How to hire a digital court reporter

How to hire a digital court reporter, step by step

Here's a step-by-step digital court reporter hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a digital court reporter job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new digital court reporter
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your digital court reporter job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a digital court reporter for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a digital court reporter to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a digital court reporter that fits the bill.

   This list presents digital court reporter salaries for various positions.

   Type of Digital Court Reporter	Description	Hourly rate
   Digital Court Reporter	Court reporters create word-for-word transcriptions at trials, depositions, and other legal proceedings. Some court reporters provide captioning for television and real-time translation for deaf or hard-of-hearing people at public events, in business meetings, or in classrooms.	$12-36
   Reporter	In journalism, a reporter is responsible for relaying truthful and reliable information to the public audience through various mediums such as print and media. A reporter must ensure to gather necessary and factual data that are supported by interviews and comments of those involved, remain unbiased in all aspects, produce a concise and comprehensive informational material within an allotted time, and efficiently coordinate with every staff... Show more	$13-35
   Court Reporter	A court reporter is primarily in charge of documenting and transcribing court proceedings verbatim, including the speakers' gestures and actions. Their responsibilities include utilizing recording devices such as video equipment and stenography machine, attending hearings and other legal proceedings, coordinating with court staff, and providing different parties with transcriptions, ensuring accuracy and timeliness... Show more	$24-54

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • News Stories
   • CMS
   • Facebook
   • Twitter
   • FTP
   • Legal Terminology
   • Digital Content
   • Transcription
   • Proofread
   • Court Sessions
   • American Association
   • Digital Audio
   • Audio Recordings
   • Court System

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Proofread verbatim transcripts in English.
   • Gather and provide accurate information for transcription purposes.
   • Produce accurate notes including speaker identification and hearing information to facilitate transcription.
   • Record depositions covering employment, medical, pharmaceutical, environmental, and business litigation matters.
   • Attend seminars to ensure proper CE credits are obtain for state and national certifications.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your digital court reporter job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A digital court reporter can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, digital court reporters' average salary in wyoming is 51% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level digital court reporters 65% less than senior-level digital court reporters.
   • Certifications. A digital court reporter with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a digital court reporter's salary.

   Average digital court reporter salary

   $44,643yearly

   $21.46 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level digital court reporter salary

   $26,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

4. Writing a digital court reporter job description

   A digital court reporter job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a digital court reporter job description:

   Digital court reporter job description example

   The Digital Reporter should be a skilled writer and natural newshound who can craft engaging stories and click-worthy headlines that resonate with WTNH.com readers. The reporter will use data and analytics tools to interpret audience interest trends, pitching original and enterprising stories designed to grow readership and engagement. The reporter will have/develop a portfolio of trusted local sources to substantiate reporting with balanced commentary and insights.
   
   The reporter will be adept in social media internet sleuthing or social media-scouring through online sources to turn unique digital stories.
   
   The reporter will be able to reach out to contacts, source the web and find information on social media to build stories that will be high performing across multiple websites. While the reporter will largely work from a single space, the ability to take photos and create video is a plus. A strong knowledge of social media platforms is expected.
   + Report news quickly and accurately
   
   + Be able to craft original content that stands out from competition
   
   + Collaborate with local and regional staff to find angles that resonate in the community
   
   + Find ways to share reporting responsibilities across markets and topics as needed
   
   + Understand types of stories that drive traffic on the web
   
   + Work with management to deliver a content mix that reflects the needs of our audience
   
   + Develop expertise and sources in key audience interest areas
   
   + Shoot photos and video as needed to tell stories in multiple ways
   
   + Utilize social media for reporting and story promotion
   
   Skill/ Experience Requirements
   
   + 2 years of experience creating content for the web
   
   + Knowledge of AP style
   
   + Enjoys working in teams and is a strong communicator
   
   + Ability to quickly learn new things and adapt to change
   
   + Thrives under pressure and able to meet deadlines
   
   + Self-motivated and competitive
   
   + Comfortable setting up and executing interviews with local sources
   
   + Ability to be fast and first at breaking news on the web
   
   + Able to deliver multiple stories for the web each day on a wide range of topics
   
   + Familiar with contact information for various agencies to obtain information as quickly as possible.
   
   + Understand social media's importance in reporting stories and delivering traffic
   
   + Some schedule flexibility (nights, weekends)
   
   + Regularly meets measurements of success
   
   + Proficiency in MS Office a must; HTML, CSS and Photoshop experience a plus
   
   Education Requirements
   
   + Bachelor's Degree
   
   Typical day This reporter will spend time at the start of the shift reviewing story ideas and looking over their own sources for ideas. After coordinating with digital leadership for a list of expected daily stories, the reporter will begin writing and communicating updates. Social media updates, videos and monitoring of breaking news should be incorporated seamlessly into the shift.
   
   Measurements of success
   
   + Deliver stories quickly, accurately, and often
   
   + Provide a central role in story idea discovery and generation for the local and regional team
   
   + Consistently seek to grow audience to your bylined stories
   
   + KPI: 4-5 stories published daily, +10% PV to byline
   
   + Grow your social media base and regularly promote links to stories

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right digital court reporter for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with digital court reporters they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit digital court reporters who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your digital court reporter job on Zippia to find and recruit digital court reporter candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting digital court reporters requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new digital court reporter

   Once you've selected the best digital court reporter candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new digital court reporter. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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