BrainPower

More Projects

Professional Experience Prior to 1999

Client projects include:

Feb. 1998 - March 1998 – John Deere Precision Farming (Moline, IL)
Role: Marketing Writer

  • Business plan – Edited and rewrote business plan for a high-tech joint venture. Worked under a tight deadline, flying to Illinois to meet with management team, and incorporating responses (based on highly confidential sources) into the business plan.
  • Tools used: Microsoft Office, Netscape Navigator.

May 1997 - Oct. 1998 – WebTV Networks, Inc. (now called MSN® TV, a division of Microsoft) (Palo Alto, CA and Mountain View, CA)
Role: Technical Writer

  • Web developer documentation – Interacted with internal as well as external Web developers, answering technical questions, interviewing subject experts, testing software and hardware, and writing Web developer documentation for both online and print publication.
    Online documents included HTML Reference Guide, JavaScript Guide, and WebTV Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).
  • Web redesign – Assisted in redesigning WebTV's site for external Web developers: http://developer.msntv.com (no longer active).
  • Web site- and software-testing – Tested Web pages for QA, ensuring they complied with W3C and DOM standards, wrote HTML code, and experimented with the display of Web enhancements (CSS, DHTML, Java applets, JavaScript as well as noncompliant Internet Explorer and Netscape extensions) on WebTV systems. Also tested alpha/beta WebTV software and hardware.
  • Technical specs – Wrote technical specifications for software releases, interviewing internal developers and engineers as needed and attending planning and implementation meetings.
  • Articles – Wrote Web design tips and caveats for external developer audience, published at WebTV's Developer site.
  • Proposal – Worked on international proposal, integrating marketing objectives with technical information; used foreign language skills in translating the Request for Proposal (RFP) and researching the information requested.
  • Editing – Reviewed WebTV and Microsoft technical and marketing documents for technical accuracy, grammar, and style.
  • Tools used: Adobe Acrobat, Adobe FrameMaker, Eudora Pro, Microsoft FrontPage, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Microsoft Office 97, Microsoft Outlook, Netscape Navigator, Quadralay WebWorks Publisher, WebEdit Pro, WebTV Viewer (on PC and Mac), Windows Notepad, and WinZip; WebTV Plus and WebTV Classic systems.

Oct. 1996 - April 1997 – ABT Corporation (Petaluma, CA)
Role: Technical Writer

  • Writing – Wrote a series of process-based manuals for project management software.
  • Interviewing – Interviewed programmers and subject matter experts (SMEs), ensuring technical accuracy and client focus.
  • Software-testing – Tested the company's prealpha, alpha, and beta software in the process of writing user manuals, noting bugs and error messages for future releases.
  • Editing – Edited and proofread other writers' documents including online help.
  • Tools used: ABT Project Workbench, ABT Repository, ABT Team Workbench, Lotus cc:Mail, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Word, and WinHelp.

Jan. 1996 - Sept. 1996 – Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Menlo Park, CA)
Role: Technical Writer/Web Designer

  • Web design – Designed internal Web site for international employee audience, developing "bird's eye" as well as detailed storyboards, presenting to management and alpha/beta review teams, and tailoring design according to feedback. SunService: SunSpectrum Support Services: http://sunservice.corp.sun.com/SunSpectrum/ (note: restricted access)
  • Web content – Wrote original Web content, hand-coding it in HTML as well as occasionally using an HTML converter.
  • Web site-testing – Tested Web pages for QA, ensuring they complied with W3C standards, wrote original HTML code as well as used HTML converter software for bulkier content. Also tested page download times for leading Web browsers and ensured HTML adhered to specs.
  • Business-process documentation – Integrating marketing and technical information, created business-process documents for worldwide technical support implementation including concise specifications of new offerings, support process guides, and presentations.
  • Project management – Coordinated with managers and international implementation team in ensuring that projects progressed on schedule and that background information from diverse sources was obtained as needed.
  • Tools used: Adobe FrameMaker (on UNIX), Applix, HotJava, Mosaic, Netscape Navigator, Postscript, Quadralay WebWorks, UNIX text editor; also, HTML 3.0 and prior as well as Netscape Navigator extensions.

Dec. 1995 - May 1996 – Institute for Global Communications (IGC) (San Francisco, CA)
Role: Technical Writer

  • User's manual – Wrote user's manual for text-based Internet access system. Manual included concise step-by-step guides to complex system features, sample screens, comprehensive appendices, glossary, and index. Created quick reference card for the most important system uses.
  • Project management – Performed project management functions, creating schedules of deliverables and objectives, and coordinating with company management and programmers in making sure the project progressed as scheduled.
  • Tools used: Customized Pine and MillieMail e-mail, Microsoft Word, and proprietary company software.

Nov. 1995 - Dec. 1995 – New View, Inc. (Concord, CA)
Role: Web Researcher

  • Web research and evaluation – Researched Web sites and wrote evaluations of their content and quality for family-oriented screening product in development.
  • Tools used: Microsoft Access, Netscape Navigator.

June 1995 - July 1995 – Bain & Company (San Francisco, CA)
Role: Technical Writer

  • Disaster-recovery documentation – Documented backup server system for this global strategy consulting firm including file location, software installation procedures, type of jobs configured on the server. Planned and outlined disaster-recovery document for company use. Interviewed system administrator and manager in tailoring documentation to users' needs.
  • Tools used: Microsoft Word.

Jan. 1995 - June 1995 – Wells Fargo Bank (San Francisco, CA)
Role: Technical Writer

  • GUI design and writing – Assisted in designing graphical user interface software prototype and documented the final version, assembling a user manual that included step-by-step procedures guide, sample screens, and flow charts.
  • Marketing presentation – Created presentation with skill-set outlines for upper management.
  • Software documentation – Documented software coding, packaging, and distribution, and graphically illustrated (via flow charts) the processes involved. Created directory tree diagrams and explanations of the department's main directories, subdirectories, and files.
  • Interviewing – Interviewed managers and software engineers and wrote internal user guides.
  • Proofreading and editing – Reviewed, proofread, and edited departmental hardware/software architecture document, illustrating it with function-driven diagrams.
  • Tools used: Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, UNIX; Mac, PC workstation, and Windows NT server.

Jan. 1993 - Dec. 1994 – Arthur Andersen & Co. (Los Angeles, CA and Seattle, WA)
Role: Marketing Writer

  • Proposal-writing – Wrote business proposals for sales targets in industries as diverse as entertainment, retail/wholesale distribution, transportation, health care, and manufacturing.
  • Newsletter-editing – Edited newsletter articles, rewriting technical information in "easy-to-understand" language.
  • Technical proofreading – Proofread technical reports, correcting word and layout errors.
  • Strategy meetings – Met with high-level company partners and managers to plan marketing strategy.
  • Tools used: Lotus Notes, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Microsoft Word.

Return to Marinela Miclea's resume.