Scaleway

Océane Franc is Head of Product Documentation at European cloud provider Scaleway, where she spearheads a team of technical writers. Their mission is to explain to their customers how Scaleway products work. They simplify very technical subjects and make the information clear and concise so that it is accessible to everyone.From languages to techI don't have a technical background; I studied translation and languages. Specifically, Chinese, Italian, Spanish and of course English, because I did most of my studies in Australia. I'm from New Caledonia, a French island located 17,000km from France. I moved to Paris in 2010 and joined Scaleway in early 2018.Over the past four years, I've had different roles at Scaleway, each of them more interesting than the last, but all related to technical content creation. I started as a Technical Writer and then moved to a management position. Today, I'm Head of Product Documentation. I lead a team of four Technical Writers whose mission is to explain in a clear and concise manner all the technical specificities of our products and resources.&nbsp;Close collaborationWhat I really enjoy at Scaleway is that people do their best to work collaboratively. Even though we have a large variety of roles in the company, such as Product Managers who are in charge of managing the functional scope of a product, Product Owners who drive the technical execution of a product, Engineering Managers who coordinate all the technical and engineering activities of a product, and many other roles, we all do our best to work closely with each other.&nbsp;For example, if I have to update content on the Documentation website and I encounter a technical issue, such as a deployment bug that I don’t know how to fix, I’ll ask the developers of the Documentation website to give me a hand. If a customer lodges a complaint to the Support Team regarding the documentation, they will open a ticket so that we can update the documentation accordingly. When we launch a new product, my team and I work very closely with Product Managers since they will communicate all the specifications and limitations of their product.&nbsp;At Scaleway, the Documentation Team also works hand in hand with Product Designers as we create, develop and improve the Scaleway Console in terms of wording and user experience.&nbsp;Being a woman in techThe main reason I decided to join a tech company was because I like being challenged and learning new things. This is an industry that is constantly changing, so making sure you keep your skills fresh will help you stay ahead. I often encounter the "Oh, it’s rare to see a girl who knows tech stuff" vibe. I just smile back politely, brush it off and move on. On a side note, if more women choose tech occupations, I honestly believe women would absolutely win the game as a team!&nbsp;Scaleway is a challenging, innovative and creative company. It’s like a giant puzzle that I love to solve. I really love being a Technical Writer here, and I would absolutely recommend it.&nbsp;My main tip to anyone wanting to be a technical writer is that you really shouldn’t be afraid of asking questions, because they will help you learn a lot. Don't hesitate to ask as many people as possible, because they will all have a different explanation — even the simplest questions are valid. So at Scaleway, you could ask, “Hey! What does the cloud mean for you?”When I joined Scaleway I used to ask anything and everything. For example, “what is a server? What is it used for?” I also used to ask people to compare these things to something really simple and understandable, and then I would make diagrams and drawings to remember it. You need to be a curious person — that’s really important.Still, in my first month, there were really difficult moments where I thought I’d never manage to understand all this complicated material. But with the right support from the right people, and with the right training, anyone can do it. The irony of it all is that today, I’m part of the team who explains all those concepts to our clients!&nbsp;A supportive environmentLast but not least, it's also amazing to see that the technical mindset of wanting to solve, improve, upgrade and build things often spreads to many other areas. When I joined Scaleway, there were just a handful of women. It’s a lot better today; our <a href="https://www.scaleway.com/en/social-responsibility/">gender equality score is 91 out of 100</a>, and the HR department has made great progress on closing the wage gap. We also have a program for new recruits, called Cloud Builder Launchpad, which ensures each new batch is composed of women and men, 50/50.. When it comes to recommending new colleagues, Scaleway’s referral bonus is higher when the recommendation is for a female candidate. Finally, the company offers special activities to make women feel safe and included at work, such as self-defense classes.&nbsp;Working for a company that is committed to making systematic and coordinated changes, rather than organizing one-off initiatives, makes a real difference.Another example of that caring environment, which is a bit more personal, is when I announced my pregnancy. I was a bit nervous about telling my former boss as there were not a lot of women in the engineering department and all of them were all quite young. I decided to tell my CEO first. His first reaction was to high five and congratulate me, telling me what an amazing mom I was going to be. I wasn’t expecting such a reaction and I loved it. Then, we spoke with my manager, who was also thrilled for me. They helped me find a replacement. So while I was on maternity leave, I wasn't worried at all about my absence negatively impacting my career.

“As a technical writer, you need to be constantly curious”

Oceane FRANC