Data Entry Jobs For Stay At Home Moms

One of the biggest desires for any mother is to always be there for their kid and watch them grow. The 9-5 work culture takes away from this parenting experience, and most moms remain torn on what to prioritize.

If you’re a single mom, this struggle is harder. You don’t have the option of being a stay at home mother without a job because you have to make an income.

But, I have good news for you.

You don’t have to give up being around your kid for an office job. Thanks to technology, the demand for remote workers has grown, and you can benefit from this.

In today’s article, I’ll tell you about data entry jobs and how you can earn money while doing them as a stay at home mom. I’ll also show you where to look for these jobs.

Get ready to discover flexible work opportunities that you can do at any time of the day, from the comfort of your house.

What is Data Entry?

Data entry refers to a wide variety of tasks that involve entering, processing, and archiving electronic data. For many of these tasks, you’ll be provided with data that needs to be fed into a certain system or database.

Tasks can range from simple chores such as filling survey to transcribing medical records. Data entry specialists are on demand in multiple industries, including:

• Legal.
• Healthcare.
• Retail.
• Finance.
• Transportation.

Big corporations are always in search of data entry clerks to handle their growing business and customer data. This means that at no time is there going to be a lack of data entry jobs in the market.

And, for you as a stay at home mom, you’re in luck. Many companies are now choosing to outsource data entry services.

This is because a virtual workforce is less expensive to hire and maintain, so most corporations are looking for employees who can work from home.

Most data entry jobs require you to transfer data from one source or format to another one, with little or no technicalities involved. As long as you’ve mastered the English language, I have no doubt that you’ll be able to make it.

Other than that, you’ll need to be able to operate some basic computer hardware and familiarize yourself with various programs.

There are tons of video tutorials on the internet to get you started on this, so don’t worry about it. Let’s look at the types of entry jobs that you can start today.

Types of Data Entry Jobs

There’s a wide variety of data entry jobs, each dependent on the industry. Here are some of the common ones that you can carry out effortlessly from your home office.

Basic Typing Jobs

These are jobs that need you to type in data into a specific format, for instance an Excel Spreadsheet. For such tasks, there are no technical skills required, and it can be as simple as transferring data from a source to a new format.

Plain Data Entry

Like the basic typing jobs, plain data entry is also all about transferring data from one place to another. Most plain data entry jobs will require you to type words from a pdf into a Microsoft Word file. For such a job, your typing speed and accuracy will determine how successful you can be.

Word Processor

Word processors are responsible for several administrative tasks in offices. These include sending and receiving correspondence, answering emails, preparing reports, and writing letters. Companies are looking for individuals who can carry out these tasks from home.

Captioning

Captioners are required to add texts to images, videos, or headlines to news. When captioning for videos, you’ll be required to first transcribe the audio into a text file before proceeding on to captioning.

Copy and Paste Jobs

This task is exactly what it sounds like. Basically, your job here is to copy information from one file and paste it to another one. This could be a Word document or a spreadsheet.

Online Form Filling

Online forms have taken over from paper forms when it comes to storing important data. More companies and departments such as quality assurance and  marketing and sales are opting for online forms since they’re more manageable.

For this job, it’s likely that you’ll be dealing with lots of data that needs to be filled into forms. The key to success with this task is attentiveness, because many business operations rely on the accurate presentation of data.

Editing Job

In an editing job, you’ll be required to edit mistakes in grammar and spelling. Therefore, you need to have a good knowledge of the English language (or any other language that the job will require). This is because you’ll be expected to detect all the errors present and make the necessary corrections.

Audio to Text Transcribing

For this one, you’ll need great listening skills. You’ll also require a good headset so that you can hear every word in the audios. Your job here will be to turn what you hear into a word document.

Some of the jobs that you can find within this range are transcribing YouTube videos, medical records, and court proceedings. It all depends with the industry.

Captcha Entry Jobs

Captcha is a computing program used to test whether the user is human or a machine. This program prevents bots from accessing websites and delivering spam and such.

A captcha is usually an image that contains numbers, texts, or alphanumeric data. To solve it, one is required to fill the data given in the image in a field provided below. This is the same task that workers in a captcha entry job do.

Reformatting and Correction

Reformatting and correction jobs involve formatting files such as Word documents to change the fonts, indentation, paragraphing, etc.

Online Survey Job

Most companies rely on consumer surveys to help them make better decisions in provision of services and products. These surveys can also give important data that can be used to improve the marketing strategy.

You can get paid to answer the questionnaires provided in these surveys. Some can be short and take only a couple of minutes, while others are longer and can be about 15 minutes.

Image to Text Data Entry

For this task, you’ll need to type down texts in an image such as a screenshot into a word document. For a job like this, having double monitors can be helpful to help you check the original text and type it into the word file faster.

Limitless Opportunities…

There are so many opportunities for data entry specialists! Even better, you get to choose which tasks you want to do.

You also get to work the hours that are most suitable for you. If you want to have as much time as possible with your kid during the day, you can pick night-time hours and make some money.

This can be a great way to while away those nights when you simply can’t sleep and you have nothing else to do.

Responsibilities of Data Entry Specialists

There are so many data entry jobs, which means there are just as many responsibilities. While applying for any of these jobs, you’ll be informed of the roles that you should fill.

Here are some of the basic responsibilities that you should be able to carry out as a data entry specialist:

• You should be able to operate different types of data processing hardware such as a keyboard, mouse, and scanners. You’ll need these to enter and edit data proficiently.
• You’ll be required to verify the data that you’re entering, transferring, or copying. Never assume that the data that has been provided is 100% accurate, because errors can occur at any stage.
• Your employer might need your help in building a data management system. As a data entry specialist, this should be a field that you familiarize yourself with. Doing so will make you more useful and give you more earning opportunities.
• You’ll be required to deal with different types of electronic data, including text and audio.

As a data entry specialist, you’ll also be required to be confidential when dealing with a company’s data. Some of the data that you handle are sensitive and should not be shared elsewhere.

Companies that take this seriously will make sure to let you know of this during your application process. In such a case, your ability to remain professional without leaking important data will be a part of your responsibilities.

Skills Required for a Data Entry Job

Data presentation is crucial as it determines the decisions that are made in various industries. Therefore, data entry specialists are required to be skilled at what they do to avoid costly mistakes.

However, this does not mean that you need to start thinking about pursuing some complicated type of education in order to be considered suitable for this job. Most data entry jobs only require basic language comprehension and computer operation skills.

You can easily learn any other technical skills needed through various resources online. But, first, you should make sure that you have the following skills mastered:

Educational Qualifications

Companies usually look for data entry clerks with at least a high school diploma. This is because they’re looking for people who can understand, read, and write English comprehensively.

If you have other educational qualifications beyond high school, all the better. It doesn’t have to be a college degree, but any post-high school course that can help you advance your clerical skills.

Basic Software Knowledge

In various data entry jobs, you’ll be required to use different types of computer programs and software. Therefore, you need to know how to use them.

These are simple things such as creating spreadsheets, using Word processor tools, and familiarizing yourself with data management systems.

If you’ve never used any of these before, don’t fret. You can benefit from short courses on the internet in places such as YouTube where there are countless tutorials.

Basic Computer Operation Skills

When I say basic computer operation skills, I really mean basic. In the terms of your ability to use a keyboard and a mouse. As long as you’re able to find your way around a computer, most companies offering data entry jobs will be glad to take you on.

You may also need to learn how to operate other devices such as printers and scanners, but that’s also easy to learn. When you’re already equipped with these skills, you’ll be easy to train for many data entry jobs.

Typing Speed

For the most part, data entry is all about speed. How many words can you type in a minute? How fast can you transcribe audio into text?

Most companies are looking for specialists who can type at least 45 words per minute. A speed of 60-90WPM can give you a lot of advantage. The more work that you can type in a short time, the more that you’ll be able to earn.

Typing Accuracy

While speed is important, typing accuracy is indispensable. Speed will not do you much good if you’re typing with lots of errors.

You’ll either end up turning in a sub-par job with inaccurate data, or be forced to spend a lot of time editing your spelling and grammar mistakes afterwards.

Therefore, while you seek to improve your speed, check on your accuracy as well. It’s better to have a moderate typing speed – don’t feel pressured to reach 90WPM! – with total accuracy, than being lightning fast while leaving many mistakes behind.

Good Communication Skills

By now, you know that your reading, writing, and listening skills are essential for data entry jobs. So are your speaking skills.

In the course of your tasks, you’ll be required to communicate with different departments in companies, or their customers. If you’re responding to customer emails you need to know how to communicate with them for their satisfaction.

You should also be able to receive and implement instructions as they come. Great communicators make good data entry specialists, so strive to improve these skills on a daily basis.

Attentiveness

Many types of data entry jobs require you to input similar data many times when filing forms or spreadsheets. This repetitiveness can be boring and cause you to lose focus.

However, making a single mistake here can mean having to repeat filling an entire spreadsheet, so you should be extra attentive. Get rid of all distractions that may cause you to zone off and ensure that you remain concentrated on your work.

If you find yourself getting tired, it’s advisable to walk away from your desk for a few minutes before coming back to the task.

Tips to Becoming a Great Data Entry Specialist

So, how do you hone your skills and make sure that you become the best data entry specialist that you can be? Here are a few tips that’ll work for you as a stay at home mom:

• Pick a room in your house and turn it into a home office. A quiet office will give you the distraction-free environment that you require to concentrate during data entry.

So, choose a room that’s further away from where your kids play their games. If you choose to work during the night, this will not be a concern.

• Get an ergonomic chair and desk for your home office. When you place your computer on the desk, the monitor should be at eye level.

The chair should provide enough back support to protect you from poor posture than can cause back and neck pains. The more comfortable you are, the less fatigued you’ll feel as you carry out your tasks.

• Keep improving your language skills through reading and writing. This will help you become a better proofreader so that you can always deliver high quality work.
• Take online tests to gauge your typing speed. If you need to improve your speed, there are tons of free online games that can help you become a faster typist.
• Check out video tutorials on video hosting sites such as YouTube to learn more about using various computer programs and software. You might even learn shortcuts that’ll help you complete your tasks more quickly.

Where to Find Data Entry Jobs

Now that you know what data entry requires and the types of tasks that you can choose from, let’s look at where to find these jobs.

Some of the legitimate companies offering data entry jobs to stay at home moms like you and me are:

Sigtrack

Sigtrack is a database application that connects campaigns with data entry freelancers. To work for them, you’ll need to show proof of being a U.S. resident. However, applicants from California and Massachusetts are not accepted because of legal reasons.

To work for Sigtrack, you’ll need to have a high speed internet connection and a computer that uses Windows 10, Windows 7 SPI, or MacOS 10.13 and higher. To apply, send an email containing a brief 3-second video recording of your driver’s license or state ID next to your face to support@sigtrack.net.

SpeakWrite

SpeakWrite offers opportunities for remote transcription jobs. Their tasks involve transcribing audio from different industries into text format. Some of the industries that they work with include law enforcement and protective services.

According to their site, the average earnings per month are between $450-$3400. You can work as much or as little as you like, which means that what you earn is up to you.

SpeakWrite are looking for typists with a minimum typing speed of 60WPM. Before applying, take typing tests to ensure that you can meet their requirements.

Skills that they’re looking for include proficiency in English and good listening skills. There are also jobs available in Spanish, so if you’re fluent in that too, all the more opportunities for you.

Quicktate

At Quicktate, you can find typing, analyzing, and transcription jobs. Tasks include transcribing voicemail messages, medical files, phone call recordings, and conference calls.

Some of their tasks take just 2-3 minutes to complete, while others can last for hours. To work with them, you need to have accurate typing, good listening, and excellent grammar skills.

Before they can hire you, they’ll give you a typing quiz for the language or industry that you’re interested in. Language-wise, they have jobs in English, French, and Spanish.

You’ll be required to take a test to show that you’ve fully understood their job requirements.

Flexjobs

Flexjobs is a site that was founded to help job seekers find legitimate jobs from various companies in different industries. You can find the postings for home data entry jobs here.

There are both full time and part time, 100% remote data entry jobs. Most of them have a pay range between $15-$16/hr. You can also find others that pay $20/hr and above.

Look through Flexjobs to find data entry jobs that you can do comfortably while taking care of your kids at the same time. According to Flexjobs, workers make an annual average of $35, 833 from the data entry jobs posted on the site.

Speechpad

Speechpad offers transcription and captioning services to many high profile clients including Amazon, L’Oréal, and Netflix. Therefore, they’re always on the lookout for excellent data entry talent.

Speed, reliability, and accuracy are the skills that you’ll need to land a remote job here. There are no required minimum hours, so you can work whenever you want.

As a stay at home mom, this is very convenient since you can easily work around your family’s routine. The average pay for transcribers on Speechpad is $0.25-$2.50 per minute. Translators make between $2.00-$5.00 each minute.

Payments are made twice per week, with no minimum earnings threshold applied. Speechpad is one of the best places to look for data entry jobs, whether full or part time. If you land a position here, you can easily make data entry your main source of income.

Conclusion

Imagine being able to choose your work hours, what tasks to complete, where to work from… That’s what you get with a remote data entry job.

What you earn is also up to you! With this amount of flexibility, you can make a significant income as a stay at home mom.

You’ll be able to take care of your kids all you want, then retreat into your home office when they’re at school, sleeping, or playing in the backyard.

Hone your language skills, get a high speed internet connection and an up-to-date computer, and get ready to make some money!