The application process was lengthy. I spent an inordinate amount of time completing sample captions and transcriptions for Rev. Their estimate of a thirty minute caption test in fact gobbled more than four hours of my time in video and slide show overviews, site navigation inefficiencies, and technical glitches in the editing software. Among the inefficiencies were requirements for completing independent registrations for the main Rev site and Quill which is their offsite editing software. The two sites have an interface post-hire, and for saved and back up files, but there is no communication between them during the test submission at the point of uploading a file. Site navigation in the application process is abysmal. There are no direct links between Quill and Rev from the main pages, so it is unexpectedly cumbersome. There is a great deal of sifting and searching to locate URLs and to make note of them for future log in. If you opt to save and return to the application later without noting them, you're lost. You have to go through an entire reiteration of the application from the beginning. For the remainder of the captioning presentations, I think they did a nice job. The overview of post-hire processes was nicely done, and the organization of the work flow was easy to follow.
The transcription work space was much smoother. The editing program there operates intuitively, and sample submissions are handled within the active work space. Instructions in the form of info buttons, tutorials, and mouse-over helps are conveniently located at the top of the open and active work space. No digging, sifting. or toggling required. There are still formatting conventions unique to Rev which are time consuming to review. In that sense, it could be more automated. Things like bracketed notations could be auto-completed, but overall it is a great work space.
Although training is promised, and some of the job descriptions and company advertisements lead one to believe no experience is required beyond keyboarding, it is unfortunately not the case. After completing hours of work for this company at no charge, I received an automated form letter stating my proofed and spell checked submissions did not meet their rigorous minimum standards. The automated letter asks that the candidate not contact Rev for clarification on the rather vague statement, so I couldn't tell you what portion of the work didn't impress them.