How to hire a transcriptionist

How to hire a transcriptionist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step transcriptionist hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a transcriptionist, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect transcriptionist also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list presents transcriptionist salaries for various positions.

   Type of Transcriptionist	Description	Hourly rate
   Transcriptionist	Medical transcriptionists, sometimes referred to as healthcare documentation specialists, listen to voice recordings that physicians and other healthcare professionals make and convert them into written reports. They may also review and edit medical documents created using speech recognition technology... Show more	$15-27
   Transcriber	A transcriber is primarily responsible for listening to audio and video recordings to produce written versions, ensuring accuracy in every word. Most transcribers work as freelancers, while others work full-time at different industries... Show more	$12-36
   Medical Transcription	A medical transcription worker produces written transcriptions of a physicians' voice recordings, ensuring accuracy in every word. Besides having attention to detail, they must also be knowledgeable about medical terminologies, codings, and abbreviations... Show more	$13-21

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Transcription
   • Patients
   • Dictation
   • Transcription Services
   • Patient Care
   • WPM
   • Windows
   • Foot Pedal
   • Acute Care
   • Word Processing
   • Transcribing
   • Discharge Summaries
   • Medical Reports
   • Pathology Reports

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage two ambulance sets, two ambulances, and specialize high-angle rescue equipment value at $500K+.
   • Transcribe cardiology, urology, and oncology reports.
   • Transcribe medical office dictation from outpatient facilities (internal medicine, pediatrics, dermatology, radiology).
   • Transcribe a variety of medical reports for different physician practices including specialties of psychiatry, neurology, neurosurgery and orthopedics.
   • Transcribe dictation for MRI scans of the body.
   • Job description: medical transcription of ultrasound, biopsy, and mammography reports.

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, transcriptionists' average salary in alabama is 45% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level transcriptionists 42% less than senior-level transcriptionists.
   • Certifications. A transcriptionist 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 transcriptionist's salary.

   Average transcriptionist salary

   $44,118yearly

   $21.21 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level transcriptionist salary

   $33,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

4. Writing a transcriptionist job description

   A transcriptionist 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 transcriptionist job description:

   Transcriptionist job description example

   ProHEALTH is one of the largest private multi-specialty medical practices in the Northeast and has been serving the health needs of Long Island and the Greater New York Metropolitan area since 1997. With over 900 providers in 300 locations, our goal is to provide quality health care to ensure that our patients get the right care at the right time.
   
   We're a dynamic and growing health care organization, offering a wide range of employment opportunities. We are seeking professional and dedicated individuals to be part of our team, where integrity, compassion, relationships, innovation and performance are among our core principles.
   
   We offer our employees competitive compensation and benefits, flexibility and opportunity for growth and advancement.
   
   Job Summary
   
   Under the general and direct supervision of the Office Manager; transcribes dictated reports and translates medical jargon and abbreviations into their expanded forms.
   
   Primary Responsibilities
   

   • Distinguishes between homonyms, and recognizes inconsistencies and mistakes in medical terms, referring to dictionaries, drug references, and other sources on anatomy, physiology, and medicine
   • Identifies mistakes in reports, and checks with doctors to obtain the correct information
   • Performs data entry and data retrieval services, providing data for inclusion in medical records and for transmission to physicians
   • Produces medical reports, correspondence, records, patient-care information, statistics, medical research, and administrative material
   • Returns dictated reports in printed or electronic form for physicians' review, signature, and corrections, and for inclusion in patients' medical records
   • Reviews and edits transcribed reports or dictated material for spelling, grammar, clarity, consistency, and proper medical terminology
   • Transcribes dictation for a variety of medical reports
   • Translates medical jargon and abbreviations into their expanded forms to ensure the accuracy of patient and health care records
   • Answers inquiries concerning the progress of medical cases, within the limits of confidentiality laws
   • Performs other job related duties as assigned

   
   
   Requirements
   

   • High School diploma or equivalent required
   • Some college preferred
   • 3 years applicable experience
   • Computer literate

   
   ProHEALTH strives to maintain a workplace that accepts and appreciates the differences among our employees. The company will not discriminate against any applicant or employee based on age, race, gender, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, covered veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, status with respect to public assistance or any other characteristic protected by state, federal, or local law.
   
   REQ 8473

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right transcriptionist 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 transcriptionists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit transcriptionists 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.

   To find transcriptionist candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting transcriptionists 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.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   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 transcriptionist

   Once you've selected the best transcriptionist 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 important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new transcriptionist. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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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