Top 13 questions for technical writer interview with answers

Technical writing is a growing field with many promising jobs for a technical content writer. However, the technical writing profile is often confused for content writing, for the similarities of the profiles.

If you plan to start your career as a technical writer, you should be aware that it is different from a content writing profile. A content writing profile is mainly about writing blogs and articles on different niches using a creative and innovative approach. On the other hand, the expertise of technical content writer focuses on in-depth writing based on subject research and knowledge.

To secure the technical writer job of your dreams, you have to undergo a meticulous interview process. Thus, you should be well-prepared to crack the interview without any hassles. To help you through, we are with the top 13 questions for technical writer interview with their answers.

So, are you ready to explore?

The top 13 technical writer interview questions and answers –

The top interview questions for technical writers mainly highlights why technical content writers are in demand? The overall interview questions for the profile are divided into 2 main categories:

• Questions concerning technical writing, and
• HR-related and general personality questions

Let us look at the top questions asked during the technical writer interview:

1.What are the main functions of a technical writer?

This is one of the most obvious and common questions asked during the interview.

Answer – The functionality involves writing, reviewing and editing the company’s technical documents. The responsibilities also involve researching, analyzing, collecting, and maintaining the subject-related facts.

2.What are the main challenges faced by a technical content writer?

No job profile is complete without facing any challenges. Technical content writing also comes with its share of challenges.

Answer – At times, a technical writer needs to work with very minimal information, resulting in an irrelevant judgment of the potential clients. Moreover, there can be a lack of required information because of the minimal time span and writer’s knowledge.

3.What is white paper?

If you are going for an interview for a technical content writer, expect to face this question for sure.

Answer – White paper is a technical report or document released by a company for conveying the required technical information accurately. It is used to explain simply how a particular technology works. It can also include any company’s problem and its solution.

A white paper should be simple yet impactful for the common people to understand without hassles.

4.Are you aware of the difference between MS word and FrameMaker?

Answer – MS word is a very popular tool generally used for writing blogs, articles, newsletters, etc. The tool is quite easy to learn and use for daily requirements.

FrameMaker is an Adobe tool that needs proper knowledge, understanding and learning before use. It is used mainly for book writing or writing long documents.

5.How are structured and unstructured FrameMaker different?

Answer – The key difference between the two is that an unstructured FrameMaker is paragraph-based authoring. On the other hand, the structured FrameMaker concerns element-based authoring.

Also, the unstructured FrameMaker is the old version, while the structured FrameMaker is the latest one to publish and author the XML documents.

6.What tools are important for a technical writer?

Answer – Being a technical writer, you should be aware of the following tools which are used on a daily basis –

• MS Word
• Microsoft Visto
• Adobe FrameMaker
• Notepad ++
• Adobe RoboHelp
• WordPress

These tools are not just helpful in SEO but also define the expertise of technical content writer.

7.What are the challenges for a technical writer to collect the required information?

Answer – Gathering information is one of the major challenges for a technical writer. Some of the common challenges faced by the technical writer are as follow:

• Unclear expectations of the client
• Searching information from unreliable sources
• Badly defined products
• Not knowing the target audience
• Doing more than 1 research at the same time

8. Where can you use the Unified Modeling Language?

Answer – The unified modeling language is used to visualize the system’s design. It is most helpful for the developers to construct and visualize with a specific vision. The documentation during the process helps the technical writer with technical communications.

9. How would you deliver high-quality work as a technical content writer?

Answer – To be recognized as a successful technical writer, you should be particular to follow some basic steps, which are:

• Make your writing relevant by doing a complete analysis of the topic and keywords
• Focus on in-depth research before writing
• Talk to the industry experts to gather relevant information about the topic
• Avoid making any grammatical mistakes
• Ensure to edit and proofread your document
• Before final delivery of the content, optimize it for SEO requirements

10. Are HTML and XML the same? If not, what is the difference?

Answer – Both HTML and XML are different.

HTML is used to display the data. It mainly focuses on how the data visually appears. On the other hand, XML is a hardware and software independent tool. It focuses on what the data is using a structure and how it can be moved and stored.

11. Why are Microsoft Visto and Powtoon used in technical writing?

Answer – If your technical writing is only about the text, it will be quite boring. Microsoft Visto and Powtoon are used to make the writing interesting with the help of diagrams and animated videos.

Microsoft Visto helps the technical content writer to create easy, unique and innovative diagrams. These diagrams make the text visually attractive for the readers. On the other hand, Powtoon is used to make engaging and attractive animated videos.

12. What are the important skills of a technical content writer?

Answer – A technical writer should have the following skills:

• Verbal and non-verbal communication proficiency
• Teamwork
• Research skills
• In-depth SEO knowledge
• Proper planning and execution of projects
• Organizational skills
• Excellent proofreading and editing skills

13. What is a relevant tone of technical writing?

Answer – While writing technical content, always keep your audience in mind. Thus, your content should be simple, easy to understand and grammatically correct. The language used should be user-friendly. Write using small sentences and proper sub-sections as and where needed.

Conclusion:

These are some of the common questions expected in a technical writing interview. Focusing on these questions will also give you an idea of why technical content writers are in demand. Having in-depth knowledge of technical content writing basics can help clear the interview process without problems.

Mount Talent Staffing ensures analyzing the candidate’s talent based on these questions along with other essential parameters. Entrust us to find the best talents for all your staffing needs.

You can reach us in the comment section for more assistance and help.

Technical writing is a growing field with many promising jobs for a technical content writer. However, the technical writing profile…