Court (actuary careers) Reporting Schools Offer a World of Career Opportunities

September 27th, 2008 admin Posted in careers |

By Chelsea Aubin

How many of us have tried to choose a degree but just keeping changing our minds on what we want to do? Personally, I’ve done it many times. In fact for many people who are in the process of choosing what they want to do for the rest of their lives, court reporting doesn’t usually hit their radar. There are however a lot of things that many people do not know about the job. When you think of being a court reporter, what do you think of? Well I’m sure many of us see it as the person sitting in a court room typing away as lawyer’s do their thing. However going to court reporting schools and being a court reporter may not be what you think it is.

Obviously as mentioned above many court reporters are able to make really good money. As I mentioned before there is a high demand for this job, and many people end up working overtime and you know what overtime may bring? Extra cash. Here’s another point you may not know about. Many people who go to court reporting schools to earn a degree, also work from home. It’s true. They can work from home as a freelancer if they wish too and work for themselves. Technology these day’s is just amazing, isn’t it? Or if working from home doesn’t appeal to you, you can also look for work from a court reporting agency or even an independent contractor.

So remember how I mentioned before about how people who have finished court reporting schools have gone on to do other things rather then going on to be an actual court reporter. Many people who have finished school have easily gone on to become hired by a broad casting company to provide closed-captioning for the hearing impaired. The point here is that you do have options and they are totally up to you.

So was that something that you weren’t really expecting? Not many people realize what you are able to do when you go to court reporting schools. One thing you may want to keep in mind is the fact that it may take roughly two to four years of school for you to learn your basic skills. Plus if you are a fast typer then you are well on your way. If now is the time that you are looking at a degree, take a look into court reporting, you may just be happy you did.

Have you thought about being a court reporter? Research the best court reporting schools, and get the best education for you. Get more details at http://www.courtreportingschoolsonline.net

Tough Interview Questions and Answers
By Lucy Evans

Give an example of working with a team member who did not do their fair share of the work load, and explain how you addressed the situation?

This question has many potential pitfalls that need to be considered. Remember that the question is about a co-worker, and not a member of your staff, so factors you are unaware of may apply. Even if you give an answer that worked in a particular scenario, a clever interviewer can manipulate the situation to really test you. A common approach candidates take is to try to appear to be tough and dynamic giving answers like “I approached my colleague and told them that I was unwilling to do most of their work on top of mine, and their efforts improved”. A clever interviewer would counter this buy telling you how badly this approach could have gone. Your colleague could have health problems known to management but not you, and require help and support and not an aggressive approach. In answering this question, first show that you have tactfully tried to find out what the issue is. Next show an outcome where you provided support to your colleague and found a suitable resolution. It is important to show that you are proactive and diplomatic and that you did not need to involve management at any point in time.

How have you coped with working with people you didnt like?

It is possible to doge this question completely by claiming you cant remember working with anyone you had a particular dislike for. Most interviewers will not push you too hard on this point if you claim you have always got on well with colleagues, but it is unlikely that they will reward your cowardly evasion. The important thing with this question is to demonstrate how you saw through your dislike, and were able to operate in a professional manner. Try an example including someone that had a personality trait that is both positive and negative, such as a colleague that is annoyingly over critical. You could take the approach that after working with someone who is overly critical you began to realize that they did not intend to offend people by their criticisms, and that you found that their personality could be usefully used for checking important documents where everything had to be just right etc. Demonstrate how you earned respect for the person and came to accept them.

Why do you think you are suitable for this job?

This question is a golden opportunity to show you have taken the time to do research and that you have clarity of thought. Do not make assumptions about the job role and company, relate everything back to evidence. Firstly cross reference your experience with the job advert and job specifications and show how your experience fits what they have told you they want. Also try to mention as much relevant information you can about the company to show you have been interested enough to do some research.

Lucy is a freelance journalist writing for the Graduates Career graduate scheme.

Why Not Consider a Career in IT?
By john mce

Any IT qualifications or experience in IT will help you with a career in IT, but many companies use their own IT tests from typing and calculating to logical problem solving to asses candidates. Increasingly academic qualifications are becoming less important than industry recognised ones or relevant experience, as the rate of change within the industry picks up more and more speed.

IT job titles can be complicated and confusing, but there are basically three types of role; programmer, operator and support staff.

Programmer

Also known as software engineer or developer. To put it simply, a programmer writes in code to get a computer or piece of software to complete a certain tasks. You are likely to be working as part of a team, all working on small individual elements of the overall operation. Only if you were experienced would you be in charge of overseeing a whole program.

Because the computers and software are constantly changing, you’ll be constantly learning new programming languages on training courses, and you will be expected to adapt to these changes.

Big IT companies tend to only recruit IT graduates, although smaller companies may accept an NVQ or relevant experience. Doing a work placement during your academic study will greatly increase your chances of being able to find a job in programming.

Qualification or no qualification, your prospective employees will probably issue an aptitude test, most likely to include basic problem solving using logic.

Web design less technical design & marketing.

Operator

Operators are responsible for setting up and maintaining computer systems. This may be a particular area, such as a network which connects users in an office or a database which users access.

Being an operator is a much more ‘hands on’ IT career. If things need setting up or altering, you will be under the desk moving cables and testing the IT systems.

You don’t need a degree, but any qualifications will help. An aptitude test will probably be carried out by employers, although many will supply training. Look for ‘trainee operator’ positions if you are less experienced.

Support Staff

This is the IT role which does not require a great deal of qualifications or experience. This involves helping other people with their computer problems.

Companies are usually happy for candidates to start at the bottom and learn on the job.

You could be working from a helpdesk, waiting for calls to come in from users needing support or just keeping checking that programmes are functioning correctly.

More important experience for a support role would include customer service and communication, although obviously any additional knowledge of computers would be beneficial.

John McE writes for Arc Consulting, specialist recruitment consultants for the Financial Services Industry, Insurance, IT Recruitment and Healthcare sectors.

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