Today I am just waiting on my scores from my last set of training files. I need a 98% or better accuracy, and I had 99.2% on the first set, so as long as I did just as well (preferably better) on the second set, then I'm done with training and can officially start working! Yay!
So have any of you thought about being a transcriptionist from the comfort of your own home? Have you checked out MTurk yet to practice and get a little experience, and to even see if this is really something you'd be interested in doing? If you haven't yet, I'd suggest you do. I would also suggest that you practice, practice, practice before taking the leap and applying to any companies.
Good luck to you!
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
The waiting game...
I'm still waiting to start working for my new transcription company. We are just waiting for my background check to come back... I hope it doesn't take too long. I would really like to start this week!
Okay, truth be told, I don't really want to work at all, lol, but the sooner I get into the habit of it, the better. I'm going to try to stick to a schedule and work 20 hours a week. I'm going to push myself to get in a routine. That's never worked with exercise, but hopefully it will work for this. :-)
Okay, truth be told, I don't really want to work at all, lol, but the sooner I get into the habit of it, the better. I'm going to try to stick to a schedule and work 20 hours a week. I'm going to push myself to get in a routine. That's never worked with exercise, but hopefully it will work for this. :-)
Monday, May 4, 2015
How I got started!
I've been a stay at home mom since October of 2004. After my first year or two, I decided to get into direct sales. I did that for a little while, but didn't really make anything from it. I decided to look into other ways to make money from home to help supplement my husband's income. I knew I was comfortable working on a computer and actually liked to type, so I found transcription!
I started out with a company called QuickTate. This was just transcribing voice mail messages that were then sent to the persons email. It was okay, although a little cumbersome and didn't pay very well. It was great practice, though, and at the time, it was free to join. Now you have to pay for a background check, but still worth it for the practice and to keep on hand if you have some spare time and need to make a little extra cash.
From there, I started applying to other companies. There are lots of them out there, and they are easy to find if you do a quick Google search for transcription companies. One thing you will learn in this line of work is that research is very important, so you need to learn how to use the internet to find what you are looking for. :-)
I ended up working for a company doing quarterly financial meetings. I will talk more about that at a later date. For now, anyone who is looking at making the leap to transcription, I would suggest you practice first before applying anywhere. Most companies won't let you reapply for many months if you fail their test. A transcription test often consists of grammar and spelling tests, but will always have a short 5 to 15 minute audio file for you to transcribe. They will send you a style guide to let you know how to set up your Word document and how they want things typed out. Do they want you to add all the uhs, ums and stutters? Or do they want you to clean it up and make it a little easier to read? These are things you have to pay attention to, and you have to be willing and able to type everything in an audio file, even if it's an interview that is recorded in a crowded restaurant with tons of background noise.
A great place to get a little practice (and a little pay, not much) is MTurk. Stay tuned to my blog to learn more about that! For now, I have to study up on the style guide for my new company that I am contracted with, as I am starting today! Wish me luck, and I'll be back to tell you more soon! :-)
I started out with a company called QuickTate. This was just transcribing voice mail messages that were then sent to the persons email. It was okay, although a little cumbersome and didn't pay very well. It was great practice, though, and at the time, it was free to join. Now you have to pay for a background check, but still worth it for the practice and to keep on hand if you have some spare time and need to make a little extra cash.
From there, I started applying to other companies. There are lots of them out there, and they are easy to find if you do a quick Google search for transcription companies. One thing you will learn in this line of work is that research is very important, so you need to learn how to use the internet to find what you are looking for. :-)
I ended up working for a company doing quarterly financial meetings. I will talk more about that at a later date. For now, anyone who is looking at making the leap to transcription, I would suggest you practice first before applying anywhere. Most companies won't let you reapply for many months if you fail their test. A transcription test often consists of grammar and spelling tests, but will always have a short 5 to 15 minute audio file for you to transcribe. They will send you a style guide to let you know how to set up your Word document and how they want things typed out. Do they want you to add all the uhs, ums and stutters? Or do they want you to clean it up and make it a little easier to read? These are things you have to pay attention to, and you have to be willing and able to type everything in an audio file, even if it's an interview that is recorded in a crowded restaurant with tons of background noise.
A great place to get a little practice (and a little pay, not much) is MTurk. Stay tuned to my blog to learn more about that! For now, I have to study up on the style guide for my new company that I am contracted with, as I am starting today! Wish me luck, and I'll be back to tell you more soon! :-)
What I do!
I created this blog to help others that want to work from home without having to sell anything or worry about scams. You just have to be willing to actually work! No free money here! :-) Check back often, as I will try to keep posting about how I got started, my usual day to day, and just random thoughts and other things. :-) Enjoy!
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