With recent world events, many people have toyed with the idea of working remotely. Apart from allaying your safety concerns, working from home comes with some degree of flexibility and convenience. For other people, remote work is a great opportunity to supplement their income without affecting their nine-to-five. While you can find a virtually infinite number of jobs online, a lot of them have high barriers to entry. You either need specialized skills or unique qualifications. One of the easiest fields to get into is administrative data entry. Not only are data entry jobs easier to come across, but most of them also pay a decent wage. But what is administrative data entry?
As the name implies, this job leans more towards the administrative duties of a company. Administrative data entry specialists spend most of their time in front of a computer typing, recording information, and capturing data into different files. As a result, working with spreadsheets and word processors is the order of the day.
Administrative data entry clerks may also have to interact with and receive information from customers. This field spans numerous industries, including banking, healthcare, retail, finance, and transportation.
Does this sound like a work opportunity you want to explore? Keep reading.
What Do Administrative Data Entry Specialists Do?
Administrative data entry is classified as a clerical job. The profession covers an extensive scope of duties in several areas. But the long and short of it is you’ll be transferring information from a variety of paper documents into digital format. That’s why you’ll need a computer for the job. The type of captured data depends on the nature of the organization and can include anything from surveys and statistics, to client and sales information. Data entry clerks use specialized equipment and software, which can either be in the form of scanners, photo composing perforators, word processors, or spreadsheets, depending on the nature of the task.
In a banking setting, the duties involved can include capturing personal details for customers who need to open new bank accounts. If you work for a medical practitioner, you can be tasked with updating patients’ medical records. Data entry clerks can also process sales invoices, transfer paper-based market research, or track students’ test results. The list goes on. But contrary to public belief, capturing data is only part of administrative data entry. After capturing information, you’ll need to review the information for verification purposes to ensure accuracy.
Skills Required for Administrative Data Entry
One of the best things about being an administrative data entry clerk is that you don’t need specialized qualifications or an impressive résumé. But that doesn’t mean you don’t need any skills at all. If anything, the job requires high aptitude levels and accuracy when it comes to detail, making it more demanding than it sounds. To make the cut and forge a successful career in administrative data entry, you’ll need basic administration skills. Interested parties should know their way around a computer and be proficient in navigating spreadsheets and word processing software.
It goes without saying that you’ll also need excellent typing skills if you’re going to receive a worthwhile remuneration. Ideally, you must be able to type at least 40 to 60 words per minute. Since accuracy is non-negotiable, you must be able to pay attention to detail and be exceptionally thorough. Other skills you’ll need include organizational and time management skills.
You’ll find that the majority of admin data entry workers are freelancers and remote workers. As such, they seldom have a basic salary and aren’t covered by wage laws. That means if you decide to go this route, you’re responsible for your remuneration. So, while you might enjoy the flexibility that comes with the job, extra dedication and commitment are required on your part.
How Much Does Administrative Data Entry Pay?
Even though data entry jobs rarely have a basic minimum wage, you’ll find frameworks summarizing the range of payments that admin data entry jobs pay. As of April 2021, the average rate for a data entry specialist is $16 per hour. However, the rate can be anywhere between $15 and $18, depending on multiple factors including the company you’re working for, your skills, education, and level of experience. The rate for more experienced workers can even go as high as $22 per hour, depending on how generous the company is. Generally, an experienced freelancer can realistically get just over $42,000 in a year. But overall, the amount of money you make in a month or year depends on the amount of effort and commitment you put into the job.
Conclusion
If you’ve been considering getting a simple job that doesn’t require impressive qualifications and allows you to work from home, then administrative data entry could be the job for you. Firstly, you don’t need a long list of credentials to get cracking at the job. All you need is a bit of administrative and typing skills and infallible attention to detail, among other things. Most administrative data entry jobs, however, don’t offer a basic salary, so you’ll determine how much money you wind up with, come the end of the month, based on the work you put in. Finally, before taking up a data entry job, especially when working remotely, make sure you research the company to avoid scammers.
