Stenographer Resume: 12+ Examples You Can Steal

Stenographer Resume (Text Version)

Contact Info:

Jordan O’Connor
[email protected]
1 (763) 555-5500
Saint Paul, MN 55131

Summary Statement:

Stenographer: Accurate and efficient certified stenographer with over 9 years of experience in. Meticulous attention to detail and passion for precisely capturing court proceedings. Skilled with a stenography machine, proofreading, and transcribing scripts for precise record-keeping.

Key Accomplishments/Areas of Expertise

• Microsoft Office
• SLMS
• Database Entry
• Broadcast Captioning
• Courtroom Proceedings
• CART Captioning
• Stenography Machine
• Shorthand
• Pitman Method
• 300 WPM
• Transcription
• Punctual
• Organized
• Efficient
• Attention to Detail

Professional Experience:

Minnesota Judicial Branch | Saint Paul, MN
Stenographic Court Reporter | Feb 2016 – Present

• Capture the verbatim record of court proceedings
• Clearly read back testimony upon request
• Mark and record exhibits as presented at hearings
• Type memorandums of law, legal papers, & correspondence

Quantum Dynamics | Brooklyn, NY
Legal Secretary | June 2013 – Feb 2016

• Prepared transcripts and court orders based on previous shorthand
• Maintained and organized accurate and complete files and records
• Thoroughly aware of rules and all statute and policy changes
• Served as confidential assistant and secretary to appointing authority

Labor Management Committees | Minneapolis, MN
Stenographer | Jan 2011 – May 2013

• Established a file for each case & logged disciplinary grievance appeals
• Consulted existing schedules of arbitrators & set up dates of hearing
• Kept accurate files for pending cases, correspondence, & financial records
• Created statistical reports on hearings & decisions

Education/Certifications

Associate Degree | Court Recording
Anoka Technical College
Class of 2010

As a stenographer, you likely understand how significant formatting is when it comes to creating an acceptable document.

While you can put all the information on the page, if it isn’t formatted correctly, it can become confusing for your readers.

When writing your stenographer resume, it is essential to first consider formatting so that you can grab and hold the attention of whoever is reviewing it.

The best way to format a resume is to have the goal of creating a short piece that is straightforward and easy to comprehend at a glance.

Start with a clear and legible font and even spacing between lines and sections to create a document that guides the eyes down the page.

Utilize bullet points to separate topics and allow your most impressive details to stand out.

When writing a resume, you’ll want to get the most valuable information on the page first – this is no time to save the best for last.

Hiring managers generally only spend an average of 6 seconds reviewing each resume they receive.

Implementing reverse chronological order is standard practice because it allows your most recent, and likely relevant, information to come first.

While it is often tempting to incorporate graphics or visuals of some sort on your stenographer resume, always remember to disregard anything that doesn’t serve a purpose and is just for show.

Keep your resume to the point – this will gain you the most attention because when a company is reviewing a large number of resumes, they want to see something that tells them precisely what they need to know and nothing more.

It would make sense to start your stenographer resume off with a brief introduction of yourself as a stenographer.

This section of your resume should be kept to no more than two to three sentences and only contain a few key details.

While it is important to be brief when writing a summary, it is also essential to include some specific and relevant information to separate yourself from others right away.

Let’s review some summary examples:

The first example lends many specific details about the candidate in a short period while still proving to their reader that they are certified, experienced, and specialized in courtroom settings.

The second example is brief but leaves out vital information to show off the candidate’s specific qualifications.

PRO TIP: If you are having a difficult time deciding what details are important to include in this section, try skipping it and coming back. Often, writing your work experience and your skills sections first helps you sort through what details will be most compelling to list in your resume summary.

With a quick introduction out of the way, it is now time to list some of the basics.

Hiring managers generally have a set of requirements they are looking for a candidate to meet to qualify for the position they are trying to fill.

Many job requirements can be summed up in a list of key skills and qualifications that don’t require extra “fluff” to be described.

Including a section to list off both your hard and soft skills related to the position you seek is essential to create a compelling resume.

If you aren’t familiar with the terms “hard skills” and “soft skills,” rest assured that you are still likely familiar with their meaning.

Hard skills, otherwise known as technical skills, are the kind of skills that typically need to be taught or practiced to master.

Due to their nature, hard skills are generally more job-specific, which is what most of your applicable skills will be as a stenographer.

Soft skills are more commonly referred to as people skills because they tend to deal with personality traits and are more innate than learned, depending on the person.

While hard skills are more practical in this field, keep in mind that there are still critical soft skills any stenographer should have to be an efficient and mindful worker.

A well-rounded candidate should include skills of both kinds on their resume.

Key Accomplishments/Areas of Expertise

• Microsoft Office
• SLMS
• Database Entry
• Broadcast Captioning
• Courtroom Proceedings
• CART Captioning
• Stenography Machine
• Shorthand
• Pitman Method
• 300 WPM
• Transcription
• Punctual
• Organized
• Efficient
• Attention to Detail

PRO TIP: Always reference the job posting of the job you want for examples of what the person reviewing your stenographer resume will be looking for in a candidate. If they specify that they want someone with experience in courtrooms or they have a minimum WPM, always include those skills in this section of your resume.

When discussing your work experience, it is essential to keep in mind that everything should be framed around the job you have yet to obtain.

As you decide what previous positions to include in your stenographer resume, make sure that they are as closely related to the field of stenography as possible.

Typically, following reverse chronological order allows for your most recent and relevant work to come first in this section.

Once you have decided what jobs to include, based on their relevance to stenography, you should write three to five bullet points describing each position.

Each bullet point should discuss a job duty or accomplishment that applies to the job you want.

Bullet points are ideal for splitting up information in this section because it tends to be denser than other parts of your resume.

The first example includes details regarding how the candidate’s job duties were carried out and lends examples of the various tasks they accomplished.

The second example describes the job duties the candidate performed with little to no detail concerning work ethic or method.

PRO TIP: Begin each bullet point with a unique and compelling power word to describe the duty or accomplishment you are discussing. Using a strong and specific action verb at the beginning of a sentence shows that you are a capable and versatile candidate.

(If you lack work experience, see below for a helpful section.)

What are bots?

Always consider who will be reviewing your resume as you are writing it.

Today, candidates must consider that their resume will likely be reviewed by an applicant tracking system (ATS), or bot, before the review of an actual person.

Many companies are moving towards this system of review to alleviate the time it takes to sort through resumes and weed out any candidates that don’t make the cut.

While this system might sound a bit intimidating, most bots use a method of review that comes down to diction.

When a bot reviews a resume, it searches for various keywords that are associated with “good candidate potential” and flags any resumes that appear to fit the mold.

When a resume doesn’t contain the written language necessary to impress a bot, it is generally tossed out and forgotten.

The keywords needed are typically specific to the field of work, levels of experience, and qualifications necessary to handle the position.

Due to this form of review, some people suggest writing your job descriptions in paragraphs instead of bullet points in order to pack in more keywords when writing.

However, if you are intentional about your selection of keywords and their use in your stenographer resume, sticking with bullet points is always more visually appealing to human reviewers.

Here at Big Interview, we believe that bullet points are superior in catching the eye of hiring managers as well as fully capable of impressing a bot.

Standard Bullet Point Format:

Quantum Dynamics | Brooklyn, NY | Legal Secretary | June 2013 – Feb 2016

• Prepared transcripts and court orders based on previous shorthand
• Maintained and organized accurate and complete files and records
• Thoroughly aware of rules and all statute and policy changes
• Served as confidential assistant and secretary to appointing authority

Paragraph Format:

Quantum Dynamics | Brooklyn, NY | Legal Secretary | June 2013 – Feb 2016

Prepared transcripts and court orders based on previous shorthand recordings. Maintained and organized accurate and complete files and records. Thoroughly aware of rules and all statutes and policy changes. Served as confidential assistant and secretary to appointing authority.

You can always include some extra bullet points for key details if you decide to use paragraph format for your job descriptions.

Quantum Dynamics | Brooklyn, NY | Legal Secretary | June 2013 – Feb 2016

Prepared transcripts and court orders based on previous shorthand recordings. Maintained and organized accurate and complete files and records. Thoroughly aware of rules and all statutes and policy changes. Served as confidential assistant and secretary to appointing authority.

• Stenography machine
• Participated in up to 5 proceedings daily

When writing your education section, it is necessary to include your highest degree of education, along with any additional degrees that are relevant to the field of stenography.

For each degree, list the full title of the degree, the year you graduated, and the school you attended.

If you have additional certifications to include, you may do so in this section, or create a separate section just below or above your education to list your credentials.

Example:

Education/Certifications

Associate Degree | Court Recording

Anoka Technical College
Class of 2010

Certified Court Reporter
2013

Registered Professional Reporter
2011

Possible Sections to Include

If you have any additional qualifications or accomplishments to incorporate, you can insert them by adding in additional sections to accommodate your background.

Some additional sections to consider including are:

• Awards and honors
• Publications
• Noteworthy Projects
• Social Media Influence
• Speaking Engagements
• Hobbies/Interests
• Volunteer Work

What if You Don’t Have Experience?

If you are just getting started in the field of stenography and you have yet to land your first job, there are a few adjustments that you can make to your stenographer resume.

The first step should always be moving your education section just below your summary.

If you have absolutely no previous work experience, your education becomes your most impressive piece of expertise.

Try to improve this section by adding in details regarding any extracurriculars, specified coursework, or accomplishments like a high GPAs or any honors and awards.

Adding in details that extend your education section shows hiring managers that, despite a lack of field experience, you are still an intelligent and hard-working candidate.

If you have any volunteer work or internships, always include those details – even unpaid work counts as experience.

Keep a positive attitude and a confident approach by focusing on the experience and skills you do have, and the right opportunity will fall into place.

Powerful words

Including unique power words (action verbs) at the beginning of bullet points will allow each detail to stand out while creating an assertive and capable appeal to your experience and skills.

Be specific

When describing yourself and your work experience, don’t shy away from including specific details to set you apart from the crowd. Quantifying and qualifying details paint a fuller picture of who you are as a candidate, and that is what hiring managers want to see.

Review your work

Make sure that you take the time to review and revise your resume thoroughly. Often candidates rush this step of the writing process, and it can cost them an interview. Make sure to read aloud to yourself what you have written or have a trusted friend read it with you.

Repetition

Your resume should be kept short and to the point. Don’t repeat the same accomplishments or job tasks more than once and don’t reuse the same power words when starting new bullet points. Keep things fresh and simple.

A long resume

A resume should never go over one page in length. If you are writing a resume that is two pages or longer, take the time to cut things out or reword things to be more concise and efficient.

Crazy fonts and formats

While your resume should catch the attention of others, it should do so with your words and qualifications. Stick with a legible font and a straightforward format that is easy to follow.

(See below for a helpful table of some suggested power words.)

Stenographer Resume Power Words

• Administered
• Founded
• Adept
• Formulated
• Built
• Implemented
• Created
• Improved
• Consolidated
• Initiated
• Coordinated
• Launched
• Developed
• Pioneered
• Designed
• Organized

Stenographer Resume Skills List