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December 13 2009
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How to Find the Right Online Transcription Job and Start Working at Home
There are many types of transcription jobs posted in the internet. For a freelance work-at-home person, this means a part time job he could do during his free time and add as another source of income for the family. Or he could choose to make this into a full-time career. There are many people doing transcription jobs full-time, either working in the office or at the convenience of their own homes.
What does the transcription job entails? It is simply typing the spoken word, verbatim, to make them into permanent records as written documents.
It sounds easy, but for a job seeker looking into the volume of transcription job opportunities offered in the net, it is almost a nightmare. If one doesn’t know and just searches for ‘transcription jobs’, the search results would be mind-boggling. He would come up with tons of opportunities in either the legal transcription, medical transcription , voice mail transcription, and other transcription jobs out there.
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So what could make looking into a transcription career easy?First, assess your personal skills. If you have the following qualifications, these could prove advantageous in your application for a transcription job.
1.Good typing skills (speed requirement varies between companies, improves with practice)
2.Good hearing acuity (a must for all transcriptionists)
3.Proficiency in the English language
4.Excellent spelling, grammar and punctuation skills
5.Having the ability to understand foreign accents
6.Willingness to learn
7.Can work on a deadline
8.Reliable Internet connection (for those who choose online work)
9.Owning a foot pedal (optional, but could make work easier and a whole lot faster)How about your educational background or hobbies? Are you adept at medical terms, or legal matters or the business sector? Or your interests could be varied, which makes you eligible to consider applying to one or two or all types of transcription works out there.
Second, know the several types of transcription jobs out there.
1. General Transcription. There are opportunities with headings: General Transcriptionists Needed. This may simply mean that they are looking for people who could fulfill the tasks of transcribing either media, academic, entertainment and other English dictations. Many companies are offering some or all of these services to their clients from the government, entertainment industry and some colleges or universities. Also, there are professionals like authors, teachers, and or professors looking for transcriptionist to transcribe their dictations for them. Thus, searching for general transcription will give you varied choices, which will, most of the time, also direct you to the more specific job opportunities such as the following:
* Entertainment Transcription. This involves transcribing movies, television shows, talk shows and documentaries, into written documents for the purpose of having a permanent written record of them. There’s no special training needed or prior experience requirement to apply for this job. As long as you possess the qualifications mentioned above and you passed the online testing given by the company, then you’re ready to start transcribing. Salaries are dependent on skills and productivity of the transcriptionist and payment rate of the company you work for. For those who love movies and talk shows, this could be a fun sort of work.
* Academic Transcription. Academic transcription involves transcribing recorded files ranging from lectures, dissertations, seminars, discussions and interviews from colleges and universities for academic purposes. Most of these dictations are clear and loud as they are directed to an audience.
* Media Transcription. Media transcription involves transcribing recorded files or reports from news programs and bulletins, radio and television broadcasts, special reports, political interviews, conferences, discussions, speeches and pod casts. No prior transcription experience or training needed, just the necessary qualifications and passing the online testing given by the company. These recordings are, oftentimes, clear and loud, which could make transcribing them less taxing. Salary is the same with other transcription jobs, again depending on productivity and payment rate of the company hiring you. For those fascinated with news and politics and general everyday information, doing media transcription could be a lucrative as well as an entertaining career.
2. Medical Transcription. A medical transcriptionist transcribes the dictations of doctors for documentation purposes. Dictations ranges from clinical history and physical examination, to radiology reports, to surgical operation procedures. Most companies would need someone with experience in the medical field and/or those who have undergone medical transcription training certification. There are those who have never had medical background who took online medical transcription course, (at Careerstep or any other legitimate online transcription schools), who became successful in this career. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the demand for medical transcriptionist is projected to grow until 2016 at a fast rate because of the growing population and the health care needs of the aging population. The pay could be good ranging from $10/hr - $20/hr, or could be lower or much higher, depending on the skills and productivity of the transcriptionists. Some feedback regarding doing transcriptions for physicians though is that, sometimes, the dictations are hurried and they’re not the easiest ones to transcribe, which is why familiarity with medical terms is very important. For those interested in medicine, a medical transcription job could be a learning and a fascinating job to do aside from its being profitable. This is a helpful site to browse more on medical transcription career: Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition .
3. Legal Transcription. Legal transcription jobs entails transcribing recordings done in the courtroom during hearings or in law offices for documentation purposes. The salary being in the range of $15 - $25/hr, also depending on speed and productivity of the transcriber. For those interested in legal matters, being a legal transcriptionist could prove to be an absorbing job aside from being a lucrative one.
4. Financial or Business Transcription. Financial and/or business or corporate transcription involves transcribing recordings from large corporations’ business meetings, training sessions, press conferences, annual meetings, interviews and financial reports. No prior experience or training needed but a familiarity with business or financial terminologies is a necessity. Salary range is the same with other general transcription jobs. A transcriptionist with a keen interest in business would find this to be an engaging career.
5. Voice Mail Transcription. Voice mail transcription involves transcribing voicemails as soon as it it is received and sending them through text or emails to the person involved as soon as transcribed. Accuracy, good listening skill and fast typing speed are needed as fast turn-around time is important. There is no training or prior experience involved. Some companies train their applicants before letting them go on a live transcription. A fast internet connection is also needed and strict adherence to schedule. Salary is on a per message basis, and dependent on typing speed and time of work, the busiest being during weekdays and during office hours.
6. Foreign Language Transcription. As the name implies, it involves transcribing verbatim a dictated report with speakers using a different language. These could be jobs for linguists and those who knows how to speak and write another language aside from the English language. Common languages that need transcription are Spanish, Russian, French and Japanese.
Third, match your skills with the type or types of transcription jobs available on the Internet or your locality.
With your self-assessment and learning about the different types of transcription jobs available, you are now ready to search for the transcription job which best fits your qualifications. This would help you focus and narrow down your search for transcription job opportunities. It will make you save time browsing through everything about each type, and give you ample time to read and learn about the companies offering the specific type of transcription job that you’ve chosen.
You may want to apply right away to a few transcription job openings online. There are many out there that accept transcriptionists without prior experience as long as you pass their requirements and online testing.
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Fourth, don’t give up.Finding jobs online may take a slow process, but opportunities abound online and maybe even in your own localities. So happy job-hunting.
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Below are some of the sites which list down various companies offering different types of transcription jobs. Your vigilance is still needed when applying for these jobs.Work at Home Transcription Jobs
And lastly, when you’ve been accepted to do the job, give your best and enjoy it.
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Original article: How to Find the Right Online Transcription Job and Start Working at Home - written by Dulce Corazon on Factoidz
0 comments | Transcribing Basics • Freelancing • Opportunities •
Posted by Anonymous on 12/13 at 12:16 AM
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