Find technical authors and writers who actually understand the work

Specialist recruitment for technical communication roles

Recruiting a technical writer is not like standard recruitment. Fewer writers, but many *many* different job titles. Recruiters often completely unfamiliar with tech writing. Tendency to auto-filter by keyword – which is a big problem.

— Adrian Warman (@warmana)

A good technical communicator needs more than excellent writing skills.

Depending on the role, you may need someone who can:

• Understand a complex product or process
• Extract information from busy subject-matter experts
• Structure content around users’ needs
• Work with developers, engineers, support teams or compliance specialists
• Use your documentation tools and publishing workflow
• Manage reviews, conflicting feedback and release deadlines

Generalist recruitment processes can miss these distinctions. Cherryleaf works in technical communication every day, through recruitment, documentation projects, consulting and training.

That gives us a detailed understanding of the capabilities you need and the questions candidates should be asked.

At Cherryleaf, we’re talking to technical communicators all the time. That’s because Cherryleaf does more than just recruitment. This means your vacancy will get seen by our wide network of contacts, connecting you to a larger pool of candidates.

Recruitment or a managed project?

Sometimes the challenge is not only about finding a person. Before starting a search, it helps to be clear about which model you actually need.

When to choose recruitment

You know what needs to be done and have someone who can brief, manage and review the writer’s work. You want to resource the work; we find the right person for it.

When to choose a managed documentation project service

You want Cherryleaf to help define the approach, manage the work and take responsibility for the agreed deliverables.

Cherryleaf provides the expertise and process of a specialist agency, with the responsiveness and personal attention of a small, dedicated team.

“The main strength of Cherryleaf is knowing how to organise the content. It all looks self-evident when you look at the result, but it’s hard to come up with on your own.”

Vadim B, Tisane Labs

Not sure?

Describe the outcome you need and we will help you decide. See also: Managed documentation writing service.

Talk through the options

Why use Cherryleaf?

We understand technical communication

Technical communication is not an incidental specialism for us. It is at the centre of our recruitment, writing, consulting and training work. We know what good looks like.

We understand that job titles are unreliable

“Technical Writer”, “Content Designer” and “Information Developer” can describe very different jobs. We focus on the work the person has done and the environment in which they did it, not just their title or the tools they list.

We talk to technical communicators continually

Our wider work in the profession (training, consulting, our speaking, our podcast ) means we maintain active relationships with writers, managers, trainers and specialists. Your vacancy reaches people who are not actively job-hunting.

We help you choose the right resourcing model

A permanent employee is not always the answer. We can advise on permanent recruitment, contract support and managed documentation delivery, and help you decide which fits your situation

We aim to reduce wasted effort

Our goal is a relevant shortlist, rather than a large volume of loosely-matched CVs. You spend your time talking to genuinely suitable candidates.

Human review, every time

Every CV is reviewed by a person with knowledge of technical communication. We don’t use keyword-matching software to filter out candidates. We also speak to candidates before they reach your desk.

Frequently asked questions

Can you help us create the job description?

Yes. We can help clarify the outcomes, responsibilities, essential experience and terminology needed to attract the right candidates.

Do you recruit both permanent employees and contractors?

Yes. We can help with permanent technical writing positions that offer above average salaries and contract technical communication roles. Where recruitment is not the best approach, we can also discuss a managed documentation project.

Can you find candidates with specialist industry experience?

We can search for candidates with relevant product, subject, audience and regulatory experience. Availability will depend on how narrow the requirements are, the budget, location and timescale.

Do you recruit remote and hybrid roles?

Yes, subject to the requirements of the role and the location and employment arrangements you specify.

How quickly can you supply a shortlist?

This depends on the role, the market, location, budget and candidate availability. After an initial discussion, we can give you a realistic view of the likely search timeline. For contract roles, we aim to have a first shortlist within five to ten working days.

How do you assess candidates?

All the candidate CVs are reviewed by humans, not filtered by software. We consider the relevance of each candidate’s documentation experience, the audiences and subjects they have covered, their working methods, tools and stakeholder environment. We also call and speak to any candidates we consider suitable before sending you their details.

What are your fees?

For permanent placements we charge a percentage of the starting salary, in line with standard UK specialist recruitment practices. For contract placements we add a margin to the candidate’s agreed day rate. We are happy to discuss fees during an initial conversation. Please get in touch.

We have never hired a technical author before. Can you still help?

Absolutely. We regularly work with organisations making their first documentation hire. We can help you shape the brief, set realistic salary expectations, and advise on how to structure the role for success.