What constitutes a solid tech writing portfolio?

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Lee G.

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What constitutes an entry-level tech writing portfolio?

I've just begun searching for a entry-level tech writing job. A more experienced tech writer suggested I create a sample book of instructions, which I did. I'm now wondering if one book is generally considered enough for an entry-level portfolio. I have several more documents I created for my tech writing courses, including a proposal and a recommendation report. Should I include these in my portfolio too?

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Ms Hollands

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Are these samples to take along to an interview? If a job is for an entry-level tech author, they won't expect you to have much apart from any student project work you've done. It's up to you whether you want to show these off or not, depending on what grades you got and how impressive the work is (try to be objective, as hard as that is with your own work).

If you want to show them what you're capable of with new samples, just make sure your samples are good ones. Get someone to proof them for typos etc. and get someone to test that the instructions work.

If it were me interviewing for a junior tech author, I'd be impressed with decent screen dumps, clear, concise text, well-organised pages with ample white space, and instructions that remain consistent (ie, same tense, same style, numbering system adhered to). If your work looks more professional than the other applicants', you have a major advantage.
 
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