English 421Y: Technical Writing Online

My technical instructions will cover the steps required to create a histogram in Microsoft Excel. Histograms are an important type of graph because they can effectively display the frequency of data items using a bar-type chart. The problem lies in the fact that Excel does not include a function in the chart creation wizard that counts how many times a certain value appears in a table of data. It is up to the user to define what will be displayed on the graph.

After reading the material for this week, it sounds like identifying specific audiences for instructions isn’t very easy. Chapter 20 suggests that we consider the 4 types of readers, the skill levels of those readers, and the locations in which they’ll be performing the task at hand. How is it possible to create something for use by so many people? Take computer hardware for example. The reader could be working at a bench in a repair shop, or they could be installing something in their home PC on the living room floor.

Question 1: Do I use too much detail? Should my paragraphs be more concise?

Question 2: Do I use good supporting information and examples?

Personally, I dread writing the cover letter. The resume is relatively easy. I can list facts about myself with no problem, but trying to win over an HR representative with a full page of pure writing always seems difficult. "Kairos and the Cover Letter" suggests writing with personality, rather than emulating a style. That's about all I took from this, as the article gave several examples but did not elaborate on them extensively. I guess the point is that you shouldn't be overzealous or cocky. Employers like competence, not cockiness.

See attached file.

One of the main reasons for why I took this course was for the section on resume building. With graduation around the corner, I figured that it was time to get serious with my application materials, and these readings have really taught me a lot. One of my most common mistakes, according to “Skeptical Resume Reader Tells How He Really Thinks,” is the use of weak verbs. Up until now, my resumes have always included phrases like “participated in” or “assisted with,” and apparently this strategy does not appeal to employers.

According to Chapter 8 – Organizing and Drafting in TCT, the organizational pattern of a document should be constructed distinctively for the type of genre at hand. One of the first steps toward this is to create an outline, which I think can be an effective tool in technical writing especially. I’d assume that all of us were required to come up with an outline for at least a few of our research papers from elementary school through high school, but I’ll admit that I usually drafted the outline after my paper was written.

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