Business Writing | Olga Kostiouchina

Business Writing

by Olga Kostiouchina

A technical writer is often called to the duty of writing many business related documents for companies. By creating a comprehensive set of documentation that describes and assists in every aspect of the business a technical writer does an invaluable service to the company. As a result the business runs more efficiently, all processes are handled on a highly professional level, eliminating miscommunication between departments and increasing productivity.

If you acquire skills in this area of specialization, almost any business can benefit from hiring you.

What do you need to know to become a business writer?

It’s good if you have general knowledge of how businesses operate, however, no business degree is required. If you’re not confident, a couple of specific courses could help you get some pointers in the right direction. Some available and very useful courses at BCIT will teach you the basics of marketing and business operations, rules of business correspondence, writing proposals and much more. You might want to look into the document control processes as well, specialists in this area are hard to come by. Interdepartmental communication plays a vital role in how smooth the business runs, and document control is one of the main ways to improve it.

What are the examples of business writing?

Business documentation can include anything that directly relates to how the business is run:

• Letters
• Business and grant proposals
• Reports
• Meeting minutes
• Business plans
• Operation manuals
• Policies
• Procedures
• Templates
• Training materials
• Process descriptions
• Various flowcharts and graphs
• Annual reports

How can you improve your portfolio in order to apply for a business writing position?

If you have a job, try writing the procedures and policies you’re familiar with from scratch. Create a few graphics that show the processes used in the business.
If you’re unemployed approach a business, such as a non-profit organization, and offer to write documentation on a pro bono basis or for a small fee.

If you took a course in Proposal writing - include academic samples from that course.
If you’re self-employed, you’re bound to have some procedures in place on how you run your own business. If they’re not in the form of existing documents and templates -  it’s time to put them in writing now!

You’ll gather enough samples to include and show off the skills you possess when applying for that a job.

Further reading and resources:
http://www.lupinworks.com/roche/index.php : lots of good concise advice both on technical and business writing best practices

http://www.prismnet.com/~hcexres/textbook/acctoc.html : an excellent educational resource on technical and business writing with many examples

http://www.amazon.com/Power-Tools-Technical-Communication-McMurrey/dp/0155068989/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1307464601&sr=8-1 : an enhanced textbook version of the above resource by the same author

Copyright ©  June 2011 || Olga Kostiouchina

Vancouver, British Columbia

Editor: Jacob De Camillis