Who Copytree looks to hire

We’ve developed a pretty good sense of what makes for a standout technical writer at Copytree, beyond the work history and bylines (though having worked in tech before is pretty important).

To us, a great writer is a confidently curious person who cares deeply about craft and accuracy. Here are some of the glimmers we look for when deciding whether to invite someone to interview.

They’d write even if they weren’t paid

Great writers write because they enjoy writing. Not only do they care deeply about the craft, but it’s something they do almost compulsively outside of work, too—keeping a blog, pursuing a creative path, sending funny rants on the group chat. People who enjoy the writing aren’t just fun for us to work with; they tend do better work, earn our clients’ respect, and more gracefully process feedback.

They’d research even if they weren’t paid

As much as they love to write, they love to learn. Our clients rarely hand us all the information we need to write a piece; part of what they hire us to do is find the data and examples that tell the story they have in mind, and often to find points of synthesis with related topics. Especially as AI frequently gives misleading or entirely false answers, skeptical curiosity is the foundation of premium, trustworthy content.

They write with flair

Bland copy, even if clearly expressed, is undifferentiated. The writers we seek are artisans who craft quality pieces of expository or persuasive writing, even for straightforward pieces like tutorials. They vary their word choice and sentence length. They use some metaphors and the occasional clever turn of phrase. They avoid clichéd structures. Knowledge and experience aren’t enough; the work has to sing.

They’re engineers, or like hanging out with them

Some have been software engineers themselves. Others have worked directly with engineering teams as a product manager, or are really really nerdy product or content marketers. Whether or not they know how to code, what successful writers at Copytree have in common is they’re at home talking shop about technical topics. By having spent time in this world, they’ve intuited how to gain a developer’s attention and trust.

They’ve worked at a tech company

Our clients are building, shipping, and selling technology, as is the majority of the audience we write to. Writers are at a substantial disadvantage if they haven’t worked in a similar environment. No matter how much you use and read about tech, if you haven’t been in the room where it happens, you’ll miss a lot of the nuances in the brief, in what the product can and can’t do, and what readers will find most compelling.

They’re humble but confident

Great writing shows rather than tells. We can glean a whole lot about an applicant by how they talk about their experience and accomplishments. Since our writers also interact with teammates and clients, it’s important to us that they demonstrate expertise and discretion in equal measure. In other words, we’re looking for the sort of person we not only want to hang out with and learn from, but would be happy to introduce to our friends.

If this sounds like you, please apply. We’re eager to learn about you and read your work!