Resume
A portfolio presenting samples of my
technical writing skills in various genres.
Professional
Writing
Portfolio
Pace McGriff
561 E 4th Avenue
Salt Lake City, UT 84103
pacelds@hotmail.com
November 21, 2014
745 S State St.
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
employment@pclaptops.com
Dear Potential Employer:
I am emailing you in response to your job posting, “Full Time PC Laptops Computer Tech Expert,” on
pclaptops.com/jobs. Please consider my application.
I am currently pursuing an Associate’s degree in Computer Science and Information Systems at Salt Lake
Community College, and will be transferring to the University of Utah for a Bachelor's degree. I desire a
position that is related to my career, and will build my experience in this field of specialty. In my course
of studies, I will complete the following two Certificates of Proficiency:
Two Certificates of Proficiency
1. Computer Science Fundamentals
2. Network and Cyber Security
This portfolio also includes three technical writing examples, which are related to this career specialty:
1. Technical Description Example
2. Technical Instructions Example
3. Technical Document Sample
With these skills I will be a valuable contributor to your company. I am also a quick learner who will
adjust to your business culture, and be productive within your team.
Thank you for reviewing my application, please reply to me anytime.
Sincerely,
Pace McGriff
Table of Contents
Technical Description Example…………………………………………………………………..1
Describes the product and features of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5 in a technical
design format. This is for professionals in graphic design, or anyone interested in photo
editing.
Technical Instructions Example..…………………………………………………………………3
Instructions on how to debug a computer presented in a technical format. This is for a
beginner learning how to work with computers.
Technical Document Sample……………………………………………………………...............5
A sample of a report on how the organizational culture of computer science based
companies impacts their technical writing. For students learning about computer science
careers.
Resume……………………………………………………………………………………………7
Technical Description Example
Adobe Photoshop
Lightroom 5
Enhance your photography for
an improved experience.
Lightroom 5 is a program of essential tools for
editing digital photography the way you want.
Features
 Advanced Healing Brush
Sometimes you may want to remove distracting elements or flaws in your photograph.
You can use the Advanced Healing Brush, and adjust the size of the brush, to change
elements that you do not want. Any unwanted elements in your photo will disappear.
 Upright
With Upright you can straighten images that are tilted. This adjustment tool will detect
lines and horizons in the photo to appear how you want.
 Radial Gradient
If you have any important part to emphasize in your image then you can choose to with
more flexibility. Within areas of the image you can
create vignette effects.
 Smart Previews
Edit smaller stand-in files so you do not have to bring
your entire photo library. This makes it possible to edit
your previews, and apply it automatically to your
originals.
 Video Slide Shows
Create your own unique videos and slide shows. You
can use still images, video clips, and music to be
combined with HD quality.
 Sync with Lightroom Mobil
Use your iPad wherever you are to edit or organize images. Photos taken with a
smartphone or DSLR camera can be synced with Lightroom 5 on your desktop. Or use
this sync tool with Creative Cloud.
 Location-based Organization
You can tag your images, or group them by locations. Display data from GPS-enabled
cameras, or locations from images that you take with your camera phone as you travel.
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 Improved Photo Book Creation
From your images you can create memorable photo books. Customize the look of your
photo book how you want, or use book templates for easy organizing. Then quickly print
your book by uploading it.
 Highlight and Shadow Recovery
Enhance details on the shadows and highlights of your image which are caught by your
camera. When the lighting is challenging in your
image you have more ability to make adjustments.
 Advanced Black-and-White Conversion
Use this tool for more control while converting your
images to black-and-white. The greyscale has eight
color channels of information to mix from.
 Fast Cross-platform Performance
With a cross-platform 64-bit support for the latest
Mac OS and Windows operating systems you can
process images faster and speed up imaging tasks.
 Tight Photoshop Integration
You can open Photoshop to edit images in pixel-level
detail, and the results are shown in Lightroom.
Integrate your image needs with multiple programs.

Selective Adjustment Brushes
Use these brushes to adjust targeted areas in your image for greater enhancements. Select
from a variety of brushes which manipulate the contrast, balance, sharpness, and other
effects.
 Superior Noise Reduction
For a more natural-looking result on your entire image, or specific areas, you can apply
the technology of noise reduction.
 Nondestructive Environment
All of your original photos will not be altered as you try out different ideas for your
images. Save different versions of one photo, or reverse through your steps as needed.
The days of just having raw photos are over. Use this advanced program for
your own photos, family and friends, or business. By enhancing photos you
also create more lasting memories from your life.
References: https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-lightroom/features.html#
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Technical Instructions Example
Computers are vulnerable to being corrupted
by errors in their programming code, which
are known as bugs. By locating these errors
you can fix your computer through the process
known as “debugging.”
Errors which can corrupt the computer system files are:
 Malware
 Viruses
 Hardware and software problems
 Other factors
These issues will affect the computer by making its processes run slowly or stop working
properly. You will notice programs acting strangely, or the computer will have problems when
starting up. You should try to use the installation disc to repair the computer installation and
eliminate bugs.
Items You Will Need

Computer Installation Disc
Instructions
1. “Insert the installation disc into the disc drive and
restart the computer. During the start-up, in the corner of
the screen it will say to press a button to boot from CD.
Usually it is F2 or F10, but it depends on the computer.
2. Press the key you were asked and the computer
will boot up from the CD. Press "Enter" at the welcome
screen and then "F8" at the license terms.
3. Select the partition that contains the original
computer installations and press "Enter."
4. Press "R" to repair the installation from the options
given. This removes the bugs and after the process is
completed, the system is error-free.
5. Install the right software. Ensuring your computer is protected from digital vandals is
critical if you want to keep information safe. It’s therefore important that you install both
an antivirus program and a firewall software program. These two critical pieces of
software, which you should update on a regular basis, will serve as a wall of protection
for your computer.
6. Update your operating system. Microsoft Windows is the software you’re most likely
using to power your computer programs and control how your computer operates.”
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“10 Early Warning Signs of Computer Disaster”
When a computer has bugs it will usually take a long time to stop working properly, instead of
quickly crashing. Be aware of the signs that your computer is infected by noticing signs in its
performance.
Here are 10 signs you may notice when your computer needs debugging:
1. Your computer takes a long time to start, it is running slower than ever before, or it is
freezing a lot.
2. When you open your internet browser and it has changed to something else, and you
cannot change it back to the original.
3. You are seeing all of these pop-up windows and you do not know why.
4. You need to update your virus signatures, or do not know if your computer is updated.
5. Your firewall has not been updated recently.
6. You need to back up your data on a storage device, and see if your storage data is running
properly.
7. You receive e-mails accusing you of sending spam, and/or you find e-mail messages in
your “outbox” or “sent” folder that you didn’t send.
8. Your computer starts making a grinding, clicking, or loud whirring sound.
9. The fan is constantly running.
10. Error messages are starting to increase, or repeatedly happen.
References: http://searchsoftwarequality.techtarget.com/definition/debugging
http://www.ttecht.com/blog/10-early-warning-signs-of-computer-disaster/
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Technical Document Sample
Research Plan
To study how the organizational culture of computer science impacts the technical writing they do, I
have followed a three-part research plan:
Phase 1: Gather information
Phase 2: Study the culture of Computer Science
Phase 3: Interview a professional working in computer science
Phase 1: Gather Information
I used two sources to gather information:


The internet. There are many websites and articles about this topic online.
I conducted a personal interview with a professional for more information.
o Marc Anderson got a Master’s Degree in Information Systems Management, in 2007. He
started working for Exxon Mobil in 2007, in the Exxon Mobile IT Department. He is actually
my Brother-in-law who lives in Texas, so it was easy to set up this interview over the phone.
Phase 2: Study the culture of Computer Science
I read online articles and blogs about the culture, and I was able to see comments from different people.
I found out that many people consider the culture of Computer Science (CS) and the culture of
Information Technology (IT) to be different, but also related. CS is a culture that deals more with the
science and engineering of this technology. IT deals more with the application of information and
programming of computers.
Phase 3: Interview a Professional Working in Computer Science
I set up an interview on August 30, with my older Brother-in-law who already has a lot of experience in
his career.
Since Marc works for the large corporation of Exxon Mobile, I found out that his culture is different than
what it would be in a smaller computer company. He said that there was no formal training in technical
writing for his company, but that he did take a business writing class for his degree. He said about 80
percent of his communication in this business is by email on Outlook and Excell. A lot of the job is
writing, and communication on instant messenger chats, for business reasons. There are word
documents about operational procedures, and process documents, and security control documents.
Sometimes other employees will write documents together in a conference room, and go through the
wording together to create Powerpoint presentations. He works with other employees who don’t speak
English as their native language, and proof reads their documents in English. Outside of operational
procedure papers, there are Powerpoints of analysis on metrics and raw data, and graphs. He helps with
interpretation of the technical terms for the managers who don’t have background with his specialty. He
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said there are a lot of meetings. 80 percent are virtual meetings, 20 percent in conference rooms. 50
percent of all his time is in meetings, and the other time he spends catching up on email. Sometimes his
whole day is in a meeting, sometimes twice a week.
Marc said the company culture is about focusing on costs, and conserving costs. This is known as “flat or
down.” The company is much segmented based on the functions of each group. One doing designs, one
doing operations, one doing maintenance. They all must rely on each other through communication.
They help people feel empowered to make changes in the company, and have their voice heard within
the hierarchy. There are nine managers (levels) above Marc to the CEO. Communication skills and
professionalism are important. Persuasive communication skills are important (a lot of activities require
push to be done), and they use a lot of negotiations to get projects done. Also, there are investigations
of root cause for incidents within the company, by the incident managers, and notifications are sent to
upper managements, with concise communication.
This interview is a good chance for you to hear from a professional who works in the culture of a large
corporation.
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Resume
Pace L McGriff
Salt Lake City, UT • (801) 232-8573 • pacelds@hotmail.com
Objective
To contribute with my skills and ability in a business atmosphere, working
as a team, and being productive with time and finances. Also, to earn
sufficient income for the support of my family.
Skills
Computer Science Fundamentals
 From a set of requirements; analyze, design, code, test and document
programs to meet requirements.
 Create and utilize database tables, forms, reports and queries.
 Demonstrate knowledge of operating systems and its interaction with
programs, data, hardware, and users.
 Understand the mapping between software and hardware solutions.
 Perform network management tasks.
Network and Cyber Security
 Use hardware and software to complete assignments.
 Gather and analyze information using databases and other resources.
 Understand and securely use computer technology and information in an
ethical manner.
 Analyze a set of requirements for software or network solutions.
 Design a database that will organize complex data.
Education
2014 –
Present
Salt Lake Community College - Salt Lake City, UT
Currently pursuing an Associate’s Degree in Computer Science and
Information Systems. Current GPA 3.85. Expected graduation 2016.
Service:
LDS Mission (two years full-time) 2005-2007
 Extensive training in planning, goal setting, presentation, and people
skills.
o Zone Leader, District Leader, and Trainer for numerous missionaries.
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Work Experience
01/2008 11/2012
ChemDry By The Lake, Draper, UT
Carpet Technician
Responsible for visiting clients all over the Salt Lake County, with
carpet cleaning equipment to clean their carpets.
 Responsible for reporting to the manager each night about the jobs of
that day, and to receive the scheduled jobs for the next day.
 Responsible for transacting all payments from each client.
 Responsible for taking care of the company truck, and company
equipment.
 Expected to have good people skills, to be trustworthy inside of their
homes, and to complete the job well.
 Expected to be efficient with time, and with resources.
12/2012 Present
The Olive Garden, Salt Lake City, UT
Server
 Responsible for being the server to guests in the restaurant.
 Expected to give friendly and proper service for complete guest
satisfaction.
 Expected to maintain a professional appearance.
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