Love to type? Want the flexibility of working at home while completing simple typing tasks? If this sounds appealing, data entry may be the perfect position for you.
What is Data Entry?
Data entry has been around since, well, the dawn of computers, and even though these tasks have expanded, the general concept is the same. In short, it requires you to take a recorded or hard copy of a transcript and input it into a computer program.
How you perform data entry varies from company-to-company but can include anything from scanning in documents to listening to audio clips and transcribing information to simply inputting answers from a survey.
What Skills Are Required For Remote Data Entry Jobs?
While there is no degree or specific skill set required to start a data entry job (as they all will vary), you’ll want to be aware of a few points that will help to improve your chances of getting hired and, therefore, making great money in this field.
Common Skills Needed for Data Entry Positions
Here is a quick overview of the skills you might need to apply for these jobs.
- Computer Skills: While the specifics surrounding the type of computer skills you’ll need will vary depending on the position, below are some of the basics you should be aware of as you investigate and apply to data entry jobs.
- Typing: Your ability to type with both accuracy and speed can determine how much money you make. In general, the faster you can type, the more money you’ll earn typing from home. If you’re uncertain how fast you type, you can test your typing speed for free online with one of these sites:
- Spreadsheets: Knowing how to organize data into spreadsheets is a fairly common skill set that’s needed in the world of data entry. Thankfully, if you don’t have a ton of experience here, you can practice data entry on your own using Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel, two of the most common programs used by companies, to gain a bit of experience and confidence beforehand.
- All things Google: From Google Drive and Docs to Slides and Sheets, many companies are linked to some aspect of Google. If you’re not well versed with Google-based products, sign up for a professional account, and start exploring!
- Word Documents: At some point in your data entry career, you’ll more than likely be asked to type something into a Word Document. Getting a basic grasp on some of the features of Word is a great way to add one more bullet point of experience to your resume.
- Organizational Skills: Organizational skills are a necessity for work at home success as a data entry specialist. From organizing email communications, electronic files and folders, meeting deadlines, and completing projects for several clients. Your ability to organize will be essential in your overall success as you work-from-home.
- Communication: Understanding the significance of clear, timely communication is an integral part of establishing yourself as a dedicated, professional data entry specialist.
Common Communication Platforms Used in Data Entry Jobs
Below are some possible methods of communication your employer may use for day-to-day interactions. It’s essential to familiarize yourself with these communication methods as it will ensure your professionalism and reliability with your employer.
- Email: Familiarizing yourself with email communication is necessary as you participate in more work from home opportunities. Creating an email address associated with your website or your business name establishes trust and authority when potential employers contact you.
- Video Conferencing: Video conferencing such as Google Meet and Zoom have become increasingly popular in the last year. Sign up for a free account for either one of these platforms and even hold a meeting or two with family and friends to become more familiarized with them.
- Live Chat: Live chat via Facebook messenger or other platforms such as Slack, Telegram, or Voxer are becoming more popular with companies around the globe. These instant messaging systems are often convenient when immediate communication regarding projects is needed.
Now that you’re prepared with what you’ll need to be successful, let’s dive into data entry jobs you can do from home.
Companies Hiring for Data Entry Jobs
Capital Typing
Capital Typing offers various data entry services for businesses and offers remote data entry positions for individuals hired as independent contractors.
Most jobs through Capital Typing are transcription jobs, but there are also content writing positions that come up on occasion!
Positions change, so bookmark this website to refer back to if there isn’t a position you would like!
Kendall Creek Communications
Kendall Creek is a US-based company that hires independent contractors for data entry and research positions for larger companies.
As an independent contractor for Kendall Creek, you’ll complete data entry for:
- Legal transcription
- Social Security files
- Veterans Affairs
- Immigration
- Legal Clients
Xerox
Xerox boasts an amazing virtual office program with more than 8,000 work from home employees. They consistently hire for a variety of positions, including data entry. For these roles, it’s best to go to their website and send in your resume, and they will notify you of available jobs.
FlexJobs
FlexJobs is a handy, well-organized job board where I started my journey as a work at home woman. This site holds a ton of job opportunities in data entry and every area imaginable within the realm of working at home.
Other Typing Job Opportunities
General Transcription Jobs
While medical and legal transcription jobs are two popular options for data entry job seekers, general transcription is another good opportunity to make money in this field. As a transcriptionist, you’ll listen to audio files and transcribe them into written documents. You’ll most likely take a generalized test for typing speed and accuracy. Most companies pay per audio hour for general transcription.
Here are few companies hiring for general transcription work:
Closed Captioning
Closed captioning is the perfect work from home data entry job for those who enjoy listening to others speak and watching videos! Some reputable closed captioning companies that are now hiring are:
One other perk when working for these companies is the number of different job possibilities. Often, closed captioning job sites offer other content creation and transcription job opportunities as well.
Freelance Data Entry Positions
Below are several companies that hire for these jobs. While the pay may not be the highest, these positions are a great starting point in the field.
Microworker
Get paid for completing “micro” tasks with Microworker. These tasks are generally data entry type tasks that require no prior experience. If you’re just starting within the field of data entry, Microworker is a great place to get your feet wet.
Amazon MTurk
As an Amazon MTurk (Mechanical Turk), you help individuals with tasks like data entry and content moderation. These tasks are often smaller, quick tasks, and pay depends on the individual or company who posts the microtask.
Clickworker
From creating and correcting texts to surveys and more, Clickworker is a great space to get moving within the field of data entry. As an independent contractor, you’ll complete a variety of micro-tasks based on your skillset. The pay typically isn’t very high, and your overall monthly income can fluctuate (as with other micro-task job sites) as a Clickworker.
Fiverr
Fiverr is an online marketplace where all types of companies, from small start-ups to large corporations, post job opportunities, including data entry positions. You can post your services on Fiverr and bid for work. You’ll be competing with other freelancers.
Data Entry Job Scams to Watch Out For
Unfortunately, work-from-home job scams are out there, and data entry is just another spot scammers like to reside. Data entry is an easy target as it’s often simple to impersonate and create a seemingly legitimate job opportunity.
They’ll often swipe copy from an actual job posting and mimic every detail; right down to the “paid training” they offer.
Because of this, you’ll need to vet every job opportunity to ensure you’re avoiding scams. I’ve personally been burned by work-from-home job scams (I lost almost $1,500 as a stay-at-home mama with zero income at the time), and recouping the money was impossible.
These scammers will have seemingly “real” email accounts, phone numbers, SKYPE ID’s, Facebook accounts, and more.
They’ll often ask for a virtual meeting via chat, ask you to complete lengthy application questions, and ask for your resume.
So how can you tell the legitimate data entry jobs from the fakes? We have researched the data entry jobs above, but you’ll need to do your due diligence as well.
Red Flags to Help You Spot Scams
- Unusually high pay in comparison to other well-known companies advertising for a similar position.
- Paid training: Believe it or not, this is often a huge red flag. Always ask to speak with people in person who have completed the training. Some specialized areas (like the ones mentioned above) will have programs where you’ll earn a certificate or other training programs (such as legal transcription and medical coding); however other data entry jobs will not require training.
- Asking you to pay upfront for “equipment” you’ll need to complete the work (often asking you for your banking information).
- Asking you to cash a check so that you can buy the equipment you’ll need to work-from-home (this is how those scammers got me).
- Your inability to locate credible social proof on the company: All companies have some type of online presence.
Researching Jobs Before You Apply
Be sure to complete your due diligence and take some time to investigate any company that shows interest in hiring you.
Some tips when going through the hiring process and investigating data entry jobs:
- Check the Better Business Bureau for reports on the company
- Ask for references or look for online reviews of the company on Glassdoor
- Ask for a signed contract
The small amount of time needed to ensure that you’re hired on with a legit data entry position can potentially save you thousands of dollars plus the added headache of having your personal information stolen.
Takeaways
With data entry jobs increasing in popularity, there are many options for starting a data entry position from the comfort of home!
From transcription to micro-task data entry jobs, there are many levels of work out there.
Some opportunities offer higher pay dependent upon the experience you bring, while other work-from-home data entry positions are smaller-task oriented with lower pay scales.
Try one or several of these data entry positions and let us know your experience!
We would love to hear from you!
