Work History

It’s always interesting—and for employers, it’s vital—to know what strange kinds of work a person has gotten into in the course of his life. By grace, I’ve had almost continuous work since I was sixteen. A résumé is great for a quick overview, but for a slightly more extensive understand of what I’ve done and the skills I’ve exercised in my various positions over the years, feel free to take a gander below.

Technical Writer/Support Specialist

The City by Zondervan, Seattle, WA (May 2009-Present) (Independently Contracted)

• Arranged, wrote, and regularly updated our two primary product manuals, a series of secondary Quick Start Guides targeted at specific user types, as well as supplementary materials used during on-site training sessions
• Wrote, maintained, and continually expanded a repository of answers to common questions designed to be the first line of customer support for end users
• Provided high-touch customer support through The City’s Builder Community and Help Center: receiving support tickets, answering questions, and researching and reporting system bugs, all resulted in strong, lasting relationships with many of our clients

Technical Writer

Microsoft, Redmond, WA (April 2008-November 2008) (Contracted through Aquent)

• As a telecommuter, wrote eleven weekly articles designed to engage readers, advertise businesses for sale, and direct web traffic to four different international franchise brokering websites:
  • Franchise Gator
  • Franchise Gator UK
  • Small Business Sales
  • Home Based Business Opportunities
• Consistently developed subject templates and wrote each piece to meet expectations for SEO keyword usage without losing professional tone or written cohesion

Writing Center Tutor

SPU Center for Learning, Seattle, WA (September 2006-March 2008)

• Reviewed, discussed, and helped roughly 30 students per quarter edit problems in essay/report structure and content (in all educational disciplines), resulting in final project evaluations rising up to two letter grades for some tutees
• Provided general grammar and spelling correction for peers at all levels of writing skill

Volunteer Writer

Vox Pop Magazine, Mars Hill Church, Seattle, WA (March 2005-December 2007)

• Interviewed necessary persons and performed research to acquire information and opinions on the designated topics, recording and sorting material for final compositions
• Wrote each article, intentionally walking the line between information and entertainment to make cultural and personal analysis amusingly palatable and relevant to our 6,000-member reader base

Development Intern

New Horizons Ministry, Seattle, WA (June 2006-August 2006)

• Edited and updated organizational information from outdated paperwork for current use
• Wove together necessary data with personal stories to craft professional and concise, yet authentic grant proposals that were sent to four different charitable foundations nationwide, resulting in $10,000 in granted financial support
• Wrote other non-fund-raising materials such as volunteer letters and newsletter articles

Sales Associate

Arvey Paper & Office Products, Seattle, WA (May 2004-September 2005)

• Consistently acquired and passed on knowledge of the production and purposes of thousands of paper, printing, and office products
• Performed weekly price checks and changes throughout the entire warehouse-style store
• Frequently spent hours working alone either in the front of the house, running registers and phones, or in the shipping department

Sales Associate/Supervisor

Lighthouse Christian Store, Pasadena, CA (June 1999-April 2004)

• Maintained familiarity with hundreds of books, musical albums, videos, and gift items in order to deliver optimum customer service at every opportunity
• Often worked independently for hours on end, either on specific projects or isolated in the segregated music department

Additional Experience

Children’s Ministry Volunteer

Mars Hill Church, Seattle, WA (September 2004-present)

Backroom Stocker

Target, Seattle, WA (November 2007-April 2008)

Skilled Laborer

DI-5 Contracting, Seattle, WA (January 2007-October 2007)

Server/Service Assistant

Old Spaghetti Factory, Seattle, WA (October 2005-June 2007)

Youth Ministry Volunteer

Hope Christian Fellowship, San Gabriel, CA (June 2001-April 2004)

Computer Lab Technician

Pasadena City College, Pasadena, CA (January 2002-December 2003)