Typist resume template
A clean starting structure with example content grounded in what typists actually do day to day, not generic filler. Download and replace the bracketed placeholders with your own details.
Which resume format should you use?
Reverse chronological
You have a steady work history. This is the format almost every recruiter and ATS expects by default.
Functional
You're changing fields or have gaps in your employment. Leads with skills rather than a job-by-job timeline.
Combination
You're early career or have worked consistently but for only a few employers. Blends a skills summary with a shorter chronological history.
This template uses the reverse chronological format: the one most typists should default to, since most Australian recruiters and ATS software expect it.
Professional summary
Typist and document production specialist who turns handwritten drafts, dictation and audio recordings into clean, correctly formatted documents. Works comfortably to fixed deadlines in legal, clinical, government and education settings, where accuracy and confidentiality matter more than speed alone. Known for catching the errors other people miss before a document leaves the office.
Key skills
- Touch typing at speed with high accuracy
- Audio transcription from dictation and recordings
- Document formatting and layout to house or client style guides
- Proofreading for spelling, grammar and consistency
- Records and correspondence log maintenance
- Confidentiality and handling of sensitive material
- Workflow and operations management for document backlogs
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Excel
- Google Docs
- Express Scribe
- Dragon Professional
Experience: example bullet points
- Transcribed dictation and handwritten drafts into formatted letters, reports and case notes, clearing a recurring weekly backlog within two working days.
- Proofread typed work before release, catching spelling, grammar and layout errors that would otherwise have reached clients or patients.
- Applied house style guides consistently across correspondence and templates so documents from different authors looked uniform.
- Maintained electronic filing and correspondence logs, making it quicker for colleagues to trace earlier versions, approvals and replies.
- Checked unclear names, dosages and technical terms with the author rather than guessing, which cut the number of corrections requested after sign-off.
- Built and updated Word templates and Excel registers, reducing the time spent reformatting routine documents each week.
- Handled confidential legal and clinical material in line with workplace privacy procedures, including secure storage and controlled distribution.
Education
Certificate III or IV in Business (Administration) is a common entry point, with some employers preferring a diploma or degree in a relevant field for legal, medical or government transcription work; many typists start after Year 12 and build speed, accuracy and terminology knowledge on the job.
Keywords an ATS is likely to scan for
Applicant tracking systems match your resume against terms in the job ad before a person ever sees it. Only include the ones that actually apply to your experience, but if a term below matches something you've done, use the same wording the job ad uses.
- audio transcription
- dictation
- touch typing
- typing speed WPM
- proofreading
- style guide compliance
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Excel
- Google Docs
- Express Scribe
- Dragon Professional
- records management
- correspondence log
- confidentiality
- Privacy Act 1988
- medical terminology
- legal terminology
- minute taking
- Australian Institute of Office Professionals
Getting past ATS screening
- Match the specific skills, certifications and terms used in the job ad, not just your own wording for the same thing.
- Keep formatting simple: no tables, text boxes, columns, headers/footers or graphics. Parsers frequently drop content placed in these.
- Submit as .docx or PDF unless the job ad specifies otherwise.
- Use standard section headings (Experience, Education, Skills) rather than creative alternatives.
- List your core skills and technical competencies in their own section so a keyword scan can find them instantly.
This is a starting point, not a guarantee of interviews. Tailor every bullet point to your own real experience and the specific job ad.