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Resume skills guide · SOC 27-3042

Skills for Technical Writers

The skills, knowledge, and tools that matter most for technical writers, ranked by O*NET importance — so you know what to lead with on your resume.

What to lead with

Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Writing, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list. On the tools side, O*NET flags Atlassian Confluence, Atlassian JIRA, Extensible markup language XML, Microsoft Excel as in-demand technologies for this role.

Top skills (ranked by importance)

O*NET importance score in parentheses (1–5).

  • 1.Writing4.88
  • 2.Reading Comprehension4.12
  • 3.Active Listening3.75
  • 4.Speaking3.75
  • 5.Critical Thinking3.62
  • 6.Active Learning3.25
  • 7.Monitoring3
  • 8.Learning Strategies2.5
  • 9.Mathematics1.62
  • 10.Science1.25

Show these skills on your resume for Technical Writers

Honest tailoring

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Knowledge areas

  • English Language
  • Computers and Electronics
  • Administrative
  • Communications and Media
  • Administration and Management
  • Public Safety and Security
  • Education and Training
  • Production and Processing

Core work activities

  • Working with Computers
  • Getting Information
  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
  • Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
  • Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others
  • Analyzing Data or Information
  • Processing Information
  • Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
  • Documenting/Recording Information

In-demand tools & technology

  • Atlassian Confluence
  • Atlassian JIRA
  • Extensible markup language XML
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Office software
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Microsoft SharePoint
  • Microsoft Visio
  • Microsoft Word
  • Adobe Creative Cloud software
  • Adobe Illustrator
  • Adobe InDesign
  • Adobe Photoshop
  • Autodesk AutoCAD
  • Cascading style sheets CSS