# 021: Tank Tech Writing Interviews in 5 Minutes
¡Hola, Tech Writing Friends!
So you finally landed that tech writing interview.
You’re excited! You redid your resume and spent some quality time practicing your answers.
Then your interviewer asks:
“Can you tell me about a time you collaborated with engineers?”
And you reply:
“Oh yeah! Collaboration is super important to me. I’ve always worked closely with cross-functional teams and really value teamwork.”
BOOM. 💣 You just tanked it.
Why High-Level Answers = Low-Level Offers
The truth?
Interviewing is a skill.
And it’s a different skill from the job itself.
You might be an excellent tech writer…
But when you give vague, generic answers in your interview, they assume you don’t know what you’re talking about.
Why? Because you haven’t specifically articulated your value.
3 Ways Tech Writers Tank Their Interviews
1️⃣ You stay too high-level.
“I write user guides and API docs. I prioritize collaborating across teams.”
👎🏽 Cool. So does every tech writer.
Instead, try something like:
“At KOOL COMPANY, I redesigned the Information Architecture for our developer docs and that reduced support tickets by 10%. I also partnered with 2 engineers and 1 PM to test the new user flows before launching the new docs.”
See the difference? The more specific you get, the better you show impact.
2️⃣ You don’t tell stories.
Interviews are technical storytelling opportunities.
Every interviewer question is a prompt for a short, specific story.
Use the STAR Method:
Situation, Task, Action, Result — 2-4 sentences MAX.
It makes you sound like a confident, competent pro.
Example:
Q:Tell me about a time you improved documentation quality.
A: At my last job, users were constantly confused about our API’s rate limits. (Situation)
I was tasked with reducing support tickets related to this feature. (Task)
I rewrote the docs using clearer examples, added a visual diagram, and published a troubleshooting section with real-world scenarios. (Action)
Support tickets dropped by 10% in the first month. (Result)
3️⃣ You can’t talk about your writing process.
“I write how-to guides, tutorials, and release notes.”
Uh oh, my friend. That’s a job description. Not a specific process description!
What’s your approach? What are your tools? How do you make decisions?
Try something like this:
“For every new feature, I meet with the PM and engineer to map out the user workflow. Then I draft a how-to guide, test it myself, and validate it with support feedback before publishing.”
Your Next Action Steps
Rewrite your resume bullet points as STAR interview stories.
Practice answering common questions like:
“Tell me about a doc you’re proud of.”
“What’s your process for working with SMEs?”
“How do you handle feedback?”
Stop answering like you’re writing the most boring press release on the planet.
Get REAL specific — or risk getting real ignored.
¡Hasta luego!
— Quetzalli
