How To Become A Certified Shorthand Reporter: What It Is and Career Path

What is a certified shorthand reporter and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a certified shorthand reporter. For example, did you know that they make an average of $31.02 an hour? That's $64,522 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 7% and produce 1,100 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreCertified Shorthand ReporterUS Average

Salary

5.0

Avg. Salary $64,522

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.7

Growth rate 7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

1.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.23%

Asian 1.40%

Black or African American 3.27%

Hispanic or Latino 5.61%

Unknown 4.44%

White 85.05%

Gender

female 86.32%

male 13.68%

Age - 55

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 55

Stress level

5.7

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.2

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.9

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a certified shorthand reporter

Explore certified shorthand reporter education requirements

Most common certified shorthand reporter degrees

Associate

36.1 %

Bachelor's

29.5 %

Certificate

13.1 %

Start to develop specific certified shorthand reporter skills

Skills	Percentages
Medical Terminology	49.37%
District Court	48.63%
Proofread	0.68%
Transcription	0.60%
Legal Depositions	0.39%

Complete relevant certified shorthand reporter training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New certified shorthand reporters learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a certified shorthand reporter based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real certified shorthand reporter resumes.

Research certified shorthand reporter duties and responsibilities

Manage client expenses and prepare billing and financial statements using PClaw and reconcile attorney's escrow and general accounts using QuickBooks.
Proofread and prepare transcripts in compliance with California law.
Transcribe depositions into readable form, proofread and forward to attorney for his own review/use.
Prepare deposition transcripts using computer-assist transcription systems.

Prepare your certified shorthand reporter resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your certified shorthand reporter resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a certified shorthand reporter resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable certified shorthand reporter resume templates

Build a professional certified shorthand reporter resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your certified shorthand reporter resume.