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Applying for an Insurance Transcription Job

Today's job market is very saturated.  Many people don't have jobs.  Even citizens from first world countries have a hard time getting employed.  In this world of high unemployment rates and low-paying jobs, there is still a ray of light.  If you want to find a new job or just want to add to your income, you might want to try insurance transcription.  So what is insurance transcription?  This is basically the act of transcribing insurance-related audio recordings.  In short, all you have to do is to listen to a piece of audio and convert it into text by typing.  Transcription is actually very simple to learn.  You just have to develop sharper ears and practice typing all the time.  This is so that you could get used to typing for long periods of time, and also build up your typing speed.  But what is required specifically for this type of job?

Insurance transcription actually requires very little from you.  All that is needed from you are good ears and a minimum typing speed of 45 words per minute.  Of course, have a little on top won't hurt either.  If you want to cinch an insurance transcription job, you might want to brush up on your financial terms a little more.  Business graduates and those who have financial experience have a better chance at getting an insurance transcription job.  Of course, not everyone has had the privilege to go to college.  If you don't have a degree, you can still get in.  But you would have to brush up on financial terms.  Financial terms will often come up in insurance recordings.  Now if you know nothing about them, then you will have a hard time transcribing the audio.  So how do you brush up on terms?

If you want to get used to insurance and other financial terms, there are a few things you could do.  First, you can read more financial documents.  For this, all you have to do is go to the local library.  You can try to read on financial books there.  If you want something more current, pick up the library's latest copy of business magazines like BusinessWeek.  If you're not the reading type, there is something else you could do.  Just tune in to financial channels like MSBNBC or Bloomberg.  This is actually better than reading because you get to hear how the terms are actually said, as opposed to just reading them off a piece of paper.  The best way to go about is to both read and listen.  This way, you'd know how a term is pronounced and how to write it down.

In insurance transcription, the most important thing you have to remember is this: Confidentiality.  Since you are dealing with insurance related things, most likely, these are confidential.  If you value your job, you would always stick to the rules.  And when it comes to insurance, the cardinal rule is confidentiality.  With these in mind, you'll surely succeed in insurance transcription.

About the Author

How to get home based transcription work without knowing medical terminology and without specialized training. Get my free report, How to Avoid Transcription Scams. Visit http://www.generaltranscriptionworkfromhome.com

Is the American economy finished?

Oil was at a fraction of it's current cost - before Bush launced a trillion dollar war based on the assumption Sadam had weapons of mass destruction

This is very discouraging.... all these answers and no one even mentioned the Federal Reserve!

You cannot answer this question accurately without understanding the Federal Reserve. Most of you people really have no clue at all what is going on. Turn off the TV!

The Fed is a privately owned central bank that controls the issuance of our currency. They decide how much money is created. They answer to no one in the government. They stopped publishing M3 in 2006, do any of you know how significant that is? Do you know what that means?

M3 is a measure of the total amount of currency in circulation. It had increased from about 10 trillion to about 14 trillion in the 5 years before the Fed stopped publishing the figure altogether. That's a 40% increase over a period of 5 years. Do you have any idea what that does to a currency?

IT DEVALUES IT!

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NB's unemployment rate tops 10% barrier

Freelance Copywriting Rates: Getting Paid What You Deserve

Freelance copywriting jobs can mean fast business and a nice chunk of change, even for the beginner freelance copywriters. Of course, this is if the newbie understands ways to strategically charge for their freelance copywriting services. Setting a rate is often sticky and tricky, especially for beginners, because you don't want to be forced to turn folks away and certainly want to get what you're worth.

Why You Must Charge at Least $50 an Hour

Before we even begin, this is 2011. Do not work for less than $50 an hour. If you plan to, keep your day job and stop freelancing, because it's pointless, unless you are doing this just because you like the challenge and you don't need the money.

Seriously, if you don't think your copywriting talent is worth $50 an hour, wait until it is, then start your business. More than likely, if some little bird told you that copywriting is what you should be doing, then you are already worth $50. What "little bird" do I mean: You have proof that you get this copywriting thing and have proof on some level that you've got what it takes because a client told you, or you have repeat business from a client, or because you asked and were told your work product brought in business. The bottom line is, anything less than $50.00 is insulting.

You also have to consider that there will be factors relating to running your business and getting your projects completed that will take time and incur expenses, like marketing your business, administrative work and minor outlays that will eat into your $50 an hour. That $50 when it's all said and done, may end up really amounting to $25 to $35 an hour.

DON'T start out by undercutting yourself. Word gets around, and it will be harder for you to raise your fees later. Equally important: It's not about your price; it's about your value!

Please note: This is not the same as working pro bono to get experience when you have absolutely nothing to use to demonstrate your copywriting skills.

Flat Fees

For straightforward, run-of-mill projects, you can set a flat fee. A flat fee does not change. Charge a flat fee for example, when a client asks you to revise a flyer or create a sales letter and provides you with pretty much everything you will need to complete the job; or when you are asked to critique a web page or write a blog post, etc., for which you don't have to do much research, and they are clear as to exactly what they want.

However, when you are uncertain as to the time it will take you to finish your client's project due to uncertainty about the client's objectives or you expect a series of delays and rewrites on their part, charge an hourly rate. Also, tell your client there is a minimum for which they will have to pay. In other words, you tell them, for instance, the minimum is four hours even if it only takes you an hour. This is not uncommon in business. Just make sure you are clear, up front and honest. And put it in writing!

When you set your copywriting rates, consider and apply the following important steps:

1. Justifying Your Copywriting Rates

People see the end result in their mind and don't take into account all of the labor that goes into reaching that powerful result. Show your client the value they are getting for the money they are spending by detailing the individual tasks you have to perform in order to complete the assignment from the beginning of the project to the very end. Note the interviews, file organization, telephone calls, creating rough drafts, conferences, researching their competitors, reviewing background data and other material, editing, proofreading, redrafting, travel time, etc. Incidentally, this specific information should appear on their invoice, as well.

2. The Type of Copywriting Services or Type of Project Can Influence Price

The type of copywriting project you work on can shape your copywriting rates. A blog post, white papers, Facebook wall entries, brochures, newsletter articles, press releases, Youtube and PowerPoint scripts, radio ads, case studies, print advertising copywriting will require different types of preparation, the research methods and writing styles. Other necessary components that add value to your copywriting services, e.g., using HTML or designing a piece for search engine optimization mean you can charge more.

3. Subject Matter Can Affect Copywriting Rates The topic will also shape your copywriting rates. A blog post written on a general topic, for example, may be charged at a lower rate than a blog post focused on a specialized idea. If your background is in a specialized field such as law, medicine, fitness, non-profit, bio tech, finance, botany and you have esoteric knowledge that a general copywriters don't have, that adds value to your service and thus your price should be higher. Additionally, the more technical, involved and complex the writing is, the higher your rate can and should be.

Use the Following Price Ranges as a Gauge for Flat Fee Billing

Articles used as web content: $50 to $500 for a 500-word article

Press releases $100 to $600

Sales letters $200 to $2,000 per letter

Flyers $50 to 300 Case Studies $500 to $1,000

Print Advertisement $500 to $2000

Web pages $100 to $500 per page

Brochures $50 to $300 per panel

Use the Following as a Gauge for Billing Hourly

Beginner $50 - $75.00/hour ($100 for specialized background)

Mid-level $100-$200/hour ($250 for specialized background)

Veteran Freelance Copywriters $250-$450/hour (unlimited for specialized background)

If projects are ongoing, you can charge a lower copywriting rate than you would for an assignment where you are hired on one-time basis. As you can see, there are many factors that account for the rate charged by freelance copywriters, so think hard and take everything into consideration before blurting out a price that you'll be stuck and unhappy with.

About the Author

Visit Stacey Mathis Copywriting to get more freelance copywriting tips, audios, reports and articles to help you successfully run your business at http://www.staceythewriter.com/resources.html

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