Web content manager to technical communicator
A web content manager already meets 46% of what the technical communicator role asks for. The move turns on 14 required skills not yet in the profile.
60.8/ 100
1 How much of what a technical communicator is expected to do is already part of a web content manager’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the technical communicator role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A technical communicator role treats 10 of its required skills as things a web content manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply tools for content development
- cognitive psychology
- compile content
- conduct content quality assurance
- content development processes
- integrate content into output media
What stands in the way is 14 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 23 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A technical communicator role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a web content manager background worth leading with.
- already held utilise content types working with computers
- already held apply tools for content development working with computers
- already held publishing strategy arts and humanities
- already held compile content information skills
- already held conduct content quality assurance working with computers
- already held manage content metadata information skills
All 23 carried skills, including the 10 the technical communicator role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 23 missing skills fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn identify ICT user needs required
- still to learn gather technical information required
- still to learn manage information sources required
- still to learn structure information required
- still to learn apply ICT terminology required
- still to learn develop documentation in accordance with legal requirements required
- optional, not held create script for artistic production optional
- optional, not held design graphics optional
- optional, not held identify technological needs optional
- optional, not held manage localisation optional
- still to learn ICT software specifications required
- still to learn knowledge base required
- optional, not held ICT help platforms optional
- optional, not held application usability optional
- still to learn visual presentation techniques required
- still to learn multimedia systems required
- still to learn develop ICT safety information required
- optional, not held integrate and re-elaborate digital content optional
- optional, not held manage digital documents optional
- still to learn provide technical documentation required
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a technical communicator role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 develop ICT safety information practise this
- 02 ICT software specifications study this
- 03 apply ICT terminology practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 23 skills that carry over
- already held apply tools for content development skill
- already held cognitive psychology knowledge
- already held compile content skill
- already held conduct content quality assurance skill
- already held content development processes knowledge
- already held integrate content into output media skill
- already held interpret technical texts skill
- already held manage content metadata skill
- already held provide written content skill
- already held publishing strategy knowledge
- already held CSS knowledge
- already held JSSS knowledge
- already held LESS knowledge
- already held Sass knowledge
- already held manage content development projects skill
- already held provide multimedia content skill
- already held style sheet languages knowledge
- already held translate requirements into visual design skill
- already held use content management system software skill
- already held use markup languages skill
- already held use presentation software skill
- already held use word processing software skill
- already held utilise content types skill
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn product usage risks analysis required
- still to learn documentation types required
- optional, not held provide online help optional
9 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held provide online help optional
- optional, not held ICT help platforms optional
- optional, not held application usability optional
- optional, not held create script for artistic production optional
- optional, not held design graphics optional
- optional, not held identify technological needs optional
- optional, not held integrate and re-elaborate digital content optional
- optional, not held manage digital documents optional
- optional, not held manage localisation optional
31 held skills the technical communicator role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role AJAX knowledge
- not needed by the target role JavaScript knowledge
- not needed by the target role PHP knowledge
- not needed by the target role World Wide Web Consortium standards knowledge
- not needed by the target role augmented reality knowledge
- not needed by the target role authoring software knowledge
- not needed by the target role comply with legal regulations skill
- not needed by the target role conduct search engine optimisation skill
- not needed by the target role content marketing strategy knowledge
- not needed by the target role create content title skill
- not needed by the target role design digital call to action skill
- not needed by the target role develop digital content skill
- not needed by the target role digital content creation skill
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with company regulations skill
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with legal requirements skill
- not needed by the target role ensure proper document management skill
- not needed by the target role identify customer requirements skill
- not needed by the target role identify legal requirements skill
- not needed by the target role information structure knowledge
- not needed by the target role interactive media knowledge
- not needed by the target role keywords in digital content knowledge
- not needed by the target role legal requirements of ICT products knowledge
- not needed by the target role manage online content skill
- not needed by the target role perform copywriting skill
- not needed by the target role perform online data analysis skill
- not needed by the target role proofread text skill
- not needed by the target role provide guidelines for content development skill
- not needed by the target role translate requirement concepts into content skill
- not needed by the target role use spreadsheets software skill
- not needed by the target role web based collaborative platforms knowledge
- not needed by the target role web programming knowledge
8 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn ICT software specifications required
- still to learn documentation types required
- still to learn visual presentation techniques required
- still to learn knowledge base required
- still to learn multimedia systems required
- still to learn product usage risks analysis required
- optional, not held ICT help platforms optional
- optional, not held application usability optional
Common questions about this move
Can a web content manager become a technical communicator?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A web content manager already covers 46% of what a technical communicator is expected to do: 23 skills carry over, 10 of which the technical communicator role treats as required.
What skills does a web content manager need to become a technical communicator?
14 required skills are missing, plus 9 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is develop ICT safety information.
How hard is the move from web content manager to technical communicator?
Its learning distance is 60.8 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.