How to become a stenographer

In order to become a Stenographer, two basic ingredients are Qualification and Shorthand & Typing skill which vary from department to department and organization to organization as per set up. It is the profession which is suitable for both male and female who can adopt it for a very good career with proper attention and hard work. As the demand of Stenographer in government departments is greater as compare with private sector, therefore, we hereunder discuss the government sector mainly.

In government sector prescribed qualification for initial recruitment of Stenographer is Intermediate with shorthand speed of 70 words per minute along with 35 wpm typing speed. In courts the speed limit is higher as 100 wpm shorthand speed and 50 wpm typing speed alongwith qualification of graduation.

There are government institutions which undertake the course of shorthand and typing as part of syllabus such as Government Commerce Colleges offering D.Com which is equivalent to Intermediate. A person at any age can learn shorthand in private institutes operating in major cities in Pakistan offering shorthand classes at very nominal charges.

With the introduction of computer it has become compulsory for a person who is interested to become stenographer, to learn basic computer operations and software such as MS Office. It requires regular practice of shorthand and typing for a person to become a stenographer. Usually, one year practice is considered to be enough to qualify the test for stenographer.

Some of the basic points to become a Stenographer are:-

1. Get yourself admission in Shorthand/ typing institute such as Commerce College offering D.Com or in a private Shorthand/ typing institute.
2. Interest in English language; particularly vocabulary with spellings, and correct pronunciation alongwith correct usage of grammar i.e. tenses, active voice passive, direct indirect etc.
3. Practice of Shorthand and Typing on regular basis.
4. Good quality shorthand pencil and note book.
5. General computer applications such as MS Office
6. Take dictation from persons instead of same one while practicing. This will help you understand unknown accent in your stenographer examination.
7. Practice such shorthand-outlines again and again which feel harder
8. Prefer to type your dictation instead of writing down.
9. Build your grammalogues.
10. Make your own shorthand outlines and short-forms.

Some of the tips to undertake the stenographer test are:-

1. Practice your typing speed with different keyboards.
2. Select a short paragraph and practice shorthand repeatedly on daily basis for 2 hours.
3. Collect common words as many as you can like the, that, there, then, when, where, how, was, were etc. Take these words in typing practice daily how many times that you can
4. If you are typing from a paper place paper-weight on it in order to avoid inconvenience and save time.
5. Check your keyboard is functional properly before starting your test
6. Make straight and proper sitting posture while your test
7. Keep your finger straight down at 90 degree and thumbs twisted inwards.
8. One golden line to practice typing is:- 
   "A quick brown fox jumps right over the lazy dog"
9. Take dictation from persons instead of same one. This will help you understand unknown accent in your stenographer examination
10. Practice such shorthand-outlines again and again which feel harder
11. Prefer to type your dictation instead of writing down
12. Build your grammalogues
13. Make your own shorthand outlines and short-forms
14. Keep more than one shorthand-pencil readily sharpened while your test.
15. Make lesser mistakes in your both typing and shorthand tests to escape from negative marking

In order to find a job of stenographer:-

1. Read Major News Papers such as The Jang, The Nawai Waqt, The DAWN and The NEWS.
2. Visit Websites of Punjab Public Service Commission, National Testing Services and job portals to find out jobs.
   1. http://ppsc.gop.pk
   2. http://www.nts.org.pk
3. Make contacts with persons who are already working in government departments as well as private organizations to be in touch about the job availability.