FTP 101 – Creating a Network Place

So far, we've covered how to connect to an FTP server using Windows Explorer through your browser and by using an FTP client. This week we're going to look at how to set up a permanent link in "My Network Places" that will save all of your information for you and allow you to connect just by clicking on the icon.

First, go to My Network Places>Add a network place (under Network Tasks).



A new window will pop up and prompt you. Click Next to advance.



Select Choose another network location and click Next.



Enter your FTP server address.



Add your user name if you have one.



Select a name for your network place so you remember which FTP server it is. I name mine as the network address usually because the client name is most often in the address. Do something that will be easy for you.



Select Finish and your network place will appear.



Click on it to open the FTP server.



Now you can save your password and your network place will just be a click away whenever you need to retrieve a file.

Action Steps For Getting Started in General Transcription

I'm more of a fly by the seat of my pants kind of gal; however, I know that many, many people need a concrete plan for any major undertaking. If you fall in the latter group, then you're in luck because we put together a list of the action steps that we recommend following to get started in a career in general transcription.

• Find a pair of quality headphones.
• Download Express Scribe and install Microsoft Word if it’s not already on your computer.
• Brush up on your grammar rules.
• Learn how to research words, names and terms online.
• Download audio from a variety of sources and begin practicing.
• Create or brush up your résumé and cover letter.
• Begin applying as an independent contractor.
• Look for projects on Guru, Elance and/or Craigslist.
• Continue developing your skills and looking for ways to increase productivity.

Explaining how to accomplish these steps in one post is impossible, but if you are interested in pursuing transcription as a career, they will get you headed in the right direction. Much of the information is already available right here on our site, so this is a great way to practice those research skills and search it all out!

FTP 101 – SmartFTP

As I mentioned a week or two ago, you can use an FTP client to access an FTP server. First, you'll need to download a client. FireFTP is a free client for Mozilla Firefox. SmartFTP and FileZilla are other options. Because I already have SmartFTP on one of my computers, I'll walk you through using that, but most FTP clients work in approximately the same way and should be relatively self-explanatory once you know what you're doing.

Once you have your FTP client downloaded, you can have it look at your computer and the files on your computer.



In SmartFTP you go to File>Look For New Remote Browser.



Enter your FTP server address and your user name and password if you have them.



Now you'll be able to see the files located on the FTP server.



The easiest way to transfer the files is to click on them and drag them to the location of your choice.



Then click the Play button to start the transfer.



And that's it! Your file is transfered.

FTP 101 – Windows Explorer

As I mentioned last week, file transfer protocol is one way that a client or company may use to send you work by uploading audio files to a server. To get the file to your computer, you would then access the FTP server and download the file to a selected location. Easy, right?

There are three ways to access an FTP server from your computer. You can access the site through your browser, by setting up a network connection on your computer or by using an FTP client like FileZilla or SmartFTP.

We'll start by accessing an FTP server directly using your browser. You will have to use Internet Explorer to do this, as Firefox and Google Chrome both require you to use a client.

First, open IE and type in the FTP server address. The address should look something like this:

ftp://ftp.name.com

Then hit enter. You should get to a page like this one:



Follow the instructions given and go to Page>Open FTP Site in Windows Explorer.



A new window will open to the FTP site. If there is a user name and password on the site, you would enter that at this time.



And you're in!



To download a file, drag and drop the file to the location of your choice on your computer.

Methods of Obtaining Audio Files From Clients and Contracts

For those of us that have been doing this for a while, we don't always consider that the way we receive work may not be as straightforward as we think it is. One of the questions I'm most frequently asked by people looking to get into the business and from family and friends not involved in transcription is how someone gets a large audio file to me.

There are several methods a client or company may send you the audio you will be transcribing. Below is a list and description of some of the ways you can send and receive audio.

1. Snail Mail
This method is declining more and more as people switch over to other digital delivery methods. However, there are times when files will be mailed to you in microcassette or CD form if you are willing and able to accept them.

2. File Transfer Protocol or FTP
FTP sites are used to upload and download large files using a server. The process of accessing an FTP site is one that some may have trouble with at first, but it is really quite easy once you have done it. I'll be going over the specifics of using FTP in later posts, so be sure to check back if you have questions.

3. Embedded Links
Companies sometimes host a site with the audio file on it. You could either log in to on the site where an embedded link is displayed or a hyperlink will be sent to you in email form. When you right click on the link you will see an option to "Save Target As." You can then download the audio being hosted on the company's site to your computer by clicking on this.

4. FTP Replacement Sites or File Delivery Services
Clients may choose to send audio files by using an FTP replacement site, such as YouSendIt or SendThisFile. These sites will allow you to upload your file and will then send the recipient a link to a web page where they can retrieve the audio file. There are often fees associated depending on file size and the number of files being sent on the sender's side. The service is free for the recipient.

5. Emailing a Compressed File
There are some programs available that will compress audio files to a size small enough to be emailed. These compressed files can be attached in an email and sent to the recipient without the need for third-party vendors, servers or the need to learn how to use FTP. The downfall is that there is most likely some file quality that is lost during compression.

6. Recording the Audio Using Your Own Equipment
This refers to linking to a live or previously recorded audio stream and recording the audio real time onto your computer. Most often, this method of obtaining audio is used for financial earnings calls. You can read our past posts for information on how to record audio using Total Recorder and Start-Stop Universal.

Winning Résumés and the Winner of the Résumé Critique

Oops! In the midst of Play It Again week, we forgot to draw a winner of the free résumé critique giveaway, so I'm catching up now! And for the rest of you, I wanted to share this awesome example of tailoring your résumé toward transcription.

First, the winner. Random.org tells me that Melissa is the winner! Melissa, if you e-mail us with your résumé, we'll get that back to you within 48 hours with our comments.

Keep reading, though, because I was so excited when we came across this résumé during one of our résumé critiques that I asked Wendy if I could share it with you all. Although she's been out of the workforce for several years (and we offered her suggestions on how to position her résumé for potential contracts regardless of that gap), she highlighted the skills from her previous experience to emphasize her skills as a transcriptionist:

Public Relations, Company Name
*Telecommuting position with minimal supervision

*Transcription work with prospective members via cell phone

State Certified Sign Language Interpreter, Independent Contractor
*Secured employment opportunities as a freelance interpreter for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

*Interpreted in various professional and collegiate settings

State Certified Sign Language Interpreter, School System
*Utilized the ability to listen, mentally process, and reproduce spoken information into another format in both a prompt and thorough manner

*Interpreted for a variety of clients with a vast array of accents, dialects, and speaking styles in a broad spectrum of settings


Notice that in the first two, she highlights her ability to telecommute, work with little supervision, be professional and work as an independent contractor. In this case, she did have a small amount of transcription experience that she could highlight as well, but I really think this résumé would appeal to transcription companies even without that.

What really stood out to me was the third job listing, in which she took her skills as a sign language interpreter and directly tied them to transcription. Someone with the exact same résumé who may not have thought of those associations would be missing out on an opportunity to grab the reader's attention.

While you may not think your previous experience relates to transcription, chances are with some thoughtfulness and creativity you can come up with your own examples. Your entire résumé doesn't have to look at this if the connections aren't as apparent, but you should always tailor your résumé to the position you're trying to obtain.

If you are interested in having us review your résumé and offer tips about how you can more effectively target it for a career in transcription, we offer résumé critiques for $15 each. Order now!

Parentheticals for Added Context

Not only can the spoken word be difficult to transcribe in a grammatically correct fashion but it also can be devoid of some important context if only the words are transcribed. Humans use more than just words to communicate. Emotion, inflection, and gestures are just a few examples that can change the meaning of a line of text dramatically.

So how do we as transcriptionists include this significant information? We use what are called parentheticals, also know as asides. Parentheticals are clarifying words, phrases, or remarks in parentheses that are inserted in a transcript.

You may already use some of these in your transcripts. Indicating laughter in some manner is pretty standard in transcripts, but indicating that a speaker is mimicking or mocking someone, crying, shouting, whispering, just to name a few, are all important additions that give added meaning. Without parentheticals a person reading a transcript might misinterpret a line that is said in jest as a factual opinion.

Parenthenticals don't necessarily have to be in parentheses. You could also use brackets as well as italics to set them off from the rest of the text. Here's just a few examples of formatting:

• (laughter)
• [laughter]
• (laughter)
• [laughter]

As always, it's important to check with your clients as to whether or not they want this information included. Some don't, which I don't understand, but I'm sure they have their reasons.

Marking Inaudibles and Phonetic Words and Phrases When Transcribing

Chances are that each contract or client you work for has their own ways of handling inaudible or phonetic spellings.

You might mark inaudible in any one of the following ways:

• ________
• (inaudible)
• [inaudible]
• (unintelligible)
• [indiscernible]

On the other hand, sometimes you might come across words that you are unsure how to spell or that you can only guess what the speaker says. If you're unable to confirm the correct spelling, most companies and clients will ask that you mark the spelling as phonetic. There are several ways to do this as well:

• Highlight the text
• Change the color of the text
• Enclose the text in brackets
• Follow the text with [ph]

In both of these situations, you'll want to follow the preferences of the person requesting the transcript. If they do not have a preference, it's important to be consistent throughout your transcript regardless of the way you choose to do it.

Another important thing to remember is that many companies and clients want to know if there is an excessive number of inaudibles in the text so that they can decide whether you should continue or not. It's a good idea to establish upfront what their guidelines are for sending a sample, especially for files with shorter turnaround times (TATs) or rush delivery.

Reader Question – Transcribing Rapid Speakers

A reader that is trying to break in to the transcription business recently wrote:

When I went to type for the very first time I found that the lady speaking was going way too fast for me to keep up (she was actually speaking normally, but I didn't realize how fast that is when you're trying to transcribe it). I understand this is why a foot pedal with a rewind option would be helpful, but is there some software available that would slow down the audio a bit?

Thanks for asking, and yes, there's a very simply way to slow your audio down. Express Scribe has a slider that you can use to adjust the speed of the audio.


Simply slide it below 100% to slow down the audio. Alternately, if you'd like to proof at a higher pace, you can increase the speed. As a final tip, sometimes if you're having trouble understanding what a speaker is saying, slowing the audio down or speeding it up will help you figure it out. It sounds counter intuitive, but it really works. Give it a try!

Getting Started – All That Other Stuff

While the majority of our posts cover the basics of transcription and the actual transcribing process, there are several other things that also come into play when scheduling your time. Earlier this week, Mandi covered pricing structures for audio, and while that is one way to figure out your income, you also need to remember the other time consuming aspects that don't pay as part of being a business owner.

One of the things that you need to leave time for is invoicing because, let's face it, if you don't make time to invoice your clients and contracts for the work you completed, the probably aren't going to pay you. For some companies your invoices will be due on certain days, setting the time you need to be invoicing, while other companies may leave it up to you to decide when to invoice. I personally try to set times each month for invoicing and keep them consistent. That way I keep those responsibilities in my calendar and keep up to date so that my cash flow remains consistent for the work I'm completing on a day-to-day basis.

Another thing that is important you set aside time for is keeping good records. Records are incredibly important in this industry, especially when it comes time to invoice the client or contract or – gasp – do your taxes after the first of the year (or on April 15 itself). Keeping good records will make both of these things much easier when it comes time to tackle them.

There is also the process of communication to take into account when scheduling your time. Writing all those emails back and forth and communicating about files in a variety of ways takes time. Not only do the emails about files take time, but there is also the process of accessing and downloading audio files, checking audio and proofing.

Make sure you set aside time for all these "other" activities when you are setting up your time commitments and figuring out what your week is going to look like. Each and every one of them is important and needs to get done, and you don't want to start jeopardizing your extracurricular activities (like SLEEP!) to make time for them because you didn't properly plan them in. You'll thank yourself for being organized later.

Can You Afford to Work At Home as a Transcriptionist?

This is an important question that we hear on a consistent basis. We get lots of emails asking our opinions on whether we think an individual can be a work-at-home mom or dad. While our blog isn't strictly focused on work-at-home moms and dads and we're not financial experts, we have all managed to achieve this personally with a good measure of success.

We've mentioned before that working from home is not easy. It's involves some risk, as well as planning, determination, and resourcefulness. When deciding to make that leap, there are some important factors that you will want to consider. Budgets must be drawn up. Cost-cutting measures must be implemented. And we want to help you make the best decisions possible for your personal circumstances.

To that end, we're going to embark on a new series that will help you determine if you can make it as a work-at-home transcriptionist (or you could use the same tools to determine if you can make it as a work-at-home mom or dad period). If you have any specific questions you'd like to see addressed, please leave a comment on this post or send us an email!

Getting Started – Tara's Story

We had some really interesting comments last week about how some of you got started transcribing. For instance, Margi got started when she posted her résumé on HotJobs and received a call from an international law firm. Sondra's actually been transcribing since she was a junior in high school! And Wendy started out as a legal secretary and recounts her experience of watching her mother type on a manual typewriter when she was little. I can totally relate to that because I can remember my own mother practicing typing, "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy brown dog," over and over on a manual typewriter when she was trying to increase her WPM while job hunting.

We'd love to hear more of your stories, but we also didn't think it was fair for you all to share while we didn't. So I'll share my story today.

Working from home was the furthest thing from my mind when I graduated from college. I held a fairly lucrative position with a résumé database company when I got pregnant with my first son. It was a startup company with a very young workforce which grew very quickly and was bought out by a very large, well-known career database company. Shortly after the buyout, they announced that they were closing the office that I worked in and moving it to WV. I had the option to move there and continue my career; however, I didn't find that to be a viable option being seven months pregnant and having no family there. I half-heartedly looked for a job, but my chances of being hired at that time were pretty slim obviously.

I had my severance and was able to draw unemployment for the next two years to help us get by. I fully intended to seek a job outside the home after a short maternity leave, but I got pregnant immediately after having my first son, which was quite unexpected and made job hunting near impossible once again. When my unemployment benefits were almost tapped, I knew I had to find something to do. The price of daycare for two such young children was quite a hindrance to working outside the home. I had been looking online, but nothing came to fruition, so I took a seasonal position with Gap's credit fraud department. Unfortunately, since I was only able to work part-time in the evenings, they were not able to keep me on as an employee after the holidays.

As fate would have it, just a few days later, I received an email from a legal document coding company that I had applied with previously. I took their test, passed it, and they then offered me a quality control position immediately based on my high scores on the coding test. So that was my very first work-at-home position! Shortly after I took another position as a customer service rep taking phone calls for various company, as well. So I did those two jobs in tandem for about two years. I later was hired by a second legal document coding company, which eventually became my main income and is also how I met Mandi. This company ended up restructuring their pay scale, however, which effectively reduced their top earners' incomes by about 50 percent. So we both had pretty much no desire to continue our contracts with them and began to look for other options.

It was at this time that I was chatting with a girl that I met on WAHM.com who mentioned that in addition to legal document coding she also did transcription. She offered to take me on as a sub and kind of teach me the ropes. Transcription sounded interesting to me, so I figured I had nothing to lose by trying it. I learned some very valuable lessons from that relationship. To put it mildly, it didn't end on a very good note. I had done my due diligence to the best of my ability, but there weren't many good statistics available online at that time in regards to pay, and she was basically taking advantage of that and paid me far less than what my work was worth. Once I wised up, I applied directly with some of the companies and acquired contracts of my own almost immediately.

I've now been doing transcription now for the past three years, and I've contracted with many of the well-known companies in the industry. I've become more confident in my abilities, and I've learned what type of schedule and style works best for me. For example, I hate strict verbatim work, and while I love earnings calls, the extremely fast turnarounds are simply not feasible for me right now without causing me an immense amount of stress. An important thing I've learned is to be honest with a contract when things just aren't working out.

In case I haven't mentioned it previously, I now have five children, ages six and under, so I've whittled my contracts to two that pay me well and have material that I enjoy working on. I average between 90 to 120 minutes of audio per day, and I try my hardest not to work weekends anymore. It's easy to get burned out if you're trying to transcribe every day, so if there's one piece of advice that I would give to people getting started in this business it would be to set a schedule for yourself and stick to it. If you get caught up in taking more and more and more work, you'll probably soon find yourself being a stressed out mess with no time for anything else, which kind of defeats the purpose of working from after all!

Getting Started – The Benefits of Transcription as a Career

Those of you who are looking into transcription as a possible work-at-home opportunity are probably trying to weigh the pros and cons of this industry against others that you're researching. While I can't tell you if it's right for your situation, I can tell you why it's the career that we've each chosen for ourselves.

• The hours are flexible. While some sectors – specifically financial and broadcast – do require faster turnaround times (TATs), for the most part you will have at least 24 hours to complete a file, oftentimes even longer than that. This means that you can work late at night, early in the morning or whenever works best for your schedule as long as you get the work done.

• There is good – if not great – earnings potential. Tara's talked before about the income expections for transcriptionists. While it may be tough starting out, the income potential rivals many other career paths and has allowed all of us to support our families at one time or another due to layoffs and other situations.

• You're always learning something new. As transcriptionists, we transcribe everything from sermons to medical conferences and from interviews with movie stars to the speeches of world leaders. We learn about the latest technology, current affairs, world history, medical breakthroughs and investing strategies. This doesn't mean that every file we do is so interesting (I've transcribed my fair share of customer service complaints), but I always look forward to the files that grab my attention and teach me something new.

• It is a growing field that is not showing signs of slowing down. While there has been some talk of offshoring transcription services, many general transcription companies are vocal in their commitment to keep these services in the U.S. There's also been discussion of the threat of voice recognition software, but everything I've read indicates that this software is nowhere near up to par for most of the work that we do. And so, for now, there is an abundance of audio needing to be transcribed, providing job security for years to come.

Is transcription right for you? I don't know. But the benefits of this career are plentiful, and with dedication and hardwork, it may just be the opportunity you're looking for.

Getting Started – Companies that Hire Independent Contractors

There are numerous ways to find transcription work. You might go out in search of your own personal clients offline. You could also try services like Guru.com or Elance or even Craigslist. Or finally you could search out companies that hire independent contractors, which is the topic we'll be covering today. We'll be covering the two other areas in the near future, and I'll be posting about tips for contacting companies that hire ICs next week.

We've got a long list of companies that are known to contract with ICs for you today. The majority of these companies hire for general transcription work. Between the three of us, we have worked with many of the companies on the list; however, because they are listed here should not be taken as a personal endorsement by any one of us. It is important that you always take the time to do your own due diligence work on any company you are considering contracting with.

Accentance
http://www.accentance.com/

Accutran Global
http://www.accutranglobal.com/

ANP Transcriptions
http://www.anptranscriptions.com/

Cambridge Transcription
http://www.ctran.com/

Chromolume Transcription
http://www.chromolumeinc.com/

CyberDictate
http://www.cyberdictate.com/

Domenchelli Business Services
http://www.moderndayscribe.com/

Escriptionist
http://www.escriptionist.com/

Express Document Service
http://www.expressdocument.net/

GMR Transcription
http://gmrtranscription.com/

Mass Transcription
http://www.masstranscription.com/

Morningside Partners, LLC
http://www.fdch.com/

Neal R. Gross
http://nealrgross.com/

NetTranscripts
http://www.nettranscripts.com/

OSI Transcription
http://www.ositranscription.com/

Production Transcripts
http://www.productiontranscripts.com/

RapidText
http://www.rapidtext.com/

SpeakWrite
http://typist.youdictate.com/

TASK Document Services
http://usetask.com/

Tigerfish
http://www.tigerfish.com/

The Transcription Company
http://www.transcripts.tv/

Transcription 2000
http://www.transcription-services.org/

Transcription Center
http://www.tscribe.com/

TSI Transcription Services, Inc.
http://www.tsitranscripts.com/

Ubiqus
http://www.ubiqus.com/

Wheelers
http://www.wheelers.co.uk/

Wordz Xpressed
http://www.wordzx.com/

Getting Started – Working with Poor Audio

One of the most frustrating things about transcription is that we as transcriptionists have no control over the quality of audio we receive. I still remember the first ever file I received as a subcontractor, which I could not understand at all and had to send back. Three years later, I still find myself wishing I still had access to that audio so I could see what I could pick up from it now.

Poor audio can be defined many different ways, including:

*Audio that is recorded on a tape recorder in someone's pocket.

*Conversations in a busy restaurant.

*Speaker phone conversations.

*Audio which includes a lot of crosstalk between speakers.

*Group conversations where the recorder is clearly too close to some speakers and too far away from others.

*Recordings with static, music or some other background noise or interference.

*People who eat while they talk.

And the list goes on and on.

For those of you getting started, I'm going to assume for the purposes of this post that you're working with Express Scribe as I describe some tricks of the trade that may help you.

1. Make sure you have good quality headphones/earphones. While you don't necessarily need expensive Bose headphones (which doesn't mean I'm not coveting a pair of those for myself!), it is important that the sound quality be clear, especially when working with poor audio.

2. It may be necessary to find a time and/or place to work with little background noise. While I often work while my children play next to me, some files simply have to wait until they're in bed.

3. In Express Scribe (ES), go to File -> Special Audio Processes. There are three processes listed here: Background Noise Reduction, Extra Volume Boost, High Pass Filter. Frankly, the only one I find to be consistently helpful is the Extra Volume Boost, but it's a good idea for you to try each of them separately to get a feel for what they do. A quick note here is that these processes may take a few minutes to complete, so be patient. There should be a status window that pops up while it's running. Occasionally ES will freeze, in which case you'll need to restart the program and run the process again.

4. Go to Settings -> Playback Settings. Next to Clarity Low Frequency Cut Off, you can choose Full Base 0 Hz, High Base 500 Hz, Low Base 1000 Hz or Sharp 1500 Hz. You'll find that different files will do better on different settings, although I find that Sharp 1500 Hz works the best for me the majority of the time.

5. If you come to a word, phrase or sentence that you can't understand, try listening to it 2 or 3 times. If you still can't understand, continue on with the audio. You may find that the inaudibles can be filled in once you have more context. On some files, you may find that you're able pick up additional inaudibles when listening to the file again once you've transcribed the whole thing.

Finally, please note that sometimes a file will be impossible regardless of what you try. This is especially frustrating when you get a file that seems like it should be understandable but simply isn't. Just remember that even the most experienced transcriptionist can only do so much with what's given to them!

Getting Started – Testing Tips

Hopefully you've used Shaina's super advice to write up a stellar résumé and an attention-getting cover letter and now have transcription companies banging down your door to contract with them. Okay, so maybe you just received a nice email from one inquiring if you'd like to test. Either way, I've got some great tips to help you put your best foot forward and turn in the best test you possibly can.

1.) Be professional in all communications with the company. This means using complete sentences in correspondence, no shorthand IM speak, using a closing, and so forth. If you have any questions about the testing process, it's best to communicate directly with the company. Companies do frequent message boards, and no matter how secure you feel that you can't be identified, you're probably not as anonymous as you think, so asking questions on them is not acceptable. If you feel like you won't be able to complete the test after all or within the specified time frame, it is common courtesy to notify them of this.

2.) Before starting your test, read the testing email and any documents regarding the testing thoroughly. It helps to become familiar with the style guide (if they provide one) and any templates before starting to type. If you are provided with a template, I would recommend that you save it as a new file and use it to type your document. Not only will you save yourself a lot of time in setting it up, but you can be assured that your test will exactly conform to their specifications. Be sure to name your test file exactly as per their instructions.

3.) The first time through the audio, just type it out. You can go back and research and re-listen when you have already given it a first pass, but do your best to maintain proper grammar and adhere to the style guide at this time.

4.) When you go back through, research any terms you're not familiar with, as well as ALL names. I can't tell you how many times I've thought I had a name spelled correctly only to find out I was wrong after all when I looked it up. For example, I had a transcript the other day that mentioned someone named John Reese; however, when I took the time to research it, I discovered it was actually John Riesse. I can't stress enough how important details like this are.

5.) If you are having trouble making out what has been said in a certain area, it often helps to take a break and come back to it. If you still can't make it out, I would recommend that you attempt to spell what is said phonetically and indicate this in whatever manner the company specifies in their style guide. Marking it as inaudible, unintelligible, or leaving a blank should always be your very last resort.

6.) Review your style guide again, and make sure that you have adhered exactly to it throughout your test document. If you are unclear on something, again it is best to contact the company directly. They may tell you to just use your best judgment, and in this case, do just that while taking into account the information that you do have available to you.

7.) Always, always, always spell check your document one final time before sending it, and make sure that there are no extra spaces between words.

8.) When sending back your test, make sure that you are sending it to the email address that they have specified, and included any information that they request in the body of your email. Title your email as per their instructions, and don't forget to attach your test document.

Now it's time to wait. It is important to remember that company may be testing a large number of people at one time, so you may not hear anything back immediately. In fact, some companies do not respond at all unless you are hired. It's hard to be patient, but nagging them for results will probably only result in you being blacklisted. If more than three weeks have passed without a reply, a polite follow-up email would be acceptable. I would not recommend that you call the company requesting your test results under any circumstances.

Finally, if you are offered a contract with a company, know that they are going to expect the same degree of quality in your everyday work as you presented in your test. So I guess you could say that these are more than just testing tips. They can be looked upon as guidelines for maintaining a contract as well.

Getting Started – Research

So here I was all ready to write this great post with tips for learning how to effectively research terminology, names, locations, etc., in transcripts, when I ran across this fabulous website, Internet Detective. Quite honestly, I don't think there's any way I can top it, so I figure if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

Seriously, this site is chock full of information laid out in an easy-to-use tutorial fashion, complete with specific examples and quizzes to test your knowledge. I especially like the emphasis that they place on critical evaluation of the source material. This is an extremely important but often overlooked detail many transcriptionists don't factor into their research.

The site says the tutorial takes about an hour, and I for one plan to go back to it later this week and spend some more time with it after I dig out from under this mountain of work.


By the way, please share any pressing questions that you have about research. This seems to be a problem area for so many transcriptionists, and we'd love to help you with it.

Getting Started - Writing Your Cover Letter - Part 2

Because our industry is usually conducted purely over the internet, people sometimes forget that professionalism and standard business etiquette still apply. Looking at the previously posted article, there are several things we can take from it to apply it directly to the transcription industry.

First, remember to keep your cover letter or email to the company focused on your skills as a transcriptionist. Do not focus on why you want to work from home, why you are working from home, what personal situations led you to this profession. All of these are exactly that, personal, and you are applying for a professional position.

Instead, focus on your skills in the field: your reliability, your grammatical expertise, whatever they may be. I also state what fields of transcription I have experience in and, if possible, tie my previous experience in with the type of transcription they are looking for.

Keep it simple. Your cover letter should be no more than three to five paragraphs long; however, I wouldn't go beyond three for the industry when applying to a transcription company. If I were soliciting a personal client I may include more content, but I see no reason to drag it out further for a company. Remember that the person looking at your email will be looking through several applicants and potential independent contractors, and length is not necessarily going to get you in the door. Show that you value their time by keeping it simple and straightforward.

In the same manner, do not restate things that are clearly listed on your résumé. Your résumé is there to provide the information on your background and experience. Instead, be brief, summarizing only to tie in to how that experience relates to the position you are applying for. Organize your information effectively. My cover letters usually contain three paragraphs in the following order:

1. Restate the position you are interested in and how you heard about the position.

2. Tie in your experience listed in your résumé to the position you are contacting them about.

3. Conclude by stating your desire to learn more about the position and the best ways to get in contact with you. Mention your résumé is attached for their further consideration, and thank them for their time.

Lastly, do not forget to formally end your email or cover letter with a formal salutation and your name. While these are often left off emails, remember that this email is taking the place of a formal letter and should include such formalities.

Hopefully, this gives you a starting point as you branch out and start contacting companies or as you look for additional companies to contract with to maximize your earning potential.

Getting Started - Writing Your Cover Letter - Part 1

It is extremely important for your initial email to a company or potential client to function as a formal cover letter, just as it would if you were responding to an employment position in the brick and mortar world. To get started, this article provides some basic information on what to include and what to leave out.

Cover Letter Tips

When writing your cover letter (and resume), keep in mind that the reviewer is only interested in one thing; the facts. Do not think of your cover letter as an autobiography; it should be brief and to the point. The purpose of the cover letter and résumé should be one thing – it should demonstrate that you meet or exceed the requirements listed in the job description. It should demonstrate that you’re interested in the position, and that you are available to accept the position if offered. Additional information beyond this can be counterproductive, as it dilutes the core purpose of the cover letter and resume.

When writing the cover letter, avoid negatives. A cover letter is not the place to explain why you left or are leaving an employer, why there are gaps in your employment dates, etc. These "negatives" are best delivered in person during the interview so that your personality and can counter them.

Try to avoid a salary history in the cover letter. Even if the position specifically asks for your salary history, providing this information will more likely to cost you a job than not. If the job ad specifically says that resumes without a salary history will not be considered, give a historical salary range, and state that your salary requirements are flexible based on the opportunity the position will provide.

Spend time thinking about the layout of your letter, and make it sure that it is easy on the eyes. It should be easy to scan the letter, and have a logical progression. Keep in mind, the reviewer of your resume has 100s (if not 1,000s) of cover letters and résumés to look at; therefore, make it easy for him/her to find the information you want to highlight. Bunched up text in long paragraphs will frustrate anyone who has to review hundreds of resumes and cover letters a week. In addition to the layout, don't just repeat your resume. Your cover letter is not a summary of your résumé; instead, its an introduction of yourself and an argument for why you are the best candidate for their company and the specific position - i.e. avoid the generic cover letter (this point will be noted again in later tips).

PLEASE do NOT follow the advice of poorly written resume books and websites that advise on using platitudes and clichés in your cover letter. Résumé reviewers do this for a living. They know that almost every candidate promises "excellent written and verbal communication skills", and the ability to "think outside the box" and "juggle multiple tasks". The point here is to be different and stand out. The goal is to demonstrate your written communication skills by writing a good cover letter – Cutting and pasting a phrase from a cover letter/résumé book is not impressive.

As noted above, personalize your cover letter if possible. Your cover letter should be addressed to a specific person - avoid the "Dear Sir or Madam". Form letters insult the reviewer's intelligence and indicate that you, the writer, are broadcasting his/her resume to every employer in the area. Or you have not made an effort to learn more about the company. Generic/canned cover letters can lead to failure. Even if you do not know the name of the recipient, you usually can find a contact name at the company fairly easily. Go to their company website, and search the "about us" pages for names of individuals to address your cover letter and resume to. It takes a few seconds; however will make your letter stand out.

Getting Started – Transcription Résumé

First, your résumé should be professional, just as it would be for any brick and mortar job you were applying for. My résumé has the same elements now when I'm sending it out to obtain a contract as an independent contractor that it did when I was sending it out to apply for an employee position. I have only changed the wording to target a different audience.

There are several sites online that provide general information on writing a professional résumé. This site offers an outline of things to include in your résumé with more detailed information on subsequent pages.

To tailor your résumé to the transcription industry your objective needs to clearly state your intent. This will avoid confusion when responding to ads and ensure that the person being contacted is on the same page as you. Words such as telecommuting and independent contractor help to clear the air of any such confusion.

I list my education because it shows I have a knowledge base to draw from. While it may not relate directly to the transcription industry or be a degree in English or small business management, my education does have relevance and importance in my everyday work. For example, one of my degrees is in Spanish, and I thoroughly enjoy the challenge that accents in a file bring to this job. Having that listed on my résumé reflects that strength and may give me an edge above other people in certain circumstances.

The most important part of your résumé will be your work experience, and this is the part that needs to be tailored most for transcription. The first thing I have listed is my work as a business owner and independent contractor providing transcription services. Under the heading I have bullet points on how I provide professional and reliable transcription services to a variety of clients. I then list my current active contracts with transcription companies. After each company's name I sum up what kind of transcription I provide for them, be it general, educational, financial, video production or something along those lines.

For prior work experience I list the dates of employment, my position title, the company I worked for, and I follow that with short bullet points. My prior work experience did not involve much that relates to transcription, but it was in a medical-related field, and it does show a little bit of what I am interested in as well. I keep my bullet points to a maximum of three per job, and I have only two places of employment listed beyond my current work as a transcriptionist. Those bullet points that I do include deal mostly with the data entry and computer skills associated with those positions. The fact that I worked in a restaurant for five years through high school and the beginning portion of college isn't necessary to include here and is left off my résumé completely.

My résumé also includes a qualifications section where I list computer programs I am familiar with. Some of these include Express Scribe, Start-Stop PowerPlay and Universal, Microsoft Office Suite and other transcription programs. In this section I also list my typing speed; however, I did not when I first started because it was nothing to brag about. It is only now that I find my typing speed to be on par that I include it.

Lastly, I do not have a list of references available on my résumé. I do state at the end that they are available upon request, and I have a list that I keep for myself should I ever need to provide someone with them. These are people previously contacted who have agreed to function in that particular role.

I hope this gives you a place to start honing your résumé towards the transcription industry or brush up one you may already have. A résumé is your first appearance to that potential contract, and having one that is easy to read and quickly focuses on your strengths in this field is important. Look for a later post to cover the bases of effective cover letter writing, even if that cover letter is the body of your email.