Become a General Transcriptionist

Becoming a general transcriptionist is a great way to make money from home. There are certain skills and certifications you need to acquire to ensure employers will take you seriously. Once you've got those skills, you can use social media and job websites to look for work. Having a clean, quiet work space with the equipment you need can help you complete your work in a timely and professional manner.

Steps

Acquiring Necessary Skills

1. Take transcribing courses. You don’t need a full college degree to become a transcriptionist, but you do need some coursework. Some community colleges offer transcribing courses, but you should look for ADHI-approved programs. The ADHI website also provides links to online transcriptionist courses if you'd like to complete some of your coursework at home. Coursework from ADHI-approved programs will give you better credentials.
2. Take classes for specialty transcribing. If you already have general transcription coursework, you might need specialty courses for medical or legal transcribing. These might include courses to prepare you for the CDHS (Certified Healthcare Documentation Specialist) exam, and terminology courses, which are often offered according to the area of speciality (cardiology for medical transcribing, for example, or real estate for legal transcribing.
   • Medical transcriptionist courses should be ADHI approved.
3. Hone your general language skills. Transcribing requires that you have excellent general language skills. Beyond specialty courses, you need to have excellent knowledge of grammar and punctuation, be able to touch type, and have fluency in the language you’re writing in.
   • If you’re not up on some of these, taking entry level language courses at your local community college can help you hone them.

Applying for Transcriptionist Jobs

1. Prepare your resume. Once you’ve acquired the necessary skills for becoming a general transcriptionist, get your resume ready to send out. You should include any relevant work experience. It’s also important to include information specific to transcribing work. This includes your words per minute (wpm) typing rate, which is one of the main skills employers look for in transcriptionists, the transcriptionist coursework you have completed, and any transcription certifications you've earned.
2. Check transcriptionist job posting websites. There are a lot of job sites for transcriptionists. They will direct you to independent contracting and full time jobs, based on the type of transcribing you’re certified for. Quicktate and Transcription Jobs HQ are great websites for transcriptionist jobs.
3. Solicit work on social media. You can use social media to find transcriptionist jobs. Websites like LinkedIn have a job search option. Type “transcriptionist” in the search bar and see what comes up. You can also use Twitter to run a search with terms like “transcriptionist needed.” A lot of companies are putting their job openings on social media, with a link to the application.
4. Ask for work in person. You can also try the old fashioned way of pounding the pavement. If you live near a university, ask if you can put up posters advertising your transcriptionist service. If you live near a doctor's office, go in with your resume and ask if they need a transcriptionist. Ask the receptionist at a law office if you can leave your resume.
5. Encourage clients to pass on your information. If you’ve already got one client, ask them to pass your contact info to others looking for transcriptionists. This is a great way to build a network of reputable employers to work for.

Setting Up Your Work Space

1. Set up your desk. You need to be able to work somewhere quiet, where you can hear the audio files your clients send you. You should also have a good, comfortable desk chair: transcribing one hour of audio can take up to three hours and you don’t want to be sore when you’re done.
2. Install word processing software. You’ll need word processing for the actual transcribing. It’s best to use a common word-processing software, because it ensures there won’t be any issues when you send transcripts back to your clients. Microsoft Word or Apple Pages are common types of word processing software.
   • Some jobs might require you use specific software. Find out before you start the job.
3. Set up a file transfer account. Because you’ll be receiving large audio files, you’ll need a way to transfer them easily. These types of files are usually too big to send as an email attachment. Signing up for something like Dropbox or Google Drive will make file transfers easier. It also helps you keep your work all in one place.
4. Get a reliable pair of headphones. Since your work will center on listening to audio files to transcribe, a good pair of headphones will help in your work. Look for noise-canceling headphones, as they can allow you to work pretty much anywhere.

Tips

• Always proofread your work. Then, proofread it again. If you have to, do it a third time to make sure there are no errors.
• Schedule yourself appropriately. Make sure you don’t schedule more work for yourself than you can possibly complete in the time allotted.
• If in doubt, Google it! If you have questions about spelling or grammar, use to Google to help you find the right answer to almost any question.
• Specialize! If you have a favorite type of work, try to include more of it in your schedule. Include the types of transcription jobs that fall into your area of expertise will make your job easier and allow for diversity.

Warnings

• Don't work when you are overly fatigued. This can result in costly mistakes that may end up causing you to lose a client.
• Don't get discouraged. You will be starting out fresh and have to prove yourself. If you do your best and meet your deadlines, everything will fall into place.

References

See also

• Become SHRM Certified
• Work from Home As an Administrative Assistant
• Become an Administrator
• Be a Successful Graduate Assistant
• Write a Human Resource Manual
• Prepare for a Career in Human Resources
• Manage a Human Resources Department
• Break Into a Career in HR
• Learn the Skills of a Receptionist
• Become an Operations Manager

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