Technical Writer
Resume Metrics

The Numbers Recruiters Look For

The Technical Writer resume metrics that earn a read: which numbers to use, what good looks like, and where to find each one. Built from 12 years of recruiting, including many years at Google.

Emmanuel Gendre, former Google Recruiter and Tech Resume Writer

Authored by

Emmanuel Gendre

Tech Resume Writer

Last updated: June 4th, 2026 · ~10 min read

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Ex-Google Recruiter
Emmanuel Gendre, former Google Recruiter and Tech Resume Writer

From the author

Emmanuel Gendre, ex-Google recruiter

A recruiter's take on Technical Writer resume metrics

Recruiters and hiring guides keep repeating it: put numbers on the work. Plenty of Technical Writers assume their work will not quantify, and they are wrong: pages shipped, tickets deflected, search success, satisfaction scores all count. Yet most Technical Writer resumes name tools and topics, nothing more.

Which of them earn their spot on a Technical Writer resume? What captures each? And does a hiring manager really weigh them?

In my years as a recruiter, a fair number inside Google, the Technical Writers who got offers proved their docs did the job: not “wrote the documentation” but “cut support tickets 30% and raised docs satisfaction from 3.2 to 4.6.” That reads, because anyone can say they wrote docs; showing readers leaned on them and got unstuck is the hard part.

Pulling the figures that matter out of the filler, then framing each to hit a recruiter, takes up a good share of my resume writing service. Below sits each figure with a rightful place on a Technical Writer resume, and for each: when it counts, which tool has it, and the wording that fits it on one line.

Prefer a gut check first? Slide it across and I will read the full draft closely, my treat.

Start here

Why metrics matter on a Technical Writer resume

I explain the full screen in my piece on how recruiters screen resumes; in brief, it comes in rounds. The recruiter goes first, running an eye over your profile summary and recent roles. Then a docs lead or the hiring manager works through the specifics, judging whether your documentation genuinely helped readers and took weight off support.

Two readers ultimately judge your numbers: the recruiter to start, then a docs lead who sees right away what a 30% ticket deflection or 2M monthly readers really took.

To the recruiter a figure means little; they read for keyword hits. The docs lead running the team reads “cut support tickets 30% with better docs” and knows the work that went in. A real number exists to prove exactly that: readers leaned on your docs, not merely that you filled a lot of pages.

And they are not all worth the same amount. If your figures come in low, that is okay: for a Technical Writer, a single strong deflection or satisfaction number already outdoes a pile of tool names.

How much each piece pulls:

The logic

Which types of metrics to use
for a Technical Writer resume

Anyone who has used the Job Search Toolkit knows my first move on any resume is the role profile. Quick refresher: a role profile is the exact capabilities a role calls for.

That profile is the yardstick recruiters use. My Technical Writer resume guide details what each section should include.

The full Technical Writer profile has earned room on the page, with the bulk in the latest role, every claim sitting next to its figure.

Pulled together, those make the metric types. A Technical Writer has six, split by what the role turns out. Let's dig in:

The full list

The full list of Technical Writer resume metrics

Six groups. Each carries the five a hiring manager rates highest, ranked. Every card names what it tracks, its average, good, and great bands, the source it draws from, and an example to adapt. You already sit on most of it: your analytics, the docs platform, Git, and the support tool. The Technical Writer resume skills page names the rest.

1

Documentation Output

A Technical Writer is judged first on output. These size the volume of documentation you produced and kept current.

Pages / docs authored

Docs pages you wrote or own.

Benchmark

Averagedozens
Goodhundreds
Greatthe docs

Measure with

Markdown Docusaurus

Example bullet

Wrote 400+ documentation pages for the platform.

Guides & tutorials

Step-by-step content you built.

Benchmark

Averagea few
Gooddozens
Greata library

Measure with

Markdown GitHub

Example bullet

Shipped 60 how-to guides and tutorials in a year.

Release notes

Release cycles you documented.

Benchmark

Averagesome
Goodevery release
Greaton time

Measure with

Confluence Git

Example bullet

Documented every release note across 24 ship cycles.

Content refreshed

Stale pages you brought current.

Benchmark

Averagesome
Goodmany
Greatthe set

Measure with

Git GitHub

Example bullet

Refreshed 300 outdated pages to match the current product.

Coverage of features

How much of the product you documented.

Benchmark

Averagepartial
Goodmost
Greatfull

Measure with

Confluence Jira

Example bullet

Covered every shipped feature with docs at launch.

2

API & Reference Docs

A Technical Writer for a developer product lives in the reference. These track the API docs and code samples you produced.

Reference coverage

Share of the API with real docs.

Benchmark

Averagepartial
Goodmost
Greatfull

Measure with

OpenAPI Markdown

Example bullet

Documented every public endpoint with examples.

Endpoints documented

API methods you wrote up.

Benchmark

Averagesome
Goodhundreds
Greatthe API

Measure with

Swagger Postman

Example bullet

Wrote reference for 200 API endpoints.

Code samples

Runnable examples you shipped.

Benchmark

Averagesome
Goodmany
Greata set

Measure with

JavaScript Python

Example bullet

Built 150 tested code samples across four languages.

SDK / library docs

Docs for the tools devs use.

Benchmark

Averagesome
Goodseveral
Greata suite

Measure with

GitHub Markdown

Example bullet

Wrote the SDK docs developers build against.

Spec accuracy

Docs that match the real API.

Benchmark

Averagepatchy
Goodsolid
Greatexact

Measure with

OpenAPI Git

Example bullet

Kept reference in lockstep with the API spec.

3

Content Quality & Accuracy

A Technical Writer is judged on whether the docs are right. These size the quality and accuracy of what you shipped.

Doc satisfaction

How readers rate the docs.

Benchmark

Averagesolid
Goodhigh
Greattop

Measure with

Analytics Confluence

Example bullet

Lifted docs satisfaction from 3.2 to 4.6.

Errors caught / cut

Mistakes you fixed before ship.

Benchmark

Averagesome
Goodmany
Greatmost

Measure with

Git GitHub

Example bullet

Cut doc-related bug reports by 40%.

Editorial reviews

Reviews you ran or passed.

Benchmark

Averagesome
Goodmany
Greatthe queue

Measure with

GitHub GitLab

Example bullet

Reviewed 500 doc pull requests for accuracy.

Style consistency

Docs held to one voice.

Benchmark

Averageloose
Goodsolid
Greattight

Measure with

Markdown Notion

Example bullet

Rolled out a style guide the whole team writes to.

Readability

Docs written for the reader.

Benchmark

Averageokay
Goodclear
Greatexcellent

Measure with

Notion Markdown

Example bullet

Rewrote dense pages to a grade-8 reading level.

4

Information Architecture

A Technical Writer makes the docs findable, not just complete. These track the structure and search you improved.

Docs restructured

Sections you reorganized.

Benchmark

Averagesome
Goodmany
Greatthe site

Measure with

Docusaurus Figma

Example bullet

Restructured the entire docs site around user tasks.

Findability / search

Success finding an answer.

Benchmark

Averageup
Goodstrong
Greathigh

Measure with

Analytics Docusaurus

Example bullet

Raised doc search success from 55% to 85%.

Navigation redesign

IA and nav you reworked.

Benchmark

Averagesome
Goodmajor
Greatfull

Measure with

Figma Miro

Example bullet

Redesigned the navigation so devs reach any page in two clicks.

Time-to-answer

How fast readers find it.

Benchmark

Averageslow
Goodfast
Greatinstant

Measure with

Analytics Docusaurus

Example bullet

Cut time-to-answer in the docs by half.

Pages consolidated

Duplication you removed.

Benchmark

Averagesome
Goodlots
Greatcleaned

Measure with

Git Confluence

Example bullet

Merged 200 overlapping pages into a clean set.

5

Docs Adoption & Impact

A Technical Writer earns their seat by cutting support load and helping readers succeed. These are where business impact shows up.

Doc traffic

Readers your docs drew.

Benchmark

Averagethousands
Goodmillions
Greatthe top page

Measure with

Analytics Docusaurus

Example bullet

Grew docs traffic to 2M monthly readers.

Support deflection

Tickets your docs answered.

Benchmark

Averagesome
Goodstrong
Greatmajor

Measure with

Jira Confluence

Example bullet

Deflected 30% of support tickets with better docs.

Self-serve rate

Readers who solved it alone.

Benchmark

Averageup
Goodstrong
Greathigh

Measure with

Analytics Jira

Example bullet

Raised self-serve resolution from 50% to 80%.

Time-to-first-success

How fast a reader wins.

Benchmark

Averageslow
Goodfast
Greatminutes

Measure with

Analytics Markdown

Example bullet

Cut time-to-first-success from an hour to ten minutes.

Doc feedback

Reader ratings you lifted.

Benchmark

Averagesome
Goodstrong
Greathigh

Measure with

Analytics Confluence

Example bullet

Lifted page helpfulness scores across the docs.

6

Docs Tooling & Process

A Technical Writer at scale owns the system, not just the words. These track the tooling and process you put in place.

Docs-as-code

Docs moved into the codebase.

Benchmark

Averagesome
Goodmost
Greatthe docs

Measure with

GitHub Markdown

Example bullet

Moved the docs to a docs-as-code workflow in Git.

Build / publish pipeline

Automation you own.

Benchmark

Averagemanual
Goodsolid
GreatCI/CD

Measure with

GitHub Docusaurus

Example bullet

Built the pipeline that publishes docs on every merge.

Contributors enabled

People you got writing.

Benchmark

Averagea few
Gooddozens
Greatthe org

Measure with

GitHub Git

Example bullet

Enabled 40 engineers to contribute docs.

Review turnaround

How fast docs ship.

Benchmark

Averageslow
Goodfast
Greatsame day

Measure with

GitHub GitLab

Example bullet

Cut doc review turnaround from a week to a day.

Localization

Languages you shipped docs in.

Benchmark

Averageone
Gooda few
Greatmany

Measure with

Git YAML

Example bullet

Shipped the docs in six languages.

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Qualitative metrics

What if I don't have numbers to share?

A blank stat is not a blank contribution. Even with no hard figure, the docs you produced and the readers you got unstuck still make your case. Each one below shows a solid way to phrase it, with an example to copy.

1

Documentation Output

Docs owned

When to use it: the product launched without docs

Example bullet

Owned the docs that gave the product its first real manual.

Backlog cleared

When to use it: the docs backlog never moved

Example bullet

Cleared a two-year documentation backlog.

Before / after docs

When to use it: the docs were a blank page

Example bullet

Built it until every feature shipped with a page.

2

API & Reference Docs

Reference owned

When to use it: the API had no usable reference

Example bullet

Owned the reference that made the API something devs could adopt.

Samples added

When to use it: the API had no runnable examples

Example bullet

Added the code samples devs copy to start.

Before / after reference

When to use it: the API docs were guesswork

Example bullet

Reworked it until the reference matched the API exactly.

3

Content Quality & Accuracy

Accuracy owned

When to use it: the docs were full of errors

Example bullet

Owned the pass that made the docs accurate again.

Style built

When to use it: every page read differently

Example bullet

Built the style guide that unified the docs.

Before / after quality

When to use it: readers could not trust the docs

Example bullet

Reworked it until the docs were the source of truth.

4

Information Architecture

Structure owned

When to use it: the docs were impossible to navigate

Example bullet

Owned the rebuild that made the docs easy to search.

Nav fixed

When to use it: readers got lost on every page

Example bullet

Fixed the navigation that hid half the docs.

Before / after IA

When to use it: nobody could find anything

Example bullet

Reworked it until readers found answers in seconds.

5

Docs Adoption & Impact

Impact owned

When to use it: support drowned in the same questions

Example bullet

Owned the docs that cut the tickets nobody had time for.

Self-serve built

When to use it: readers filed a ticket for everything

Example bullet

Built the docs that let readers solve it themselves.

Before / after impact

When to use it: the docs helped no one

Example bullet

Reworked it until readers got unstuck without support.

6

Docs Tooling & Process

Pipeline owned

When to use it: docs were copy-pasted by hand

Example bullet

Owned the move that put the docs on a real pipeline.

Contributors enabled

When to use it: only writers could touch the docs

Example bullet

Set up the workflow that let engineers write docs.

Before / after tooling

When to use it: publishing docs took days

Example bullet

Reworked it until docs shipped on every merge.

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Frequently asked

Technical Writer resume metrics FAQ

Put it into words. Sure, a hard figure hits harder, but the documentation you produced and the way readers used it still say plenty. Name the guide that became the default answer, the reference you owned, or the rewrite that emptied part of the support queue. Recruiters take those as genuine docs work, easy to verify later. There is a worked sample beneath each card up top.

A grounded estimate is fine. Trimmed the support load but never logged the precise drop? "Ticket volume down roughly a third" does the job. Give a rough band when the exact figures live in a private dashboard. The single condition: the math survives you explaining it.

Don't. A docs interview digs into the details, and a number you made up comes apart once they question how you measured the deflection or where the traffic number originated. One made-up figure sinks the whole application. Tell it plainly and what you did rings true under questions.

Just the strongest handful. Keep figures on your few most important bullets, all in the current role, up front. Mark them everywhere and the true wins blur together. A few you can prove outweigh a page full of numbers.

Lead with whichever is stronger. A raw count stands by itself ("400 pages documented"); a gain shows better as a percent ("tickets down 30%"). Drop any percentage that floats with no baseline. Run both when it pays off: "search success from 55% to 85%."

They do, and you have more to show than it seems. A guide you wrote, an open-source README you cleaned up, a tutorial that got passed around, a docs site you stood up for a class: one job or a personal project is enough. No massive readership needed, just evidence people used your writing.

More of it survives than you would guess. Your analytics has page views and search terms; Git holds the commit history; the support tool logs ticket volume; the docs platform keeps every page you have published. For work further back, a fair estimate, plainly flagged, does it.

Keep it to one, right up front. Your strongest figure, the support load you took down or your biggest traffic jump, earns the recruiter's first glance. The rest belongs in your work-experience bullets. The Technical Writer resume guide covers writing that summary.

Who wrote this

Built by an ex-Google recruiter

Emmanuel Gendre, former Google Recruiter and Tech Resume Writer

Emmanuel Gendre

Former Google recruiter · 12 years · 1,500+ tech resumes rewritten

I screen Technical Writer resumes the same way I did at Google: against the role profile, against the JD, and against the bar real hiring managers set. The metrics on this page are the ones I tell my own clients to chase.

Read my full story →

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