Preparing Yourself for a Data Entry Job

Of all the freelance jobs that you can pick from the web, working for data entry tasks is perhaps the easiest one to find, and the easiest one to do. But it only means that in order for you to get inside the gig, you have to get into a lot of competition. You want to grab a piece of the pie, only to find out that there are lots of people too who are thinking exactly what you’re thinking.

But there’s a way around it. You can ease out through the competition by knowing how to be competitive. By knowing the right answers to where and how, you can be the victor envied by anyone.

So how can you be a data-entry clerk? Before you wage into the war, let's do a little reconnaissance. Delve into the following tips so you can be the victor of the battle.

Don’t just be interested in a data-entry job

As stated above, the competition in data-entry job hunting is very stiff. If you apply for such a position, flocks of experienced people will easily overpower you. They will grab that slot you greatly hope for, and they will do the grabbing in a truly merciless way. As a remedy, try to learn other skills that go beyond typing words and numbers.

Though keying in words on a sheet of document is just what you basically do in data-entry, there will be occasions where you will input data on a spreadsheet program or a presentation program. By knowing how to use other software that goes beyond the standard text-entry apps, you are making a better version of yourself as you go about your online job-hunting.

Present yourself as an attractive professional

In order to get hired in a data-entry job, or any online job for that matter, you will be prompted first and foremost to make an online profile or online resume. When you showcase yourself in this, make yourself as attractive as possible.

This is not to say that you must post a high-definition picture of your pretty face on your resume. What’s implied here is that you have to emphasize what is it that you can do, and what you are willing to do with your acquired skill set. Furthermore, don’t just say that you can do the job, tell them that you can do additional research for the job, and that you can finish it in the shortest time possible!

We have just executed our 2-step recon, now let’s check out the nature of the job itself.

So what does a data-entry clerk exactly do? Basically, there are 2 known types of data entry tasks. The first one is when you will look at a source document and type the characters therein. The second one is when you will copy and paste data from the source document into another document.

In case you get to work in this copy-paste scheme, your researching skills, if you have any, could really come in handy. There will be times when the client will require you to research a particular item so that you can add some more information to the document you’re working on. You will then realize that the simple skill of typing and keying in is not the only thing you need in this gig.

Another thing, some clients provide a source document that they wrote by hand. This poses a problem since handwritten text could be very hard to read at times. As a solution, you have to also employ your researching skills to be able to discern what the unreadable text is, and what is it really all about. This is quite hard especially in words and terms that are highly technical – some of them aren’t found in dictionaries. But as you become well-versed in that sort of activity, you will find it easier over time.

What are the equipment that you need?

Like any other online job of course, you need a computer. To be really efficient in working however, you may need additional equipment like an additional monitor. An extra peripheral that allows you to view another document or another software is really helpful. By placing your source document on one monitor and your working document on another, you can really get the job done faster.

For software, all you need to have are just basically word processors and spreadsheet programs like Word and Excel. In their absence, you can always utilize Google Docs – an online office suite that anyone with a Goggle account can have access to.

Now that you know what to use, you have to know how to increase your efficiency in doing data-entry work. The most important way to address this is by working on your typing skills. The faster you can type, the faster you can finish the job, and the faster it is for you to rake in some income.

For starters, being able to type in 60 words per minute is good enough, but with thorough practice, you can double it up if you’re just disciplined enough to live through the process.

According to various experts from the realm of desktop publishing and in computer usage everywhere, there is no better way to feed data into a computer other than touch-typing – a typing technique in which the typist doesn’t look at the keyboard as he does the typing job. By learning this technique, you can be the most efficient data-entry personnel there is.

Before you hop into the data-entry bandwagon, maybe you ought to think if it can really be your main source of living. Maybe you also need to consider that it can just be a side income. A main day job is a good thing, and a lot of people still believe that it is still the best way to earn a living.