Don’t hire a technical writer to fill in a typist’s position
Dear recruitment agency , do me a favour (and make your agency save money): do a proper job. Don’t be a fool: 
make the difference between a typist and a technical writer
A typist is « A person who types especially as a job ». You may also want to be more specific: a Typist? a Data entry clerk? Audio typist? a Copy typist?
Now what can you expect from a typist: « Copy typists learn to touch type at a high speed, which means they can look at the copy they are typing and do not need to look at the keyboard they are typing on. »
Good to know: Apple Mac store helps you become a typist: “Typist” is a typing tutor, which helps you in learning touch typing.
Beware! A typist is NOT a copywriter. The copywriter deals with CONTENT (while the typist focuses on layout and spelling) and is highly in demand
Now, what’s the goal of technical writing?
« Good technical writing results in relevant, useful and accurate information geared to specifically targeted audiences in order to enable a set of actions on the part of the audience in pursuit of a defined goal.« 
Let’s take a glance at some of the Technical writer’s tasks:
- performing a task and audience analysis (« Know your audience »)
- creating « personas »
- interviewing Subject-Matter Experts
- managing Usability tests
- following a job process
- etc.
Training – an Academic degree is a must for technical writers
(1) US and Canada
- Technical writer’s education and training Requirements
- Technical writing program in California (on-line)
- Training in Texas
- Training in Canada
- Wikiuniversity on Technical writing
(2) In Europe
- « What training for technical writing instructors? »
- France:
- Italy: Com&Tec (2017 Training sessions)
- Germany:
- Tekom certification program
- Professional Master of Science (MSc) Technical Communication«
Conclusion
- Make sure to talk to the right candidate
- Consider contacting a specialized agency (Technical Communication)
- Check the professional society for accurate information
