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One of the biggest challenges for a newly trained medical transcriptionist is finding that first job. It’s the classic dilemma of needing experience to land a job when no one will hire you to give you experience.

This is one of the areas where quality training comes in handy. If you make the right choice in medical transcription schools, the reputation of the school will help you to land a good job. Schools such as The Andrews School of Medical Transcription, M-Tec and CareerStep each have good reputations with many employers. This makes getting hired much easier.

If multiple levels of training are offered, you may be better off taking more than just the minimum level. My own employer, for example, preferred students who took at least the Gold level classes through CareerStep. They weren’t particularly interested in students who only took the basic, Silver level classes. I won’t say it was impossible to get hired as a Silver level student, merely that it was more difficult.

Many schools will offer job placement assistance. If it’s offered, take advantage of it!

Another great way to find your first job is to start asking around at medical transcription forums to see if anyone knows of a company that hires newly trained and inexperienced medical transcriptionists. There are companies out there that will do this. Otherwise I never would have landed my own first medical transcription job. MT Desk has a good forum.

You can also do your own searches online or in the newspaper. There are plenty of job sites such as Monster where you can post your resume and easily apply for any medical transcription jobs that are posted. You can even have the site email you job search results daily.

There are also sites that have lists of medical transcription companies that you can contact and ask if they will test you. Many require 2 or more years’ experience, but if the site doesn’t make their preferences clear, ask!

If you don’t mind working outside the home for a time, check with local hospitals and clinics for on-site positions. It can be much easier to land a job on-site than off when you lack experience. It can also be extremely helpful to be surrounded by people who already know the job quite well.

Whatever you do, keep practicing your transcription. If you have the tapes from your studies, keep on transcribing them. It’s good to keep your mind on it, and you’ll keep improving your skills. Once you land the job, your ability to type fast and accurately becomes even more vital. You don’t want to lose your touch.

Stephanie Foster created http://www.medicaltranscriptionbasics.com/ as a resource for people interested in working in medical transcription. Get tips on getting your medical transcription education at her site.

Whoa! You’re out of work! Suddenly you’re confronted with a monster job search. And FAST!

There’s trouble. Out of work happens to the best of us. The pink slip. The replacement. The downsizing. The firing. The layoff.

Someday, somehow, without any fault on your part, you may find yourself out of work. Studies show that we will be in a job search an average of 7 times over our lifetime. . . whether we like it or not.

There’s a secret that can keep you from panicking when you get the ax. In fact, this secret will work for you even when you voluntarily decide to change jobs. It turns a sudden job search into a winner. It’s called an “emergency preparedness plan!”

Take the time right now to anticipate being out of work and put a basic job search plan of action in place. Here are 6 steps to get you on track right away.

1. Get over it! Sure it stinks. But stop feeling sorry for yourself because you’re wasting the energy you need to get a new job.

2. Stop daydreaming. There’s no such thing as the perfect job. And it’s certainly not going to drop in your lap because you find excuses to stay home and suffer.

3. Review your finances and budget. Figure out how long you can remain unemployed. This is not the time to try to make yourself feel better by buying a new car or going on an expensive vacation.

4. Apply for unemployment immediately. Don’t feel ashamed to reach out for money you’ve earned. Remember, you’ve been paying into it for years. And when you no longer have a cash flow from your job, every little bit of income helps.

5. Identify your transferable skills. Over the course of your work history you’ve acquired a lot more than specific job-related skills. You’ve picked up capabilities and assets that can be transferred into any job. You may be surprised that you’re eligible for many more opportunities than you imagined.

6. Identify organizations of interest to you. And, specifically, identify the decision-maker within the organization that you might be reporting to.

Armed with this research, you can begin to implement a job search strategy aimed at getting you in front of those decision-makers. Fortunately, there are many exciting new 21st Century job search strategies that you can implement immediately.

For example, recruiting career partners who can do most of the leg work for you. When you do it right, these useful friends and associates can help you get in front of your next boss in a matter of days. All without dedicating undue time to writing a resume, posting it online, contacting agencies and recruiters or answering want ads.

When you’re out of work, it’s time to put your energy to work where you can get up to speed as quickly as possible!

Paul Bowley manages EEI, the world-class pioneer in alternative job search techniques and innovative e-business strategies . . . since 1985. Check out THE WORLD’S FASTEST JOB SEARCH PLAN! And grab our stunning FREE REPORT! http://www.fastest-job-search.com

Everything comes together in your employment interview. Your resume won’t get you a job. But how you handle yourself in your employment interview will!

Let me show you what I mean. The human spirit is quite remarkable when it comes to our career. Each one of us is a veritable bank of job and career experiences, strengths capabilities and assets.

In addition, as we grow, we acquire accumulate practical skills and a certain wisdom that transcends this or that specific job assignment.

What we haven’t acquired, however, is the ability to explore that amazing catalog of capabilities with an eye to putting them to use to advance our job search or change our career direction. They can become our insurance policy.

Some of our most important strengths never show up on a resume. Yet they can be the deciding factor for an employer. And they have to be presented with assertiveness during your employment interview. You miss these and you miss the most important ingredient of your employment interview.

For example:

1. Willingness to work hard with certain creativity.
2. Care in doing an assignment well and on time.
3. Deference to the experience and expertise of others.
4. Taking the initiative to be friendly and helpful with co-workers.

These are work-style values that often outweigh many other considerations in the mind of an employer. And these are part of your insurance policy that adds long-term value to your job search and career advancement.

Just take a look at how some of these unspoken skills can build a bridge to any future opportunity even if you have no experience. You’ll see why they can be so valuable in the mind of an employer.

Let’s say you participated in high school or college athletics. You gain leadership capabilities, acquire stamina and assertiveness as well as achieve a sense of human interaction and fair play.

Or, in an organizational setting, if you supervise others, you learn motivational skills and management strengths that never show up on your resume. Yet they are of utmost importance to a decision-maker who is considering making you a member of the team.

Or, when you accumulate interactive experience, you develop problem-solving abilities and, at the very least find out whether or not other people will work effectively for you. Employers want to know this!

Cataloging these special capabilities is one of the ways the way we build a long-term career insurance policy.

They give us the flexibility to make a persuasive argument in favor of our candidacy with any employer not matter how remote. But only if we’re prepared to bring it up in a compelling way during the employment interview. These special capabilities also guarantee that we will be heard when we choose to explore a new career direction.

Paul Bowley manages EEI, the world-class pioneer in alternative job search techniques and innovative e-business strategies . . . since 1985. Check out THE WORLD’S FASTEST JOB SEARCH PLAN! And grab our stunning FREE REPORT! http://www.fastest-job-search.com

How you handle employment interviews can spell success or failure for your job search.

Learning to speak assertively is critically important to the success of your interviews.

One question I get asked a lot is, “Is it OK to blow my horn in employment interviews?”

The answer is YES. It’s not only OK to blow your own horn, it’s essential! You see, if you’re lucky enough to get employment interviews with the person who could be your next boss, you get one shot only. So you better be right on target. That means you can’t afford to be a wimp!

Recent reports have pointed out there are 8 common barriers to not wanting to blow your own horn:

1. You’ve been taught that it isn’t polite to show off.

2. You don’t want to be seen as taking all the credit.

3. You feel that your business is no one else’s concern.

4. You’ve been discouraged from taking credit for individual performance. You’re part of a team.

5. You haven’t had to use assertiveness very often.

6. You’re not in the habit of taking credit for your accomplishments.

7. You don’t want to sound egotistical.

8. You don’t like it when others brag. You don’t want to sound like them.

Look, the first thing you need to understand is that you don’t get hired on the basis of a resume. No one will offer you a job until you’ve met face-to-face with the hiring decision-maker.

So, how you present yourself in person will determine whether or not you get the job. And believe me, passively and politely answering questions doesn’t get it.

So, here are three steps that can help you prepare to come across like a pro:

1. Get your ducks in a row. Write down the specific talents and capabilities your bring to the table. Do not dwell exclusively on your work history. Rather, focus on values, work ethic and philosophy.

2. Write a script that details how you’ll present yourself to a prospective employer. Remember, first impressions count BIG! If you stumble around and can’t look an interviewer in the eye, you just lost. You must be prepared to speak with authority.

3. Practice what to say with friends. Let them ask you tough questions so you can learn to respond intelligently without getting rattled.

Employment interviews frquently use standard questions. But your opportunity to shine comes when you assertively represent your values and work style as it applies to adding to the bottom line. That’s when you get an employer to sit up and pay attention to you.

Paul Bowley manages EEI, the world-class pioneer in alternative job search techniques and innovative e-business strategies . . . since 1985. Check out THE WORLD’S FASTEST JOB SEARCH PLAN! And grab our stunning FREE REPORT! http://www.fastest-job-search.com

Meeting with a prospective employer is ground zero in your job search. Success means you have to come to come out ahead in your face-to-face meeting with a prospective employer. Sadly, since most people really don’t know what an employer wants from you, they miss the boat.

In our minds we typically picture a job search interview like this:

You shake hands and say “hello.”

You sit down across the desk from an interviewer.

Your resume is sitting on the desk.

He/she asks you some questions about your experience based on your resume.

You answer to the best of your ability.

You hope you did a good job and that they’ll get back to you.

You shake hands and leave.

That kind of engagement is repeated worldwide a thousand times a day. The problem is you don’t stand a chance if you allow yourself to be just another candidate. If you’re serious about getting ahead you have to be remembered.

That means you have to bring something of value to the table. It’s what every prospective employer wants to hear from you. And if you disappoint, you’re out!

Why is it so important to bring something to the table in your face-to-face meeting with a prospective employer?

It’s really simple. A hiring decision-maker is not likely to hire you on the spot. So, he/she will go over your credentials after you’re gone. And compare you with others.

So, if you want to stand out . . . if you want to be remembered long after the session is over . . . if you want to avoid being just another face in the crowd . . . then you must BRING SOMETHING TO THE TABLE!

That means you can’t passively sit there and politely answer all the questions. You have to establish rapport and chemistry by demonstrating a high level of interest in the organization.

The quickest and easiest way to do that is to present information or ideas of value to the interviewer. For example:

1. Bring a newspaper of magazine article about a subject relevant to the organization. Comment on it and leave it for the interviewer to read.

2. Develop a mini-project (sales, research, financial, etc.) related to the goals of the organization. Present the results in writing.

3. Make a referral to someone who could be of value, e.g. a prospective customer, a distributor, a consultant, a reporter, an advisor, etc.

4. Offer to make an introduction, e.g. to a banker, a knowledgeable friend or neighbor, a supplier, an editor, a business manager or executive, etc.

5. Present a new product or service idea.

Demonstrating that you value the needs and expectations of the person you’re talking to is the key to being remembered. Bringing something to the table is an easy and highly productive way to make sure that you will be considered long after the meeting is over.

Paul Bowley manages EEI, the world-class pioneer in alternative job search techniques and innovative e-business strategies . . . since 1985. Check out THE WORLD’S FASTEST JOB SEARCH PLAN! And grab our stunning FREE REPORT! http://www.fastest-job-search.com

It might sound a little crazy, yet it’s so fundamental that it gets missed. There are two really obvious actions to take to make the most of the assessment center you’ve fought so hard to reach.

So, here’s how to make the best of your hard-earned opportunity.

1. Get Your Pre-work Done

You may be asked to either submit work in advance of the Assessment Center, or take something with you. If so, make sure you clearly understand the instructions and if you don’t, get clear in good time (preferably not the day before it’s due in!).

Submit whatever it is in exactly the format requested and if, for some reason you cannot, talk to them about it rather than send it knowingly incorrect. They want to have an easy time sifting through submissions, so make it easy for them and they will love you before you get there!

Here’s a reminder, if you are working hard on a presentation, save it to at least two locations and not just on your computer. Save as you go along and save to a USB pen drive as well, at least. You might even copy to a CD and another computer as well! It really is better to be safe than sorry!

Paranoid maybe, but you can always e-mail a copy to your Yahoo/MSN/Hotmail e-mail address as well and file it there too! So, don’t work your socks off and then lose it - it is all to easy to do.

If you print it out for them, make a second copy and if you are taking it on the day, put a copy in your bag to take in with you and keep a copy in the boot of your car too.

Pre-work for an assessment center takes a lot of sweat and effort - it will pay you to do it well, do it safely and protect what you’ve got!

2. Understand and Follow Instructions - To The Letter!

You will be excited about your opportunity, that’s for sure. And there’s a load of stuff to take in. So make sure that you keep all the information sent to you in one place and in one envelope somewhere safely.

Then read it all carefully at least twice. Especially the information about the assessment center day itself. It can be so easy to mis-read or misunderstand what has been sent to you, so take great care here.

It might sound stunningly obvious - and it is - and the detail is vital. It is not unknown for people to turn up at the wrong time, wrong date and wrong place.

So the onus is on you, despite this being such a simple challenge, to get this bit right without fail. Then in the knowledge that it’s all going to happen where you think it is, you can focus on getting right what you need to get right.

And focus on a successful assessment center outcome!

(c) 2007 How To Win At Assessment Centers. You can succeed in your application whenever you want to. Checkout the free six-part e-course at Martin Haworth’s website, http://www.HowToWinAtAssessmentCenters.com

Every one is looking for a breakthrough job search strategy — a way to get a leg up in the job search process. A breakthrough job search strategy can put you at the front of the pack.

The fact is, in today’s sophisticated job marketplace, you need something special to get ahead.

Maybe you think you need a particularly fancy resume. Or perhaps an uncle in high places. How about a recruiter friend. Wouldn’t it help to have a sister married to a prospective employer’s cousin?

All of those could be terrific assets to have. But they’re only remotely possible for most of us.

Yet, in fact, we are surrounded by the most precious assets of all. And they are available to us all the time. If we take proper advantage of them they become the breakthrough job search strategy of our dreams. They can dramatically speed up our job search and position us for the best opportunities.

I’m talking about people we already know. And I strongly recommend learning how to make them your CAREER PARTNERS. Did you know that “career partners” is the hottest job search secret of the decade!

Take minute and think of all the many useful ways the following people you know might have the capacity to help you out:

Neighbors, friends and relatives

Former school mates

Religious leaders

Teachers

Your banker, lawyer, doctor and dentist

People you do business with, hire, buy
from, sell to

Members of fraternal organizations, sororities, social service clubs

Church, synagogue or mosque fellow members

And on and on.

How can teaming up with such a variety of people we know be helpful?

Well, most important of all, they know other people who may have or know of a job opening. What’s more, they can introduce us to other folks who can assist us or even hire us.

They may have inside information about a company or decision-maker we’re interested in. They can review our resume and presentation skills to make sure we’re on target. They can advise us about career training directions and identify organizations that would be good for us.

If you want to get a leg up on your job campaign, use this amazing breakthrough job search strategy. Take the time to identify career partners. Prepare a script in which you ask them for their advice. And then represent yourself assertively to all of them. Use them wisely. They are your biggest asset!

Paul Bowley manages EEI, the world-class pioneer in alternative job search techniques and innovative e-business strategies . . . since 1985. Check out THE WORLD’S FASTEST JOB SEARCH PLAN! And grab our stunning FREE REPORT! http://www.fastest-job-search.com