Typing as a Skill for Adults in the Workforce

In today’s workplace, employers are searching for qualified candidates to fill their jobs. They are looking for individuals with good communication, problem-solving, and conflict resolution skills. Along with those soft skills, many employers are in search of potential employees with professional skills such as typing. Job seekers may find that they do not qualify for certain jobs because they are unable to meet the employer’s Words Per Minute (WPM) requirement. With practice and more focused work on typing, job seekers will have more success in their job search while learning a much needed skill in today’s society.

Improving Your Typing Skills

Jobs all over the country are becoming more and more technologically advanced and are in need of employees to fill these positions. If you have ever been turned down or underqualified for a job due to your typing abilities, there are lots of different ways to improve your skills. Improving your typing speed and accuracy is the goal. 

Here are some ways to practice typing for adults:

• Keyboarding classes for adults: Typing.com offers classes for adults to practice their typing skills. They can work through the courses and, over time, they will see their WPM and accuracy increase and their WPM increase dramatically.

• Keyboarding games for adults: Games are not just for kids. Nitrotype.com is a fun, interactive car racing game that even adults can enjoy. Practicing typing skills is the best way to improve. 

• 10-key skill: What is 10-key skill? Ten-key skill is being able to use the number pad on a computer with speed and accuracy. Becoming proficient with the number pad will increase your keyboarding skill set and allow you to add it confidently to the skills section of a resume.

• Learn to code: Being able to code will open up lots of doors and opportunities for job seekers. Employers are in constant search of candidates that are able to program their software, and it is a high demand area that continues to grow. Typing.com offers courses that give adults and beginners the opportunity to learn to code. 

Typing Skills and Resume Writing

As mentioned earlier, employers are looking for individuals who are proficient with a keyboard. Creating a resume for a job that includes your typing skills is a good way to showcase your keyboarding abilities to a potential employer. Job seekers should create a resume that showcases all of their typing skills that they have acquired. For many clerical job positions, it can be helpful to include your average WPM on your resume. This will demonstrate to your employer that you are proficient in typing and that you are able to be quick and accurate with a keyboard. Your WPM is considered a technical skill for a resume and should be listed under your job skills section on your resume. For jobs that involve a lot of typing, individuals should aim to be able to type 65 WPM. 65 WPM is considered a productive speed while anything in the 80 WPM and above range would be considered advanced typing. Take a typing test on Typing.com to learn how many WPM you can produce. If you are currently producing less than 65 WPM, consider practicing your skills by completing the activities listed above.

Advanced Typing

When learning to type, adults should aim to achieve the status of an advanced typist. Advanced typing is being able to produce over 80 WPM. As an advanced typist, individuals will be qualified for any job that requires typing. Furthermore, job seekers should be able to be a touch typist. A touch typist is aware of all the keys on the keyboard and can type through muscle memory. Touch typing allows individuals to keep their production and WPM high because they will not need to look down at the keyboard and can keep their eyes on the screen while they work. This is called cognitive automaticity. Advanced typers will also be able to have the correct hand positioning on their keyboard. Correct positioning includes sitting up straight, keeping your elbows at a 90-degree angle, and having your fingers on the middle row of the keyboard. Keeping your fingers on the middle row of the keyboard allows the type to reach all of the keys quickly and avoids the possibility of “hunting and pecking.”

Jobs That Require Typing

Now that you know the importance of becoming an accurate and speedy typist, you may be wondering which jobs you should apply for. Jobs that require typing are growing and will continue to grow as our society advances even more technologically. Here are some jobs you can begin to apply for once you are comfortable with your keyboarding skills. 

1. Legal Transcriber
2. Data Entry
3. Court Reporter
4. Journalist/Writer
5. Secretary/Personal Assistant
6. Translator
7. Chat Agent

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many employees began working from home and saw that they were spending more time in front of their computers. As our society navigates through this pandemic, employers are seeing the benefits of allowing their workers to work from home. This has opened up a lot of job opportunities for individuals with the right skills and abilities. Being a proficient typist will open up opportunities to work from home as more and more companies are transitioning their customer service departments to online chats instead of phone calls. If you, like many others, are struggling to find a well-paying job, start practicing your typing skills. The better you become at typing, the more jobs will begin to open up that you would not have thought about applying to before!