LinkedIn Tips for Court Reporters

As a Phoenix court reporter you may wonder if social media websites like LinkedIn are right for you. We think that without a doubt you should have a professional presence and strategy to not only showcase yourself as the expert in court reporting but to also attract new reporters to the field.

What is LinkedIn?

LinkedIn is more than just a social media website. In fact, we?d argue that it?s not really social but more of a referral networking site where professionals can meet and learn about each other.

It?s simple to get started. Just complete your profile to 100% using the guided prompts provided.

You will want to have a resume available for reference as well as a list of people with whom you want to connect. The more targeted you can be in connecting with people, the less likely you will see spam posts. Unfortunately, with 400 million worldwide on the site, you may receive requests from spam accounts. Simply deny the request and mark, as prompted, that you don?t know that person. If they are a problem, you can block and report them.

Why LinkedIn?

LinkedIn is the premier website for professionals to connect. With more than 400 million strong, according to their website, you have the opportunity to reach people around the globe from the comfort of your home office. If you?re nervous about getting online, we want you to understand what LinkedIn really is and isn?t.

What began as an online warehouse of resumes and recommendations for job seekers has become a place for connecting professionals to each other for any number of reasons.

• Become a resource. A connection of mine is a writer for a major news publication and will often ask for referrals to people she can interview for articles.
• Business owners connect to prospective clients and resources like accountants, tax professionals, marketing companies, and more.
• Connect with other court reporters in Groups to share your experience.
• Publish unique articles about your experience.

In addition to your profile and recommendations, which are critical to getting started on LinkedIn, we encourage you to find groups related to reporting, freelancing, and legal teams.

For you as a court reporter, we?d love for you to share updates and links to relevant articles about the industry like this blog post and others that talk about the benefits of being a reporter and the shortage we?re experiencing in our industry. The more we get the word out, the better for all of us.

Court Reporter Shortage

According to Ducker Worldwide, by 2018 there will be a shortage of at least 5,000 court reporters nationwide including an Arizona shortage of an estimated 120 reporters. [Source] This makes it extremely important that you maintain a presence on social media and share blog posts like this one to your network to attract new reporters to the two remaining court reporting programs in the state of Arizona.

You never know when you might connect with a prospective client or someone interested in becoming a court reporter!