contacting listed here.
• If not already, become an expert in the tools you use.
• Become more knowledgable about tools you've been exposed to in the recent past.
• Become familiar with tools that might complement what you already know.
• Glean job postings in the STC job bank and the web to view companies' required/preferred skills and experience so you can assess your own desireability quotient and strategize on increasing it.