data entry

[thirtythree]

how available are jobs in data entry? what's the typical wpm requirement? are there any specific places that I should check for jobs (other than the newspaper)?

 

[rh71]

i lived on data entry jobs when I was a teen... made $7.50 off the bat as a 15 year old and the job was simple... mindless, but simple. You can get the jobs through head hunters also. I don't know what the minimum WPM is, but there is one and it depends on the company. It's more to gauge productivity levels. I've always been quick so I didn't have to worry about it. Some jobs let you bring cd players... so it's much better than any retail job... only downside is you don't get to meet people doing that all day.

I'm sure there's been a lot of automation put in place since I did it in the mid-90s and the Internet was less prominent. I don't think there is as much need, but they still exist.

 

[thirtythree]

thanks, rh71. what sort of places did you work at? and what exactly do you consider quick? I type ~70 adjusted... I think :s

 

[StageLeft]

I'm sure 70 will suffice.

 

[rh71]

Originally posted by: thirtythree
thanks, rh71. what sort of places did you work at? and what exactly do you consider quick? I type ~70 adjusted... I think :s

70 is above avg and will be fine. Back then I was probably around there also... I'm about 100 now that I've had more years in front of a computer. I worked at Chemical Bank (now Chase), Publisher's Clearing House (I couldn't win because I worked there!), and another bank I forget the name of at the moment (I've had a ton of these). Those were all self-interview places. If you go to a head hunter, they will find you a lot of summer-type jobs lasting only a short term, but they are plentiful and once it ends, they should call you for other jobs. I did a ton of medical-data-related jobs that way and it's not a bad way to earn a living when you're a teenager.

 

[GasX]

Big Pharma always needs data entry people.

 

[thirtythree]

thanks. one last question: I applied at the library last summer and had to take a typing test at a work services location. will most data entry places have their own typing test, or should I get one there before applying?