The Transcription Interviews - Time to Shine in the Audition!

When you begin to looking for home transcription work you will find that most transcription interviews will want you to perform a test transcription of an audio file they provide to you.  The most important step of transcription interviews is the transcription "audition."

This is good news!  Why?  The transcription interviews audition you and this is your opportunity to shine!  Good transcriptionists are very difficult to find.  If you can turn in an excellent audition transcript in all of your transcription interviews it will mean more to your prospective clients than your resume, past experience, or references.

Here are some tips to help you do your very best audition during your transcription interviews and land the contract:

• Usually the prospective client will provide you with instructions.  Study the instructions carefully and follow them exactly!  This is how you demonstrate to the client that you will perform their work to their specifications.
• Proofread your work while listening to the audio at least twice.  Be meticulous.
• Pay particular attention to the homonyms* (there, their, they're -- too, to, two -- it's, its -- etc.)  If you make even a single one of these simple mistakes in an audition transcript your credibility will be lost.
• Double check any terminology that is unfamiliar to you.  The Internet puts all the world's information at your fingertips, so use it (www.wikipedia.org is an excellent resource).
• If there were difficult-to-understand parts of the audio and you have a little bit of time mark those places and come back to them in a couple of hours.  When you take a break and then listen to the audio with a fresh ear you will be amazed how often you will be able to clearly hear what the speaker is saying.
• Make sure... that the document format of the transcript matches the word-processing software the client requires (Word or WordPerfect usually).

• Always turn in your audition transcript with a professional cover letter or email that observes all the conventions of business communication (full sentences, proper grammar, no emoticons).

Follow these guidelines and your audition transcript will put you head and shoulders above the competition!