Expert Business and Tech Writer Available for Full-Time Role

"It has been said that history repeats itself. This is perhaps not quite correct; it merely rhymes."
—Theodor Reik

A little over a decade ago, I wrote a post explaining my desire to enter academia as a college professor. The idea of teaching at the college level appealed to me. Ultimately, I interviewed at four universities before accepting a full-time offer at Arizona State in May 2016. I taught at ASU for four years. When COVID-19 arrived, I returned to the independent life.

Toggling, Taxes, and Text

Taking the ASU gig wasn't the first time I shook things up professionally. Since 2000, I have strategically toggled back and forth between W-2 jobs and the indie life.¹ Going in-house isn't exactly a novelty. Many independent writers, speakers, and consultants do it, including my friend Scott Berkun.

The types of tax forms I receive may have changed over the last two decades, but one thing has remained remarkably constant: writing. For a long time, the written word has represented a major source of my income, even when I drew a regular paycheck with health benefits.

Case in point: I wrote three books during my ASU tenure. Since departing, I've penned four more and have ghostwritten another two. And then there's the other short- and long-form client work.

Brass tacks: my mind and fingers are as spry as ever. I'm ready for my next challenge. I'm interested in procuring a full-time position as an in-house writer.

Ideal Writing Gigs

After browsing LinkedIn and giving it some thought, the most logical positions for me generally fall into three categories.

Externally Focused

Organizations typically need skilled writers to broadcast their messages. If that's not the case, odds are that they are in stealth mode or their leadership relies upon AI slop.

I've done plenty of for-hire content marketing work over the years. My clients have hired me to help them shape their narratives and define their brand identity. If I went in-house, related job titles include:

• Content marketing writer.
• Senior content strategist.
• Senior content lead.
• Executive director of thought leadership.
• Brand journalist.

Internally Focused

Two groups stand out here. Technical writers document internal processes and training materials. For their part, internal communications professionals craft confidential and proprietary content.

Hybrid Wordsmith/Utility Player

To meet their writing and editing needs, some firms employ a jack-of-all-trades. In these roles, topics and audiences shift constantly—one project might target a specific internal team, while the next reaches a global audience. The role of utility player appeals to me because I'm preternaturally curious.

My Bona Fides

Ideally my next employer requires and values someone with a proven track record of business and tech writing over the past two decades. More specifically, I:

• Have written about a wide array of business- and tech-related subjects.
• Bring a diversity of writing and research experiences to the table. (I have worked with firms of different sizes and in different industries.)
• Write quickly, efficiently, and with minimal supervision. (Perhaps most notably, I cranked out the 110,000-word manuscript for Zoom For Dummies in seven weeks.)
• Write well. (Five of my books have won awards.)
• Have created many bespoke, proprietary documents. I'm talking about lengthy user guides, internal reports, and training manuals for my consulting clients.
• Analyze and synthesize different types of information for different audiences.
• Appreciate the tradeoffs among fast, cheap, and good.
• Draw relevant parallels between contemporary and historical trends.
• Support my assertions with meticulous research.
• Produce compelling and original storytelling. (It is paramount—that's why you'll find case studies in all of my books.)
• Recognize the limitations of pure text—that is, I know when visuals and infographics would advance the article or white paper.
• Excel at online collaboration, especially on complex, multi-author projects. (The Next Wave of Technologies is a survey book with contributions from a dozen experts in their fields.)
• Build user-friendly systems to keep everyone on the same page and minimize email.
• Routinely use emerging AI tools, especially Claude.
• Respectfully suggest improvements not just to articles but to existing business processes and tech.

If you or someone you know is looking for someone with my skill set, let's chat.

Footnotes