Resume

Objective
Qualification Highlights
Skills and Abilities
Career History
Education and Affiliation
Contact Information

Objective

Bring versatile writing skills to a company or project that requires clear content, satisfying usability and a hint of persuasion.

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Qualification Highlights

• 5+ years in web, online and print content
• Technical Writing certificate from BCIT, B.A. in Psychology
• Multi-industry: software, outdoor retail, tourism, realty, publishing
• Organized, detail-oriented and sensitive to timelines
• Adaptable to independent or team-driven projects
• Friendly, energized, motivated

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Skills and Abilities

Technical Writing
- process descriptions, screen instructions, FAQ, glossary, help files
- training materials, user guides, tutorials, cheat sheets
- registration and transaction forms
- system alerts, emails, confirmations

Communication Writing
- web site content, print materials
- advertorial, backgrounders, backgrounders, direct marketing
- news releases, newsletters, emails, correspondence
- reports, executive summaries
- web logs (blogs), slideshows
- some social media, proposal, presentation skills

Editorial Writing
- write, proofread, fact-check, revise, and edit
- features, essays, profiles, interviews, reviews, round-ups, columns
- tourism, business, lifestyle, sustainability, alternative genres
- print and web, translation adaption
- photography and imagery

Blog Writing
- compose, post, edit, publish and SEO serialized web content
- Drupal, Joomla!, WordPress, Blogger
- Open Source publishing and Rich Internet Applications
- some HTML, CSS, widget and taxonomy skills

Graphic Design
- create, layout and proof visual content for print
- manuals, guides, images, marketing materials, advertising, brochures
- image handling RGB and CMYK
- Adobe Creative Suite, Contribute, other print design applications

Marketing Research
- primary research: observation, interview, survey, testing
- secondary research: sourcing, academic, resource, media search
- design, conduct, compile and analyze consumer opinion polls
- user testing

Marketing Content
- apply market research and principles to describe, rebrand or advertise
- shape communications to its target audience and outlet
- catalogues, sales sheets, brochures, flyers
- print advertising, campaigns, POS and media kits
- some copy writing, sales skills

Project Organization
- administer a Content Management System and back-office service
- create website wireframes, workflows
- tag and code INDD files for XML and data feeds
- benchmark, research, design and service-test UI and site processes
- manage digital inventory and databases
- monitor error reports, fixes and follow-up
- some QA skills

Resource Organization
- recruit and train a team
- research, install and manage department equipment and resources
- streamline workflow and timelines
- liaise with clients, suppliers, other teams
- train and provide customer support (on-site, phone, web demo)
- maintain accountability to project stakeholders

Tools
- MS Office 2010, Adobe Creative Suite CS5
- WordPress, Blogger, Drupal, Joomla!
- HTML, CSS, CMS
- Glance, Webex

- some Adobe FrameMaker, RoboHelp, Captivate

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Career History

NGRAIN Canada – Technical Writer
Collaborated with engineers, QA, and user-experience teams to update online and print documentation for a new release of an interactive 3D training software application. Vancouver, BC. 2011-2012.

Mountain Equipment Co-op – Web Writer
Researched, wrote, and designed new Web content for a national outdoor gear retailer (internship). Vancouver, BC. 2011.

Government of Canada – Writer
Print and web content for the Canadian Tourism Commission’s award-winning “Canada. Keep Exploring.” brand. Awarded contract from a nation-wide bid process. Researched, wrote and formatted web pages using client style guides, psychographic metrics, and SEO principles. (contract). Vancouver, BC. 2009 – present.

Left Brain Creative – Writer, Designer
Freelance print and web content for large and small business clients. Clients have included Canwest Publishing, Metroland Media Group Ltd., Momentum Magazine, Vancouver Review, The Georgia Straight, Ingenuity Works, Tamwood International College, Great Explorations, The Bike Doctor, PCIS, Buzz Marketing). Vancouver, BC. 2000 – present.

InPrint Media Sales, Ltd. – Content Design Manager, Writer, Designer
Wrote and managed all documentation and marketing and received successive promotions from a web-based IT service for U.S. newspapers. Help files, user manuals, on-screen instructions, training materials. Reports, brochures, ads, sales materials. GUI, QA and client training. Vancouver, BC. 2003 – 2008.

The Georgia Straight Newspaper - Creative Supervisor
Optimized communication, workflow and quality issues between ad production and sales departments for an award-winning weekly newspaper; wrote editorial features and columns. Vancouver, BC. 1996 – 1998.

A&B Sound, Marketing Department – Graphic Designer, Art Director, Administrator
Received successive promotions from graphic designer to design team leader; introduced an electronic publishing environment to increase retailer’s productivity and quality of promotional materials.
Vancouver, BC. 1991 – 1996.

Urban Advertising and Design - Graphic Artist
Learned importance of accuracy, efficiency and completeness in a fast-paced ad agency; assumed coordination of studio resources. Hamilton, ON. 1989 – 1991.

Horse Sense Magazine, Media C Publishing – Writer, Production Artist, Researcher
Learned writing, proofing and design skills from mentors in magazine publishing environments; increased readership with market research and database analysis. Guelph, ON. 1986 – 1989.

University of Guelph - Writer, Editor, A/V Tech
Learned independent and collaborative work skills; writing, editing, production, and trouble-shooting basics with a campus newspaper and audio/visual production department. Guelph, ON. 1982 – 1986.

Thompson Lightstone Research - Consumer Opinion Surveyor
Collected interviews and delivered compiled data to a national market research company. Calgary, AB. 1981.

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Education and Affiliation

• Certificate: Technical Writing, Business and Media – B.C. Institute of Technology, BC
• Certificate: Usability and Writing for the Web – Nielsen Norman Group, San Francisco, CA
• B.A. Honours: Psychology, Market and Consumer Studies – University of Guelph, ON
• Certificate: Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) – Vancouver Community College, BC
• Society for Technical Communication (STC), Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), B.C. Association of Travel Writers (BCATW) member

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