Lost your technical communicator job? Wondering what to do? Wondering where to go?
This article is intended for two main groups of technical communicators:by Wanda Hill, STC Austin Employment Director
You can take some key actions when you discover that you have no job to return to the next day.
As soon as you have finished your final hour of work, write out information that you'll need BEFORE you contact Texas Workforce (TWC) to tell them you're unemployed. From TWC's Unemployment Benefits Services webpage, you need to submit information as follows:
The webpage also provides more thorough information about the filing process. 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 postponing delays whatever compensation that you should receive. Visit TWC's Unemployment Claim and Appeals Information page for further information.
Note: If and when you collect unemployment compensation, pay special attention for how you obtain payment. The state issues a debit card and deposits the funds to Chase Manhattan Bank. Visit the UI TWC Debit Card FAQ. Pay special attention to activating the card and spending, particularly with a goal of avoiding usage fees. (Suggestion: At each benefits period, transfer the entire amount into your own liquid account.)
At some websites, you can can easily save your job hunt preferences (keywords, geographical areas), then have them send you email with aggregate openings that fit your criteria. Frequently. YMMV regarding the appropriateness of results that you receive. (The last website at the end of this section does not provide email notification options; however, the search and results features are so similar to others listed, it seems appropriate to list it also.)
ChangeDetection.com—Go to a job board like Monster or CareerBuilder, build a job search with criteria you want, copy the resultant URL, go to the changedetection URL, then follow the directions. Paste the job board's URL and enter your email address where applicable. Whenever your monitored job board's page changes, Changedetection sends you email with the job board's URL to click.
Indeed—Choose a simplified or advanced search:
• Fill the two main fields, then click Find Jobs.
• Select the advanced feature, build a search agent with the criteria you want, then click Find Jobs.
At the results page, you can click the link to receive email notifications of new job listings that fit your criteria.
Simply Hired—Choose a simplified or advanced search:
• Fill the two main fields, then click search jobs.
• Select the advanced feature, build a search agent with the criteria you want, then click search jobs.
At the results page, you can click the link to receive email notifications of new job listings that fit your criteria.
Jobster—Perform a simplified search right away or click the link for receiving job notifications. At the simplified search results page, you can do one of the following:
• Click the link for receiving job notifications.
• Modify (refine) the criteria, then click the link for receiving job notifications.
Visit the WorkSource Solutions website. Find resources for support and for job searching. Learn about attending short classes, such as job search planning, interviewing practice, and salary negotiations. View the calendar of jobhunt help classes. View the map to find various facilities locations.
Attend Launch Pad Job Club (LPJC) meetings for job search information, programs, and networking guidance. Attend at least one LPJC meeting 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.) Meetings occur every Friday morning.
Join LinkedIn (LI) to connect with other professionals, inform others that you're looking for work, build your professional profile, and join LinkedIn groups. Upload your resume and work samples to your profile by using the Box.net utility that's already available through LI. Be mindful that recruiters and hiring managers also have LinkedIn accounts and find many candidates within the network. Control the type and amount of information that you want to display, depending on how stringent you make your privacy settings.
View the door64 events calendar to find special-interest meetups you might want to attend. Visit the door64 home page and consider becoming a member of this technology community.
Visit various work agency websites for job-hunting advice. TheLadders, which specializes in $100,000 salary positions, might be more appropriate for managerial technical communicators. Their Career Advice page, however, has numerous articles with worthwhile career advice.
STC is an organization that includes the following professionals: technical writers and editors, indexers, information architects, instructional designers, technical illustrators, globalization and localization specialists, usability and human factors professionals, visual designers, web designers and developers, teachers and researchers of technical communication, and trainers and e-learning developers. (The occupation list is from the STC's Defining Technical Communication article.) For those of you in other occupations, seek out professional organizations that address your particular role(s) so you can participate in their communities.
In light of the current climate, if you have a job, it is even more important to be prepared for possible separation. Some suggestions: