Introduction

For Technical Writer roles in 2026, hiring managers expect a resume that is clear, structured, and instantly communicates your ability to turn complex information into usable content. A focused, professionally designed resume template helps you do exactly that while mirroring the clarity you’re expected to bring to documentation, UX copy, and knowledge bases.

Because most companies now screen candidates through Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), your resume must be both machine-readable and compelling to humans. This template gives you a clean, ATS-friendly framework; your job is to fill it with precise, impact-driven content that proves you can ship high-quality documentation in fast-moving environments.

How to Customize This 2026 Technical Writer Resume Template

Header

Replace all placeholder text with your real details:

• Name: Use your full name as it appears on LinkedIn and portfolios.
• Title: Use a focused title such as “Technical Writer,” “Senior Technical Writer,” or “API Documentation Specialist” that matches target roles.
• Contact: Professional email, city/region, and a mobile number. Avoid multiple phone numbers.
• Links: Add 1–3 relevant links: portfolio or documentation samples, GitHub (if you document code), and LinkedIn. Use concise, readable URLs.

Avoid adding graphics, icons, or images in the header; they can confuse ATS parsing.

Professional Summary

In the summary area, type 3–4 concise lines that answer:

• What type of Technical Writer are you (industry, seniority, focus)?
• What kinds of deliverables do you produce (API docs, UX copy, user guides, SOPs, help centers)?
• What results do you drive (reduced support tickets, faster onboarding, improved feature adoption)?
• Which tools or domains are your strengths (e.g., MadCap Flare, Confluence, developer tools, healthcare, fintech)?

Avoid generic phrases like “hard-working team player.” Make each sentence specific and measurable where possible.

Experience

For each role in the Experience section:

• Job Title: Use standard titles that align with job postings (e.g., “Technical Writer,” not “Documentation Ninja”).
• Company + Dates: Include month and year; keep formatting consistent.
• Bullets: In each bullet, start with a strong verb and show impact:
  • What you created (type of documentation, audience, format).
  • Tools and workflows (style guides, CMS, version control, collaboration with SMEs).
  • Measurable outcomes (ticket reduction, time-to-ship, NPS, adoption, onboarding time).

Replace any sample or placeholder bullets with your own accomplishments. Avoid listing only tasks like “wrote documentation” without context, scope, or results. Aim for 4–7 bullets per recent role, fewer for older roles.

Skills

In the Skills section, prioritize:

• Tools: Documentation tools (MadCap Flare, RoboHelp, Confluence, Notion), markup (Markdown, HTML, XML), version control (Git), design/collaboration (Figma, Jira).
• Core skills: Information architecture, topic-based authoring, content strategy, API documentation, UX writing, editing, style guide development.
• Domain skills: Cloud/SaaS, DevOps, cybersecurity, healthcare, fintech, depending on your background.

Use concise, ATS-friendly lists rather than rating bars or graphics. Remove any skills you cannot discuss confidently in an interview.

Education

Include degree(s), institution, and graduation year (if helpful). For Technical Writer roles, you can also highlight:

• Relevant majors/minors (Technical Communication, English, Computer Science, Human-Computer Interaction).
• Key coursework or certifications (API documentation, UX writing, UX research, agile, product management).

Keep this section compact so it supports, rather than overshadows, your experience.

Optional Sections

Use the optional sections in the template strategically:

• Projects: Add 2–4 projects showing real documentation work: a developer guide, a knowledge base redesign, a style guide, or a complex integration guide.
• Certifications: UX writing, technical communication, agile, or product-related certifications.
• Publications / Speaking: Conference talks, blog posts, or webinars about documentation, UX, or developer experience.

Remove any optional section that you cannot populate meaningfully; empty or generic sections dilute your impact.

Example Summary and Experience Bullets for Technical Writer

Sample Professional Summary

Technical Writer with 6+ years of experience creating API docs, UX copy, and knowledge base content for B2B SaaS products. Skilled at partnering with engineers, PMs, and support to design task-based content that reduces support volume and accelerates feature adoption. Proficient with Markdown, Git, and docs-as-code workflows; domain expertise in cloud infrastructure and developer tools.

Sample Experience Bullets

• Owned end-to-end documentation for a developer platform used by 5,000+ engineers, creating API references, tutorials, and quickstart guides that increased integration success rate by 18% over 12 months.
• Redesigned a customer-facing knowledge base (350+ articles) using task-based IA and improved search metadata, reducing “how-to” support tickets by 27% within two quarters.
• Implemented a docs-as-code workflow using Markdown, Git, and CI pipelines, cutting documentation release lag from 10 days to 2 days and aligning doc updates with product deployments.
• Collaborated with UX and product teams to refine in-app microcopy for onboarding flows, improving completion rates by 14% and decreasing time-to-first-value for new users by 22%.
• Developed and enforced a product-wide style guide and terminology glossary, reducing editorial review cycles by 30% and improving consistency across 6 product squads.

ATS and Keyword Strategy for Technical Writer

To align your template with ATS, start by collecting 5–10 target job descriptions for Technical Writer roles. Highlight recurring terms such as “API documentation,” “knowledge base,” “docs-as-code,” “MadCap Flare,” “Confluence,” “Markdown,” “UX writing,” or specific domains like “fintech” or “healthcare.”

Integrate these keywords naturally into:

• Summary: Mention your primary focus areas and tools that match the job (e.g., “API documentation in a docs-as-code environment using Markdown and Git”).
• Experience: Weave keywords into bullets while describing real work and outcomes, not as isolated buzzwords.
• Skills: Use exact phrases from job descriptions when they accurately reflect your skills (e.g., “information architecture,” not just “IA”).

Formatting tips for ATS:

• Use simple headings (e.g., “Experience,” “Skills,” “Education”).
• Avoid tables, text boxes, and columns that split content in complex ways.
• Use standard bullet characters and consistent date formats.

Customization Tips for Technical Writer Niches

Software / SaaS Technical Writer

Emphasize API docs, release notes, in-app help, and developer portals. Highlight tools like Markdown, Git, Swagger/OpenAPI, Confluence, Jira, and metrics such as integration rates, onboarding time, and reduction in support tickets.

Hardware / Manufacturing Technical Writer

Focus on user manuals, installation guides, safety documentation, and compliance. Call out tools like Adobe FrameMaker, Illustrator, and any ISO or regulatory standards. Use metrics like reduced installation errors or improved compliance audit results.

UX Writer / Product Content Designer

Emphasize microcopy, in-product messaging, content design systems, and close collaboration with UX and research. Showcase A/B tests, task success rates, and improvements in conversion or engagement.

Senior / Lead Technical Writer

Highlight leadership: content strategy, documentation roadmaps, mentoring writers, and building style guides. Quantify impact at team or org level, such as reducing doc backlog, standardizing processes, or scaling documentation across multiple products.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Using a Technical Writer Template

• Leaving placeholder text: Replace every sample line with your own content. If a section is not relevant, delete it instead of leaving generic filler.
• Listing tasks without results: “Wrote user guides” is weak. Instead, show scope and impact: “Wrote and maintained 40+ user guides that reduced onboarding-related tickets by 20%.”
• Buzzword stuffing: Do not pile on terms like “API,” “cloud,” and “AI” without context. Pair each keyword with a concrete example or result.
• Over-designing the template: Adding heavy graphics, multiple columns, or images can break ATS parsing. Keep the clean structure and rely on strong writing, not decoration.
• Ignoring domain focus: If roles are in a specific domain (e.g., fintech, medtech), failing to mention that domain weakens your fit. Adjust your bullets and skills to mirror the target industry.
• Inconsistent terminology: As a Technical Writer, inconsistency on your own resume is a red flag. Standardize capitalization, tense, and terminology throughout.

Why This Template Sets You Up for Success in 2026

This 2026 Technical Writer resume template is built to showcase what matters most to hiring managers: clarity, structure, and measurable impact. When you customize it with focused keywords, quantified achievements, and specific tools, you create a resume that passes ATS screening and instantly signals that you understand modern documentation practices.

By filling out each section thoughtfully and tailoring it to your niche, you turn the template into a living document of your career story—easy to scan, easy to update, and ready to align with new roles as you grow. Revisit and refine it regularly as you ship new projects, learn new tools, and expand your domain expertise, so your resume continues to reflect the level of precision and professionalism you bring to every piece of documentation.