I have been working on my professional portfolio for potential technical writing gigs. I realize I probably should have researched and done this a lot sooner, say months before the graduation date. But, I didn’t. And most jobs that are hiring professional writers want to see examples of their work.
Shocking, I know.
Obviously, I cannot direct them here. For one thing, this is mostly a personal blog with some fiction work thrown in as I hammer out style and voice in my head. For another, I rarely* edit this.
Anywho, I asked some technical writer friends what they did for theirs. 8 out of 10 said to write an instruction sheet on (get this) making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
*blink* Really?
Really. Apparently, it gives the interviewer/potential boss-type an inkling of your style.
Who knew?
I took them at their word and wrote my version of the PB&J white sheet. I must say. It’s epic.
Now, I am curious as to what my next piece for this project should be. Maybe I’ll wow them with my incredibly detailed, color-coded, retailer link enabled, Yule gift and card list. I’ve probably logged a thousand hours into that bad boy over the last several years.
Nah. Wouldn’t want to overwhelm them with too much awesome, all at once.
* – I never edit. I write what I write into the little text box that WP provides. The only editing that I do is if I happen to catch a missed word or misspelling after I publish something. You guys get the raw me. Lucky y’all.