[student name withheld]
ENC 3242 - Fall 2013
Assignment 2 - Interview
Sept. 22, 2012
Technical Writing Career Insights:
An Interview with Michael Ryff
BACKGROUND
Michael Ryff kindly offered his time for an interview on Wednesday, September 19, 2012. The interview lasted from 3:00 p.m. until 4:20 p.m. and took place at the KHS Sarasota office. Our meeting began with an informational interview and concluded with a short tour of the manufacturing facilities.
Michael Ryff is a senior technical writer at KHS, a manufacturer of food, beverage and nonfood containers. He worked at Novartis Pharmaceuticals before joining KHS USA four-and-a-half years ago. By demonstrating his value to KHS daily, he has obtained success, and agreed to share his insights for aspiring technical communicators.
INTERVIEW
Attraction to technical communications. I asked Michael Ryff what attracted him to the technical writing arena. He explained that his educational background started with Engineering and finished with English. Then, he was asked to produce instruction and parts manuals for KHS machines. Fusing the science and creative work into a career formed a satisfying duality. In addition to user-guides, Michael also develops video training guides, quick-start guides, and trade show literature.
Unpredictable Workdays. Michael experiences variety in his profession by providing a mixture of skills and keeping pace with advancing technology. As KHS machines evolve and new user systems progress, Michael Ryff creates fresh and improved explanation tools to go with them. Technology such as graphic design or video software also changes, allowing for innovative ways to approach visual training for the user.
Inside view. I asked Mr. Ryff how his technical writing job differs from what an outsider sees. He stated that he does not spend all day writing – rather he spends a majority of time speaking with engineers, programmers, users, electricians, and many other individuals. Through this form of communication, Mr. Ryff creates an accurate document for readers to understand and use.
How to Succeed in Technical Communications. Michael Ryff stated that a successful technical communicator must remain flexible, learn constantly, and desire innovation. Supervisors will expect you to complete tasks requiring many skills – open your mind to the varieties. Michael’s job entails video editing, quick-start guides, graphic design, CAD designs, instructional manuals and more. As you enter your career, Michael states many of these skills can be learned from observing others, spending time playing with the product, and continued formal learning courses. Finally, changing technology provides new methods for communicating instructions and working more efficiently. Take time to learn what other possibilities and media exist, and apply them.
Advice for Students. Michael relayed abundant advice for students considering technical communications while in college. He suggested joining the Society for Technical Communication (STC), conducting information interviews with professionals, taking business courses in college, and completing an internship. The STC enables you to meet established professionals in this field and create future job contacts. Interviewing enhances the communication skills for drawing out information and cooperating with varying personalities. In addition, Michael Ryff wished he had taken business courses for a foundation in the economic and business concepts that he had to acquire during his career. Finally, an internship provides the experience of a real technical communications job and creates prospective job contacts.
CONCLUSION
Michael’s valuable insight inspired me to create a list of goals for the present and after graduation. I plan to incorporate his suggestion of interviewing, which will develop with practice. Furthermore, I intend to find interviewees at the next STC meeting. Imagine the rich knowledge and resources waiting.
[student name withheld] • ENC 3242 • Assignment 2 - Interview • Sept. 22, 2012 • 1