Home     Contact Us    
Main Board Job Seeker's Board Job Wanted Board Resume Bank Company Board Word Help Medquist New MTs Classifieds Offshore Concerns VR/Speech Recognition Tech Help Coding/Medical Billing
Gab Board Politics Comedy Stop Health Issues
ADVERTISEMENT




Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

resume tips

Posted By: resume on 2007-07-05
In Reply to: Resume tips - IL MT

I too am a medical transcriptionist, however, I also own a resume writing business.


Please see my site and get back to me if you choose to.


 


David


 


www.bethlehemresume.net


 




Complete Discussion Below: marks the location of current message within thread

The messages you are viewing are archived/old.
To view latest messages and participate in discussions, select the boards given in left menu


Other related messages found in our database

Resume tips
Anyone know where to find a good outline/tips for writing a resume for a transcriptionist? 
Resume
I would have liked to have heard from this person on the board instead of seeing the job posted again. I did not receive any response to my resume.
Resume sent
I sent you my resume. Let me know what you think
resume
where can i post my resume on the board?  
RESUME
I went to the Company's Board and sent my resume to all of the companies that I felt would work for me. Specifically, I did not want to supply my own equipment. Plus my resume was simply a description of my past experiences. I didn't put in "objectives, goals, etc." I simply stated what I did. I have never done a resume and did not use a specific format. I got a reply and got hired over the phone in less than ONE day. I didn't have the equipment to test with, so they will just watch my work for two weeks, and if I "pass," I'm hired. They furnish all the equipment if you want them to, the recruiter was SO nice and comfortable, and the start pay was rather good. I came from a "not so nice" company, so I'm SO happy. I didn't post my resume as I feel there are so many ones posted, it would be next to impossible for a company to go through all those resumes. This way, I went to the company, presented myself via my "simple" resume, and got an email the next morning. That is the way I would do it. Use the Company Board and just keep sending your resume to all the companies. Your resume comes back after you post; you just go on to the next company and post ...... easy as pie. Good Luck!!
Resume
Has anyone been able to actually log into the resume sectoin on the Job Seeker's board? I created a user ID/password last weekend and still get a log in error. Just wondering if anyone else has this problem.
On my resume
I list my current work status as follows:

Independent Contractor - Medical Transcriptionist
5/00 - Present

Include a statement about refs being available upon request, and then provide the refs of your choosing based on how many they want.
Why does my resume pop up here?

Whenever I click on Apply Now on any job ad on the job seeker board here, my resume is automatically pasted into the box!!


How did that happen? I don't paste it - it's already there.


Resume
Does anyone know where I can find samples of MT resumes? 
what to put on resume???

I am kind of at my wit's end here.  I have only worked for two different companies as a  transcriptionist, one for 17 years and the present one for 12 years.  What do I need to put on a resume, besides these two companies that I have worked for.  Should I list the types of reports I have transcribed?  Does anyone know of a template that I could use for this?  Thanks to all!!


resume
I was told to copy into a notebook format and use the notebook to copy and paste it into the text boxes.  I did this to be on the safe side after noticing the same problem you are having.
What I do on my resume....
I put "Formerly credentialed by AHIMA as a Registered Health Informaation Administrator." At one time I had "inactive" after the letters, but changed that to the 'former.' No one has ever questioned me on it one way or another. I still have my original certification letter and credential certificate in case i ever need to prove it.
I sent my resume sm
I am glad someone else asked about them. I got a letter of introduction.

Gotta have DSL, not cable (I have cable). They go into detail about the number of lines per period expected, but nothing about how lines are counted. They do not give the stipulations of how a sign on bonus is to be paid out either. They only have 2 positions open and they are both 3 to 11.

I usually jump on a job (if I am looking which I am right now) if I have not seen the company advertise extensively for MTs. I figure if a company is always looking for MTs, it is because they have a low MT retention rate. This is not always the case, but it is my first thought. I also come here and read about a company too.

I got this letter after I had agreed to full time with another company that doesn't advertise much either. The line rate is quite a bit less, but it is employee status, matching taxes, company contributes to health insurance and it is not very expensive with 7 different plans to choose from, dental, vision and a PTO program that pays based on your average hourly rate over the previous 90 days, which is pretty fair if you ask me. Given the state of my income tax bill...a lower line rate with some benefits and some help on taxes all look good to me. They will reimburse for my internet, but as I have another PT IC job I won't be putting in for this, I'll need it for my taxes (it is not very high in any case).

So...here I go, my first employee status as an MT.

Of note, I have a place I gave my notice to today. They pay 10 and 11 cents a line and there is never any work, or at least it has gotten to where they run out on a regular and predictable basis. On top of that, I think they have slowly shifted how they are counting lines because I have been working faster and over the same numbers of hours, but my checks have gotten smaller and smaller to the point where last check was HALF what my check had been the last of October! I am out of there.
resume
Does anyone know if there is any way to post a resume, like there used to be?
maybe it's the resume.
Can you get someone to look it over and make suggestions?
Include all tech you are familiar with, types of reports you are proficient at, etc.
resume

What I have found to be a constant problem in placing ads for positions is indeed the resume.  I know that they say you only get "one chance to make a first impression" but a resume IS your one chance.  If you are asked to paste to email only and download it instead, you have already lost.  If you are listing your experience in Cardiology, Radiology, etc and capitalizing items in the resume that should not, you are have lost.  Our profession calls for precise knowledge of things capped and not capped, hyphen, none, etc.  So if a resume is a reflection of the person then as an MTSO not sitting and interviewing you in person, you have a resume in hand to go by.  It should be as close to perfect as can be.


Giving away age is as simple as stating you have worked in WP 5.1 or 6.1.  AND some companies, mine included will eagerly look for those experiences because it shows you have been around a while and know the field.


When you get say 200 resumes for a position, you have to whittle down the responses so you first go by the appearance of the resume, and by that I do not mean something aesthetically pleasing, but use of grammar and caps.  Then I check for qualifications...if I asked for experienced only apply and they dont have experience, circular file.  If I ask for specific background or equipment and they dont have it, circular file.  There is always a method to getting down to the people that are qualified and testing those people, but it is a long and time consuming process.  To respond back to all resumes is time consuming and to do it in a timely matter is difficult so process of elimination is utmost.


Does your resume show a lot of short-term jobs?  I look for that because I believe most companies are looking for long-term IC not fly-by-night, so again, there are many things a resume tells a person.


Does it list the equipment you OWN?? I dont care much for what equipment you may be able to work, but own yes.  In this day of computers and Dictaphone, Lanier, voice files, etc, a company asking for specifics, like owning Lanier or Dictaphone want to be able to see that reflected on the resume.  I have probably sent out 200 emails asking about equipment, even though my ad clearly states 'MUST HAVE' I will get 100 resumes from people that dont have the equipment, dont have the experience, have never even transcribed or taken a course.  So do not just assume that we KNOW you meet our requirements listed because you apply, we may have to ask if it is not on a resume.


The resumes I like the most are short and to the point..


name, add, phone number, email and cell phone


course work or where you learned transcription.  I truly do not care what grade school you went to, high school or college.  If it does not pertain to MT work then frankly it doesn't help to know you are an Honor Student from some college.  That will NOT GET THE REPORT TRANSCRIBED CORRECTLY. 


work experience - and start with most current going back.  I dont want to read your jobs from 1800 and work my way up.  I want to see where YOU ARE NOW in this field and work my way back.  We all start somewhere, were a newbie once, but at the time of hiring, I need to see how FAR you have come.


reference materials - yes they help, being able to Google something is fine, but having a reference source at hand to know the caps, not capped, etc, is important.  Google has things done so many ways it is not always the most precise for that purpose.


equipment OWNED - like own Dictaphone, Lanier, computer, fax - is it dedicated or shared - computer, etc.


platforms worked, i.e. Citrix, Star, HBO. Meditech, RadTrans, that type of thing.


WHAT I DONT CARE TO READ IN A RESUME


hobbies - could care less about your bowling experience or knitting projects....they have nothing to do with work


movies you like


jobs that did NOT pertain to MT work. I dont care if you were a great bartender or worked third shift for Motorola for 10 years.  I DO CARE about things that pertain to what I am hiring for.


When an ad stats looking for STEADY, RELIABLE MT, that means just that...so if I see you had 10 jobs in 5 years, the word steady kinda goes out the door.  If I email you back once and no answer, could be glitch, twice and not answer, reliable is wavering now also.


There are a lot of variables to WHY a resume is not responded to.  If I have to sift through a bunch of stuff that does NOT pertain to what I am looking for, I dont, I move on.  Without seeing yours I cant say why, but I hope this helps a little bit.


Tiffany


I got my job from my resume off of here. sm
She saw it on there and then phoned me. Gave me an phone interview and then I got the job. It is always no that easy obviously, but she did get my resume from here.

But, she was the only one. I have never been contacted again about it.
Need Some Help With My Resume
I'm trying to write a resume (first one in you don't wanna know how many years, LOL!) and my poor little pea-brain.... I can't, for the life of me, remember the exact dates and order of my various jobs. I DO for the most part remember WHO I worked for...

So today I called the hospital that I worked for twice. They were able to give me the dates of my second tour of duty there, but they claimed to have no record of my first stint with them. The rather rude HR clerk told me that those records had probably been purged. Keep in mind that I'm sure of what YEAR I started with them that time around (1991), but not sure of the month, and clueless about when I left that time around. Is 1991 really so long ago that an HR dept wouldn't have records????

But that's just the tip of the iceberg.

I've worked for the Q at least 3 times (it might be 4, due to acquisitions and mergers). I worked for another medium-size MTSO twice also. Sometimes I was working 2 jobs at one time. Once I worked for a lady who was doing IC work for the VA. I have no clue what her name was, and she no longer has an office in the place where I worked for her.

How do I possibly consolidate this all into a functional resume????

Thank you so much for any help you can offer!
Thanks for the tips.
By the way, aren't little girls the best?
Thanks for the tips - you were right!
It was great. Cool air, all Ops reports, clear dictators. I realize now the other people on my accounts are getting started at 5:00 am and beating me to all the work. Little did I know!

I only worked for about 2 hours last night because it was a spur of the moment thing and I hadn't napped. I worry about the quality of my work when I'm tired, so I'm going to take a long snooze this afternoon and start work at about 9.

In the 2 hours I worked, I got 390 lines, which is excellent for me with no templates/normals. Woohoo! I'll be able to hit my line count for the day in about half the time it takes me during the day.

Thanks all!
My tips
From someone who goes twice a year. Definetely plan to go Super Bowel Weekend,you will have ZERO wait on rides and just run from ride to ride, it is great. Also the first two weeks in December are okay. The summer and spring break are disgusting, it will put you in such a bad mood after one day. Check out the website Mousesavers.com. They have so much information there about everything Disney. When we go for one night with two kids and Florida resident discount we spend at at $500 for hotel, food, etc, etc. We also get in the Disney mood and think that are made of money so do spend more than needed. I would say go to disney site Disneyworld.com and figure out your ticket prices and hotel and then add $60 for each person per day. That is $20 per meal with a little extra left over from each meal for drinks, snacks, etc. That will be the top amount you need, but it gives you somewhere to start. We try to eat breakfast in hotel, pop tarts, PB&J and then only have to pay for lunch and dinner. Or eat breakfast, skip lunch and eat early dinner. If you need any more tips let me know, I have learned a lot over the years of going.
btw thanks for the tips
You're right, sitting around waiting for the perfect job won't happen.  Something about MT'ing made me feel so comfortable and cozy, now not so much.  I'm in the beginning stages of stepping out and finding another career before the boat sails.  I guess having a few ideas is a start.
Thanks everyone for your tips. I really appreciate all the help!!
Hopefully, I can become an ESL specialist:)
I used to cut the tips off
Where I used to work as they seemed to turn the heat waaaay down at night and on the weekends when there was no one else but me in the bldg. working! I had bought those cheap less than a buck stretchy kind and cut the finger tips off and that worked well for me.
thanks for all the tips !

tips
Do you have one of those old-fashioned grocery stores in your area that still take your groceries out to your car?  Like a Piggly Wiggly for instance?  Do you tip the baggers that take your groceries out?  I seriously had never gave it a thought until a friend of mine went to one of those grocery stores with me and she said that she does.  I've never noticed anyone doing that.  I tip my beautician, at the car wash, and for a manicure/pedicure, but it had honestly never crossed my mind until she said that she did that.  Now everytime I go I'm looking around to see if anyone else does and I still can't figure out if they are or not. 
Tips sm
Wouldn't it be nice if we got a "tip" for every time we saved someone by taking extra time with their dictation? Just a dream, of course! I too give my hairdresser a $20 tip for full highlight, etc., but I find now for just a cut alone to give her $5 is enough as it doesn't take that long. Perhaps I'm cheap, but I think the prices are so riduculous unless you go to SuperCuts, etc., that it's figured into the price. A hairdresser once told me he paid $3.00 for a $45.00 perm solution, of course, no one gets "perms" anymore, but there's a big markup. I try to go according to how long the stylist spends on me, if she gives me extra time and attention, I go higher. Sometimes some of them put on an "act" for you if they're not busy. You have to know the circumstances. My "regular" hairdresser pays for her space, so she has to make her rent and pay a babysitter. I like her, so I'm willing to spend more.
A few other tips, sm
A local noon TV show gave similar tips that have appeared here, but here are a few more:
Keep your money with you, i.e. wear a fanny pack rather than having it in a box or something.
Sometimes people ask to use your bathroom. Don't let them in your house, let them know of a store or gas station nearby with restroom facilities.
If it is a hot day and you have access to a child who is old enough, have them sell ice-cold lemonade. People will buy. Or, just keep a pitcher of ice cold water and paper cups, just to help them cool off.
Set a time and cut prices in half the last couple of hours on the second day, if you really want to sell your stuff.
If you don't want to move the unsold stuff back into the house, consider donating it to Good Will, Salvation Army, etc. Just pack it in your car and drive it over.

Have fun!
Thanks for those tips. (sm)
Those are really some great ideas.

My youngest has 2 more years until he is off to Kindergarten. As much as I hate to wish away the years where my kids are concerned, I know that things will be much easier for me when I have a "full" day to be able to devote to work with no interruptions. Then I will just have to worry about family and friends interruptions, which should be easier to handle!

I did sit down with my daughter yesterday and told her that I was desperate for some help this summer, oferring a small raise in her weekly allowance if she would give me a hand with the boys. She has been spending her days running around way too much. She agreed, so we will see how that goes.

It definitely is not easy to work at home when you have children. I can't even count the number of times I have thought to myself that I need to start looking for an in-house job. Then I remind myself of the benefits of being home for my kids. I think they do outweight the disadvantages in the long run.
Thank you everyone for your tips!
x
Any tips

I am looking to get back into the field after a 12 year break to raise my kids.  Any advice on how to get my foot in the door or who might hire me?  I have over 10 years experience in out-patient radiology.


Thanks.


Thanks for the tips!
nm
My tips here...
"With my tapes, I could type the entire day's dictation for the day in one word document."

Why can't you do that now? I type all my files in one Word document, them chop them up into separate files when done proofreading.

"It takes much longer to download the file, create the new documents, save, and upload than it does to type it."

Well, how long did it take you to get in the car and drive to get your tapes and return them?

I'm not sure what your problem is. I can tell you how I do it....maybe that will help.

I download all my digital files at once, then start transcribing them all in one Word document.

If you can't download them all at once, download the first one and transcribe it while you're downloading the second one, etc.




Thanks for tips
Thank you for the tips.

I just recenty started to use the Expander more for the basic parts of the sentence. It seems as time goes on, more things occur to me. I will check out the links posted too (thanks!).

I need to come up with a good system for labs. I can see that is slowing me down ... and vitals. I am very slow on the number row.

Anyway, I appreciate the ideas posted and will welcome any others that you all might think of.

Here are a few tips (sm)
Have your own "word list" (I use Lil Red Notebook) so once you look up a word and verify it, it will be faster to find it next time.

Also get a good Expander and learn how to use it, not just for individual words but for whole phrases (and even paragraphs) depending on what kind of work you are doing.

Stedman's medical spellchecker.

Try to just work during work hours, and surf only when you are not supposed to be working. This is the hardest thing for me! Sometimes even when looking things up online I get distracted, following links and reading things I don't really need to read when I've already found my answer.

Good luck to you. I have heard nothing but good things about an M-Tec education!
Thank you for all your tips
I am going to look into everyone's suggestions.  I take it IT means Instant Text?  How do you separate your dictionaries with doctors?
VR tips

I work on Edit Script and the average pay for most companies seems to be .04 cpl.  I get .0425.  Your production really depends on the account you have, the dicator and you learining the shortcut keys.  I still have a hard time not using the mouse!  But on the other hand, I am not a stong typist, so I prefer VR over typing.  If I had to do straight typing I probably would not make it in this business, so VR is the way for me.  I had to switch companies because my first one had difficult dictators and I was not making much money.  Things are better now, but still a work in progress.  One suggestion I will make is that you use the Escription forum for productivity tips and also there is a link that will tell you of your progress if you log into it.  The system can read your skills as you use it and give you a report on your progress.  It will tell you if you are using the mouse too much, etc.  It really is a great system with a lot of great tools for MTs.


Hang in there---Sue


Tips for you ... sm
I travel quite a bit with this work. Here's my suggestions:

1. Great laptop
2. AT&T Wireless Internet card
3. AVG security package
4. Bank account with a large national bank .. NO DEBIT CARDS. Use credit card for everything then pay as soon as it appears on your online statement. NO interest is paid. If you pay with a debit card, you have no consumer protection plus your funds could be wiped out. With a credit card, you have a barrier, can dispute the payment, recover lost/stolen funds, get warranties on purchases, etc.

Enjoy.

Tips
Will you please share some tips on what you do to maintain your income level, i.e., the type of Expander you use, how you stay focused, whatever it is that keeps you at the top?  I would very much appreciate it.  Thank you. 
Tips

I definitely would not say I'm at the top.  I get distracted like many with surfing, chatting, etc during my work time.  Honestly, if my work ethic was more strict, I could make another 20-30,000 a year. 


I use IT as my expander.  I am not an Expander queen.  I use them and add all the time but I'm not obsessed with it - but it definitely saves me time and worth every penny 10 fold.  I use my Stedman's Elec Dictionary - another total must have for this job. 


You're going to make more money if you know your specialty and your doctors.  I try to get work where I can do the same doctors regularly.  I would not take a position where there is a huge pool of doctors.  I make the money on my single doctor accounts where I can get regulars and build up speed the fastest.  Even accounts with 4 to 5 doctors you can easily build up speed on. 


Don't settle for cr*p jobs.  As I said earlier, there are better paying companies out there.  Makes me extremely irritated to see companies posting for slave wages wanting so much experience and basically offering nothing in return but the chance to make $5 an hour.  I won't even test until I know what the rate will be.  And honestly, the best companies have the shortest or no test. 


Keystrokes and MDI may look good compared to most bigger companies, but I personally wouldn't work for them.  There are better places, but you have to be willing to do some research and go beyond what everyone else does.   


 


 


tips

I am looking for tips to make my typing faster. For example, auto corrects, quick cut and pastes, etc. Any ideas?


VR Tips

Okay, since so many of us are being transitioned into VR, I thought it might be helpful to start a thread discussing helpful tips on how to be more productive with VR. 


For some dictators (the ones that have the "good" VR come through), I have found that reading through the report and changing it to go more with accounts specifics gets me through it faster than trying to change while listening. 


I also like to use ctrl + lft arrow key to skip by words instead of by letters. 


Other than that . . . I really suck at VR, which is why I am hoping to see if anyone has tips or suggestions on how to help make all MTs more productive on VR. 


TIA.


resume response
yeah, i know what you're saying. have not heard from spheris (three weeks now). so i move on. it just kinda makes you think either their busy and have no time (do they have time for the hired who need help?)or they looked at your resume and decided to pass.
Because the pay is better and the title looks much better on any resume for any job.
x
Resume writing - what to put - sm
I have been an IC for about 10 years and have worked for several clients. Is it proper to put names of companies in resume? It looks pretty blank with just my name, company, and that I transcribed a variety of reports, etc.

Any suggestions would be helpful.
resume update

Old Transcriptionist needs help updating her resume.  Any suggestions are welcome. thanks!  


Molly


Resume Bank.
http://resumes.mtstars.com
Delete resume
I am trying to delete my resume from the bank and can modify but can't figure out how to delete it.  Help, please.
why do you want to delete your resume - sm
are you getting too many calls for work??? If you are, then I want to put my resume on there!!!
Online Resume
I have been thinking a lot about setting up a small page online kind of like an online resume, but I don't know where to begin. Anybody know of where I can get a ton of questions answered?
Thanks. Saw it yesterday and sent my resume.
:-)