Name: Tricia Sullivan
Job Title: Senior Tech Writer
Where: St. Petersburg, FL
Employer: Raymond James
Years of Experience: 30
Education: Downers Grove High School College of DuPage - Journalism
Salary: Use the PayScale Research Center to find median technical writer salaries.

Sr. Technical Writer Career

Tricia Sullivan not only shatters the stereotype of boring technical writer jobs - she makes them sound interesting and fun. In fact, when you read the, “What is the job description of a technical writer” section, you may find out that you've been working as a technical writer all along, just not getting paid for it.

In this Salary Story, Tricia explains the difference between technical writing and other forms of writing. You’ll get answers to questions like, “What are the different types of technical writing?” and “How do you find technical writer jobs?” Most importantly, she offers the inside scoop on dealing with clients and project proposals in technical writing. We hope you enjoy learning about this exciting career just as much as we did.

What is the job description of a technical writer?

I work with the business analyst and product managers in setting up user focus groups to better understand what the users need and want in terms of applications and documentation. Then, once a project is undertaken, I accompany the BA in the collection of requirements and visit with the users to understand how they do the job currently. Once the requirements for a project are collected and signed off on, I work with the business analyst to design and define the screens and reports. We work together to make sure the fields flow in the right sequence, that the field labels are clear and easily understood, and that any onscreen text or embedded help text is clear and concise. At each iteration of the screen design, we involve the subject matter expert, who represents the users, so that we can make sure that all of their needs and concerns are met. I then take the screen mock-ups and use cases and develop the documentation. This can be one document or many.

Since January, many HR managers and company owners have been shaking in their boots. Why? They have some research to do about how they pay their employees.

If you haven’t heard of it yet, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, often referred to as the Obama equal pay bill, was signed into law this year. This law makes it easier for employees to sue their company if they discover that they have been paid a lower wage than other employees doing the same work because of their minority or protected status – e.g. race, gender, disability, etc.

If you’re looking for work, should you head north, south, east or west of where you are? Likely east.

Job site, Indeed.com, recently pulled together a list of the 50 most populous metropolitan areas in the U.S. and how they compare for finding a job. They researched job listings in each of the towns and then compared them to each city's jobless statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for June of 2009. Each town was given a ratio of job listings per unemployed person and only two are positive – Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, MD. Washington offers six jobs for every one person looking and Baltimore has three.

As you move down the list you see tougher statistics, like six job seekers for every one job in St. Louis, MO, 10 for every one opening in Miami, FL, and, finally, 18 job hunters for every gig listed in Detroit.

In an effort to help the cause of getting folks employed, I thought we could see, according to PayScale data, which jobs are most common in the cities with the most openings.

Name:Carol L. Kardas
Job Title:President, KardasLarson, LLC
Where: Hartford, CT
Employer:KardasLarson, LLC, Human Resource Solutions
Years of Experience: 8 years
Education: Marymount College/Fordam University, BS Psychology. SPHR - Senior Professional in Human Resources, CCP - Certified Compensation Professional
Salary:See PayScale's Research Center for the Average Salary for an HR Manager.

HR Manager Career

You are about to read the story of a person who truly loves her job. There are many companies hiring for HR managers, but Carol decided to take a different route. Her resume is unique compared to the normal resume of HR managers. She has found a human resources niche and, if you already understand the administrative duties of an HR manager, her route may be the perfect road for you. In this Salary Story, Carol gives helpful advice on how to find success as an independent HR manager, and shares her passion for the career. Overall, she provides the great example of how to be a good human resources manager.

HR Manager Job Description

Carol: I am an independent contractor with a portfolio career as the human resource person for five companies. Additionally, I provide career counseling to displaced workers to help them find a new career. I also provide compensation services to not-for-profit agencies and create compensation programs for their organizations. I teach HR at a local college for other individuals who want to become certified as an SPHR or PHR. I have been able to take all the things that I love to do and put them into one interesting career. I never thought that I would be an entrepreneur.