Four Traits of a Great Deposition Reporter

Some organizations prefer to hire a deposition reporter through a court reporting agency, while other organizations prefer to hire a reporter through the traditional interview process. In this article, we list four traits that a deposition reporter should possess when companies evaluate them through the traditional interview process.

A No Nonsense Attitude

In some occupations, the key to success is having an outgoing personality. But court reporting is not one of them. In general, a court reporter's job is to remain as unnoticeable as possible while recording every verbal and non-verbal aspect of a deponent's testimony. This not to say that a court reporters shouldn't possess a warm demeanor or a willingness to engage in conversation, but that, when it comes to discussing court reporting, a reporter should exhibit an objective attitude about the entire reporting process. If you encounter a reporter who is willing make jokes about deponents, legal officials or the law, you should probably move on to the next candidate.

A Meaningful Number of Professional References

Everyone lists their best references on their resume. But it's often the references that aren't listed that, when balanced against the references that are, reveal the true value of a candidate. Therefore, the best court reporting agencies often ask for several of a candidate's non-listed references, and you should too. Savvy hiring managers know that anyone can look good on a resume, and that a candidate's true value is determined by how they performed in all of their past positions and not just a few. To hire the best deposition reporter, you'll have to become a bit of an investigator, but the payoff will be worth it.

Emphasis in the Right Reporting Areas

A court reporter's greatest strengths generally lie in specific reporting areas and forms of reporting technology, which means that you should focus on hiring a reporter that has experience with your type of cases. For example, if you're a medical law firm, hiring a reporter that has little to no experience in with health law will probably result in hiring a reporter that has a poor grasp of medical terminology. Similarly, if you want a reporter that can practice a certain technology, such as real time reporting, be sure to hire a reporter who has experience in real time reporting and not just certification.

Basic Skills

Ask anyone what you should look for in deposition reporter and their first answer would probably be typing speed and accuracy, which is absolutely right. Unless a reporter can keep up with the speed of a deposition, their other skills are worthless. However, because most companies assume that reporters can type with speed and accuracy, many companies don't test a reporter's speed and accuracy before hiring them. While you might feel that you're insulting a reporter's expertise by asking them to take a typing test, remember that your investing in more than a court reporter; you're investing in depositions that could seriously impact an organization or an individual's future.

In my research on court reporting, I've discovered certain traits that define a great deposition reporter.

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