If you are a new grad from either a tech. comm. or other similar communication under-graduate communication program, then here are SEVEN steps to help you get off to a fast start:

  1. Create a LinkedIn professional profile.
  2. Create an effective resume that conveys your career objective clear. Highlight any internships or jobs while in school that involved any of the following: writing of any kind for any type of deliverables, exposure to a corporate environment and culture, jobs or volunteer work where you exhibited leadership.
  3. Build a paper and on-line portfolio of samples of projects you have completed. Include those from communication classes, jobs while in school which may have involved communication, and/or internships. Save samples to flash drive also. Ask for permission if confidentiality of information is in question.
  4. Update your software skills. If your software experience does not yet include Adobe Suite and XML-based authoring, then sign up for either an on-line or hands-on course and add to your resume upon completion of the course(s). For starters, try Lynda.com.
  5. Join the STC (Society for Technical Communication), AMWA (American Medical Writer’s Association), and/or PEN (Professional Editors Network).
  6. Start attending networking events and job fairs, talking with professional peers-family-friends, researching on-line.
  7. Contact JPG for guidance and advice on careers in technical communication.