Resume keywords & skills for a Technical Writer
For a technical writer resume, the keywords recruiters and parsers scan for fall into three buckets: core writing skills (technical documentation, API docs, user guides, docs-as-code, information architecture, editing, content strategy, knowledge bases), a concrete toolset (Markdown, Git, Confluence, MadCap Flare, DITA, Docusaurus, Swagger/OpenAPI), and human skills like clear writing and empathy for users. Paste your resume below to see which of this role's keywords you hit and which you're missing — comparison only, nothing uploaded. One honest note: adding keywords makes your resume more relevant to the role; it isn't a trick to fool the machine.
Technical Writer resume keywords (30)
Hard skills
Tools & tech
Soft skills
Check your resume against these Technical Writer keywords
Paste your resume (or drop a file) and see which of this role's keywords you already have and which you're missing — entirely in your browser, nothing uploaded.
Keywords are relevance, not a trick
A technical writer's resume is itself a writing sample — a long keyword list won't help if the resume is wordy or has typos; it argues against you. Hiring teams usually ask for a portfolio too, so list only the skills you can back with real docs.
Frequently asked questions
It depends on what you document. Developer-facing roles weigh API docs, docs-as-code, Markdown/Git and OpenAPI most; end-user roles weigh user guides, information architecture, knowledge bases and MadCap Flare/DITA. Match the target role's doc type first, then let outcomes carry it — like 'rewrote the getting-started guide, lifting first-time setup success by 30%.'
Don't. Doc tools differ a lot, and faking fluency in a structured-authoring tool like DITA or Flare falls apart in week one. List only what you've genuinely worked in and mark the rest 'familiar / willing to learn.' The upside: tools are learnable fast, and hiring teams care more about whether you can make complex things clear — listing your real tools accurately beats a name pile.
Follow the reader. Developer docs surface APIs, SDKs, code samples, docs-as-code, Git workflows and reading code; end-user docs surface usability, information architecture, visuals (screenshots/diagrams), localization and readability. Lean your resume toward the target audience — but only toward work you've actually done; don't claim you read code to land a developer-docs role.
No, and no tool can. Technical writing roles almost always check a portfolio, sometimes with a live writing exercise on a piece of technical content. Keywords only make your resume relevant enough to reach that stage. The outcome rests on the quality of your writing samples and your ability to make the complex clear. PolishCat helps you see the gap; it doesn't sell a 'guaranteed pass' myth.
Updated · PolishCat team