by Ken Deutsch (originally published on October 8, 2013)
Just in time for spring recruiting for our summer 2025 Basic Skills Course cohort, we’ve updated and condensed this blog post.
One of the most important goals for agencies and institutions that are recruiting transcribers is to continue to discover new talent—people who have more than just the ability to type fast. But what are the qualities that make a world-class transcriber?
To answer this question, I talked to people in different parts of the country who oversee TypeWell services. The first was a communication specialist at Vital Signs LLC, a large agency based in Silver Spring, MD. With over 100 employees, Vital Signs utilizes CART, TypeWell, and sign language interpreting services, both on-site and remotely. (We’ve redacted this interviewee’s name because she works in a different field now.)
“When you’re recruiting transcribers, you look at a number of things,” she said:
- Typing speed: “Typing speed is a huge part of it, of course. Someone must have the ability to process information through listening, and be able to transcribe quickly. I encourage people to keep practicing and work on their [typing] speed if they don’t qualify for the training right away.”
- Availability: “We look for people who are flexible in their schedules and who are willing to travel. That’s important because we don’t know what’s coming from semester to semester. We can’t guarantee location or hours, or even a consistent schedule. So one of the most important things we look for in people is availability.”
- Education: “We require a bachelor’s degree for all our transcribers,” said the communication specialist. “We need people who can navigate a college course. They will have to interact with professors, and they have to have a general awareness of vocabulary in a college setting.”
- Technical skills: “Our candidates need to be comfortable with the technology of transcribing. They have to understand linking between devices and have a good concept of what is going on,” she continued. “There are certain people I use for certain assignments because I feel confident they can troubleshoot or respond quickly if needed.”
- Professionalism: “I pay attention to how potential transcribers present themselves. I’m always happy to get an e-mail from someone who is reaching out,” she said. “We ask for a résumé, and we prefer to see one that’s tailored to transcribing.”
If the candidate has experience working with people with disabilities, that’s a plus. If they’re new to transcribing, we will talk first on the phone, and I describe what a typical day will look like for a transcriber.
- Screening tests: “We feel that the TypeWell screening tests are rigorous as anything we could devise,” said the communication specialist.” Vital Signs also has a prequalification test for all applicants, and the agency maintains a list of people who might be slotted into the training schedule.
- Character: “We look for someone who is comfortable to be around, someone who is aware of professional boundaries. We also look for someone who is sensitive to, and has experience with, people who have disabilities. But one big quality we like to see is enthusiasm. We always want to find people who are eager to jump in there!”
Vital Signs recruits candidates from a wide variety of educational and professional backgrounds, who represent a large age span. “We are always happy to work with people who have trained on their own, but we can also mentor people through the TypeWell course. When they have passed the Comprehensive Skill Check, they can list me as a potential employer and based on their grade, we may then meet in person. The summer is a great time to do all this because classes aren’t as busy.”
Next, I spoke with Jason McKenna, supervisor of speech-to-text services at Utah Valley University (UVU). “We have about 20 transcribers working on-site, serving about 30 end-users,” he said.
And what does Jason look for in a potential hire? “Typing ability is huge,” he said. He’s less concerned about whether applicants have a college degree or exceptional English skills.
“We prefer applicants who type 70 words per minute or faster on the TypeWell test. Some transcribers become faster and faster. Some stay at the same speed. Apart from that, we try to assess how the applicant would be as an employee. “
UVU attracts a lot of candidates who apply for the TypeWell training course. “A lot of them fall through. Some don’t pass the preliminary tests,” Jason said. “Some just don’t type well enough and the limiting factor there is usually speed.”
Other characteristics he looks for: an ability to be responsible and a solid job history.
Recruiting and finding jobs is now easier—both for transcribers and for the agencies and institutions that do the hiring. TypeWell’s Job Board, which is updated every week, offers the latest job opportunities for qualified TypeWell transcribers. Organizations seeking to fill positions can easily post job listings by completing the Job Board Request Form.
Additional resources for recruiting:
Ken Deutsch was born in Chicago but now calls Sarasota, Florida home. He is happy to have shoveled through his last snowbank.