Cherryleaf Recruitment Services
Find the right technical communicator or courseware developer for you - with less effort, risk and stress
"I first worked with Cherryleaf when I was with Zetex Semiconductors. We had a requirement for authoring/editorial support on some of our technical publications. Ellis initially made sure he fully understood our specific requirements and profile of the person we were looking for, then supplied us a selection of carefully vetted resumes.
This saved us valuable time in selecting a shortlist of candidates. Ellis has also been an excellent source of help and advice on subsequent occasions. I wouldn't hesitate in recommending the valuable services Ellis and Cherryleaf provide."
Mark Tamblyn November 2008
If you need to explain technical topics to non-technical people, it can be tough finding the right person with the skills to do this. You need to find someone with the talents and personality - someone able to understand complex technical subjects and present the information in a way that works, within the time available.
We'd like to help you find the right person for you. In other words, someone who is great at the job, who will stay and, if it's a permanent position, someone who'll grow.
Cherryleaf provides contract and permanent development staff with these skills - in technical writing, training, copywriting, developing training courseware and publishing content online. We focus on job roles such as: Technical Authors, Technical Writers, Online Help developers, Web content developers, Training Courseware Developers, Editors, Publications Managers and Copywriters.
Because we are a "hub" within the technical communication - doing much more than recruitment - we enable you to find the right person for you with less effort, risk and stress.
Get in touch with us (here are our contact details) to see how we can help you.
Free writing test for you to use if you're recruiting a technical author
We offer a free writing test you can use to help you assess candidates. Contact us if you'd like a copy. Note: For prospective employers only - sorry, not available to candidates.
Five reasons why organisations use Cherryleaf's Recruitment services
1. You get access to great candidates by working with a company that's at the heart of the technical communications community.
By offering a range of technical writing services (we do more than just recruitment), we're at the heart of the wider technical communications community. We're talking to technical communicators all the time and this means when we're advertising your vacancy, you're connecting with a much bigger audience of talented people - more than just those out of work.
"We used Cherryleaf to recruit a member of staff at my last company. I found them the best place to go to find fully professional, career technical authors. Ellis's contribution to the field of technical authoring in a wide range of areas is excellent, which means that he attracts technical authors who are fully committed to their profession." Simon Green November 2008
As a member of TechComm Alliance, an international consortium of technical communication companies, we also can spread the word overseas - to Australian, Canadian, New Zealand and American candidates, for example - and work with you on international vacancies.
2. We're specialists doing the job ourselves, so we understand the skills and experience needed
We also have a writing projects division and we hire staff ourselves, so we understand what the role entails. This means the candidates we put forward to you are capable and qualified to do the work.
"Cherryleaf introduced me to work at Vodafone in 2003 and Ellis has been a speaker at some ISTC events I organised. We keep in touch and I can recommend him as a reliable contact who is up to date with our industry and with whom I would be very happy to work again." Stephen Helms. November 2008
We can also give you advice on how to select the right candidate, writing the job description and offering the right rate for the job. For example:
We asked the consultants at Cherryleaf for tips on hiring a technical author. You can get these tips free.
Just fill in your details here:
We can provide you with a generic job description that describes the role of a technical communicator. This description is useful if you're planning to recruit or if you need to create a job description for existing staff. Contact us to request a copy.
Our selection procedure is rigorous, and our position in the documentation services sector means we have a comprehensive list of high calibre candidates. We have the expertise to find you the right people, with the right skills, in the right place and at the right time.
3. We have a great track record in placing the right candidates
You may have been placed in the situation in the past, where you've hired someone and it's not worked out. You've then had to ask the new recruit to leave, and ask the recruiting company for a "claw back" of the fees.
Since we started in 2002, no-one has ever asked us for a "claw back" - because all the of candidates we've placed in the permanent positions have stayed (or have decided to move on only after a long while in the job).
4. You might not need to recruit at all
It may be that you only have a temporary need for someone or that your existing staff simply need to acquire new skills. You may also be interested in our managed projects team, who write documentation for clients on a project or outsourced basis. The latter is particularly useful for customers who require a large team of contractors to be based at their site. Because Cherryleaf is more than just a recruitment agency, we're able to look at situation, and (sometimes) recommend appropriate alternative options for you to consider.
5. You and your candidate still get support after the placement is made
It is important, more than ever, that the person you recruit is up to speed and productive as quickly as possible. To help you and the person you recruit, Cherryleaf provides post placement support:
- Our documentation experts will provide free telephone and email support and advice to the person recruited through us, for a period of 21 days.
The service begins from when they start working at your company. This should help new recruits really hit the ground running.
Facilitated peer-group mentoring Mastermind groups for documentation managers and leaders
Cherryleaf runs peer-group Mastermind meetings dedicated to providing a safe forum where documentation managers can share the issues they face and get their challenging questions answered - not just by an expert but by other documentation managers who've faced similar challenges to your own. It's a process of learning and developing skills through the medium of shared experience: something from "real-life" and valuable to everyone in the meeting.
These events are chargeable and are hosted by Cherryleaf. We are looking to set up additional Mastermind groups - in the UK and mainland Europe - so contact us if this would be of interest to you.
Potentially these may also expand to Melbourne in Australia and Raleigh-Durham NC in the USA - again, contact us if this would be of interest to you.
Contact us
Contact us if you have a resourcing requirement, or one coming up. You can also contact Cherryleaf on 01784 258672. We can then give you more information on how we can help you.
If you are looking for work
"I may add that Cherryleaf is the only organisation that has never disappointed me, and you have always behaved in an exemplary manner." Email from one of our candidates
Special report
So you want to become a technical author
Current vacancies
You can find our vacancies here.
Because contract positions often need to be filled quickly, we don't always have the time to highlight these on our Web site.
Submitting your CV
To register with Cherryleaf, send your CV, with a covering letter, by email. Our address is at the bottom of this page. We will confirm we've received your details. We will contact you if we have anything immediately available. We can only act on your requirements in the covering letter, so be sure you put down all the relevant information (such as where you can work).
Note: Please start the filenames of your CV and covering letter with your first and last names.
Writing your CV or Resume
We will not change your CV, other than to remove contact details, before sending it out to prospective employers. Your CV will tell them a lot about how good a writer you are. This means that your CV should be as good as you can make it.
- Your CV is your first chance to demonstrate your writing skills. You must be clear and concise.
- Most potential employers require us to email CVs, so please send your CV in Word format.
- Limit your CV to two or three sides of A4 paper, if you can.
- Don't forget to check your CV thoroughly. Look out for any typographical, spelling and grammatical errors.
Your CV should include at least: Personal Details, Nationality, Education and Training, Employment, Skills and Leisure Interests.
Writing your covering letter
The covering letter should contain information for Cherryleaf about your preferences, e.g. location and salary . We also need to know that, for contract work, you can prove your freelance status. We will not send your covering letter to a prospective employer unless with your express permission.
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