Blog Posts | Steve Arrants

Stop Looking for a Unicorn

Your quest for perfection — and your bias — undermine your efforts

By Steve Arrants

Posted on February 19, 2025

After a layoff/buyout last August, I’ve been looking for new work. As many have discovered, it’s tough. It seems that even if you match requirements 90%, you receive the canned response, “while your skills and background are impressive, we have decided to proceed with other applicants who more closely fit... [Read More]

Tags:

hiring

What Do Technical Writers Do?

It’s so much more than writing text

By Steve Arrants

Posted on February 5, 2025

Most managers recognize the value you bring to your company. But at least once in your career, you’ll be confronted with someone in management who says, “Anyone can write. After all, we’ve been doing it since the first grade.” Of course, you write — it’s in your title, whether it... [Read More]

Tags:

writing

Steps to a Content Audit

The essential role of content audits in technical documentation

By Steve Arrants

Posted on January 23, 2025

One of my recent jobs was to convert existing documentation to the parent company’s brand and format. While I was reformatting, rebranding, and chasing down information, I saw that the existing documentation was outdated, with contradictory information and other problems with the content. I suggested planning and scheduling a content... [Read More]

Tags:

writing

Creating Your Team Style Guide

Ensure your documentation is consistent and clear, maintain a unified voice across your documentation, and reduce confusion for readers.

By Steve Arrants

Posted on January 14, 2025

A style guide should be an essential part of your writing toolkit. If your group doesn’t have one, make a plan to create one. Some companies have a marketing style guide and a brand guide. Those are good resources, but you need a separate guide for technical publications. How do... [Read More]

Tags:

writing

Hiring is Broken. How can We Fix It?

By Steve Arrants

Posted on September 23, 2024

The hiring process has become increasingly complex and impersonal in today’s job market. Automated tools, while offering some benefits, have created new challenges for job seekers and hiring alike. The current state of hiring and its impact on applicants adversely affect everyone. What’s changed, and how can we make the... [Read More]

Tags:

hiring