Looking for a way to earn money while staying home? Recently, the popularity of working from home has exploded. This means that there are many types of freelance work that you can do from the comfort of your home!
If you suddenly have to work from home or want to transition to work from home, then transcription jobs are a perfect job.
This diverse service is gaining traction not only in the world of business and medicine, but also in the world of blogging.
With such a wide range of industries looking for transcriptionists, transcription jobs from home are fairly easy to find and require very little setup to get started.
Also, as a freelance writer, you can offer this service to earn more income!
Let’s see what transcription jobs are and how you can start working from home.
What are transcription jobs?
First of all, before we get into what transcription jobs are, we should probably talk about what transcription means.
A definition of simple transcription is the process of taking an audio or video recording of a conversation or speech and converting it to text. It is a written verbatim copy of what is heard.
In the past, companies and industries that wanted transcribed materials had to rely on mail-in transcription services.
A cassette tape, floppy disk or CD of the recording would be sent to the transcriber and the client would receive the document a few days later.
Now that we have the Internet, transcription services have evolved so that recordings and transcribed documents can be shared quickly and easily.
This increases the demand for transcription jobs, as many different industries and individuals are looking for this service.
So what exactly does a transcriber do?
As a transcriber, you would receive an audio or video file from a client, listen carefully, and write down whatever you hear. He would also be responsible for correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar. In addition to spelling, punctuation, and grammar, you should also have good writing skills. This will help you complete work quickly and meet tight deadlines.
This is a perfect service for bloggers who have podcasts or a large YouTube presence.
They may want to hire a transcriber to transcribe all of their podcasts and videos for their blog audience.
How to work from home with transcription jobs
So if you’re ready to try transcription at home, here are some tools and skills to keep in mind to get your side up and running quickly:
Get the tools – Because transcription simply requires you to listen to audio files and write what you hear, most businesses will only require you to have a computer and a high-speed Internet connection to get started.
However, there are some tools of the trade that some companies may require you to have or want to invest in if you plan to get serious about your career in transcription.
Here are some common transcription tools for transcriptionists:
Pedal – Also known as a WAV pedal, a pedal is a gadget that allows you to rewind, pause, or play audio / video files with your foot.
This way, you can allow your hands to focus on writing.
Most models are USB, which means they will easily connect to your computer.
Write express – Express Scribe is audio player software made for transcriptionists. Use the keyboard “hotkeys” to make it easy to control audio or video.
For example, F4 is stop; F9 is play, F7 rewinds, and F8 fast-forwards. Once you get these keys, you can quickly control the audio / video by losing your typing stream.
There are free and paid versions – the free version has more than enough features to get you started as a home transcriber. And this software works with the pedal too.
Headphones – Although not absolutely necessary for transcription work, headphones are highly recommended.
Clients are looking for accurate and accurate transcripts of your audio and video, so you better have something that will optimize your listening skills.
It will also help you when you work from home and need to avoid distractions. The headphones will help you focus on the audio so you can type accurately.
Skills and experience requirements
Although many transcription jobs are not looking for a vast experience and impressive skill set, there are still a few skills you should consider working on to be successful:
Listen carefully: Not only do you have to be able to listen, but you have to be able to listen carefully and attentively.
Fast writing speed: This is a skill that will definitely come with experience, but there is nothing wrong with brushing up on your writing skills. You can find courses and practice software online.
Good grammar, spelling, and punctuation: The better you understand these skills, the more you can focus on writing what you hear.
Not all audio sent by clients is clear and understandable. You may have to listen to an audio segment over and over to understand what is being said.
As a beginner, you don’t have to worry too much about having these skills on the go.
However, if you are looking to land high paying clients in the future, you will need to develop these skills and gain some experience.
How to Excel at Transcription Jobs
At first, you can treat work-at-home transcription jobs as a side job to earn extra money. However, if you want to excel at transcription jobs, you have to treat it like a business.
Here are some ways you can excel at transcription jobs:
Market yourself: Make a professional profile on social media, such as Facebook and LinkedIn, as a transcriber and network to find leads and customers.
Organize yourself: Keep track of your orders, deadlines and communications taking advantage of the organization tools. You can find many of these for free online!
Exceed customer expectations: To stand out to customers, you need to focus on meeting deadlines (or delivering sooner). Make sure you manage your time and work in a distraction-free environment.
Invest in the team: If you’re ready to get serious about transcribing, you should invest in buying the equipment I mentioned earlier. They will help you increase productivity and impress customers.
With the right amount of focus and organization, you can easily evolve home transcription into a money-making business!
How to get noticed online
While you can spend your time chasing jobs, creating a strong and positive presence on social media will help you attract clients and transcribe work.
Use a Facebook or LinkedIn account to show your skills, experience, and achievements. Believe it or not, companies care when you get involved on social media.
You can even use a website to attract customers; You can use it to share your ideas, inspiration, and passion when it comes to being a transcriptionist.
Try these tips to get noticed online as a transcriptionist:
Stick to 2 social media accounts: You don’t want to get overwhelmed too soon. Once you have mastered the 2 updated accounts, you can add more (like Twitter or Pinterest).
Take advantage of custom banners: Most social media platforms allow you to choose a profile picture, as well as a header or banner image. Use this image to communicate your skills and experience. You can check out my LinkedIn banner here to get an idea of what I mean.
Use an email signature: If you include your title (such as “General Transcriber”) and a link to your social media accounts or site in your email signature, you are effectively marketed every time you send an email.
Being any type of freelancer, including a transcriptionist, means knowing how to market yourself.
You don’t have to be a marketing guru to promote your services, you just need to know where and how to promote yourself.