on the job: technical writer intern
I didn’t even expect to be doing an internship this summer.
After applying to many intern positions and landing just one interview—(and no offer)—I reached out to my professor to ask about alternatives to fulfill my graduate program’s internship requirement. I expected a long wait or, at best, a proposal for a workaround. Instead, she replied that very day—with an internship opportunity. It wasn’t posted on a job board or wrapped in a formal application process. It was an opportunity that arrived quietly but quickly, and I started less than a week later.
There was no official onboarding checklist. No set of deliverables in a project tracker. I wasn’t sure what I’d be doing—just that I was ready to contribute. And in true technical writer form, I had to go with the flow: figure out the structure, document what I could, and write my way through ambiguity.
What followed has been an immersive experience—equal parts editing, learning, collaborating, and growing. Here’s a snapshot of what I’ve learned so far:
1. Proposal Writing Is a Team Sport
Every sentence has to earn its place in the evaluator’s mind.
My first project involved contributing to a response to a request for proposal (RFP). I was tasked with developing a section that documented standard operating procedures. Writing for proposals isn’t just about being clear and concise—it’s about aligning content with evaluation criteria and making sure every sentence speaks to the client’s needs.
I saw firsthand how technical writers collaborate with subject matter experts, project managers, and editors—not only to gather the right information, but to ensure that the proposal reads as a unified, strategic response rather than a collection of disjointed parts. The process relies on tight coordination, shared standards, and continuous refinement to create a cohesive final document that instills confidence and clarity.
2. Copyediting Is Strategic
Consistency isn’t optional—it’s credibility.
Another early task involved copyediting a PowerPoint presentation. At first, I assumed it would be a quick polish, but I quickly realized it required a more strategic approach. In addition to reviewing tone, clarity, and formatting, I had to ensure terminology consistency throughout the deck. The presentation had been written by an American for a Canadian audience, so part of my role involved checking for regionally appropriate spelling and usage (think organization vs. organisation, or program vs. programme). Slide decks demand brevity, clarity, and cross-cultural awareness—and even small inconsistencies can undermine the message. This experience reinforced how editorial precision isn’t just about grammar; it’s about audience alignment and professional polish.
3. Structured Authoring Requires a Structured Mindset
I gained valuable exposure to structured authoring through two distinct projects. In the first, I copyedited a training manual housed in a component content management system (CCMS). While I wasn’t authoring from scratch, working in a structured environment required close attention to tagging conventions, content reuse, and formatting constraints. Even basic edits had to align with the logic and modularity of the system.
Next, I had the opportunity to work directly with structured content in another CCMS as part of a proof-of-concept (POC) demo. The original material lacked depth, so I researched and developed additional content to better demonstrate the product’s capabilities. This meant writing within an existing topic structure and applying metadata and tagging protocols to ensure consistency and compatibility with the publishing model. It was my first real experience building content within a DITA-based system—and it gave me a new appreciation for the precision and planning that structured authoring demands.
4. Knowledge Modeling Is Where Content Strategy Meets Ontology
Metadata isn’t just data—it’s the roadmap to discovery.
Most recently, I’ve been helping to build a knowledge model using an enterprise taxonomy tool. This project opened my eyes to the relationship between metadata, classification, and findability. I’ve learned how controlled vocabularies and semantic tagging can elevate content usability—especially when dealing with complex domains like life sciences, AI readiness, or regulatory documentation.
Reflecting on the Journey
As a mid-career graduate student transitioning into a new field, this internship has been more than just an academic requirement. It has been a chance to explore the intersections of writing, technology, and strategy—and to find my footing in a space where clear communication is both a craft and a business asset.
Key Takeaways So Far
Align every deliverable to the audience’s goals and the evaluation criteria.
Editing for different English variants requires more than spellcheck—it’s about audience trust.
Structured authoring is meticulous but enables scalability.
Taxonomy design fuels discoverability and usability.
There’s still plenty more to learn, but I now understand the value that a technical communicator brings to a team: we make things understandable, consistent, and useful. And we do so with intention.
august 5, 2025
