Interview

I interviewed Mariko Peterson, who is a Martketing Specialist for Farmers Insurance Group located in Denver, CO. She Graduated from University of Northern Colorado with a degree in marketing, and has been working with the company for four years now. We spoke over the phone about some of the writing she performs for her job.

What kind of technical writing do you do, and how often do you do it?
Mariko performs various types of writing. She writes news bulletins to sales agents throughout the state explaining new products, services, marketing opportunities, and gross initiatives. She writes scripts for her boss and other public speakers at news conferences, radio broadcasts, and sales meetings. She also responds to customers' complaints with the company. She estimated that 60% of her job is some form of technical writing and writes on a daily average of four hours.

Who are some of the audiences you write for?
Mariko writes for two basic audiences. First, she writes to the internal company audience that consist of numerous agents throughout the state, co-workers that work directly in her office, and other executives that work in the corporate office in Denver. Second, she writes externally to an audience of existing customers and potential customers. Part of her job is to organize functions for the company such as fund raisers, charity events, etc. She must write iteneraries, schedules, and specific job descriptions for different people at those events.

How important is the writing you do?
Writing is a vital aspect of her job. Communication is imperative because she is the link between her office and outside sources whether they be customers, companies, or offices throughout the state. If she is organizing an event for the company, the writing is important because that provides proof between the two sides which makes it easier to agree to terms. Also, her writing is important because it delivers the message to the party. If you are trying to reach somebody over the phone, a lot of times they are not available to take your call so writing an email or sending a fax is much easier.

What is the trickiest aspect of your writing?
The trickiest part of her writing is delivering the message with added value and feeling. Sometimes she needs to deliver an urgent message that needs to be attended to immediately, so she must get that point accross through her words. Moreover, she might be in a situation where she needs to respond to a customer with the company's disposition so she needs to consider the customer's feelings when writing a response.

How did you learn to write for your job?
Mariko learned the basic elements of technical writing from different writing courses she took in college. That provided her with an outline. However, she learned how to write specifically for her job with the experience of working in a corporate office on a daily basis. In conclusion, the writing she learned in college compliments what she learned in the work environment.