How to Succeed in a Data Entry Personnel Career Path
Data is an extremely valuable asset in this digital world. After all, companies now consider making data-driven decisions as a best practice. Data entry personnel play a vital part in this by entering information and ensuring its accuracy. If you have a keen eye for detail and enjoy performing repetitive tasks, then a data entry personnel career path could be perfect for you.
What do data entry personnel do?
Data entry personnel typically perform the following tasks:
- Entering data such as figures and customer information into spreadsheets and database software
- Making sure information is complete and accurate before entering it into the system
- Generating information and reports upon request
- Regularly backing up databases
- Checking existing databases for errors and correcting them as needed
- Filing documents
- Creating invoices and quotations
- Providing administrative support such as answering phones and replenishing office supplies
Salary Range
Based on Jobstreet Salary Report 2020, entry-level data entry personnel start with about S$2,487 a month. After that, you can get a slight increase as a junior executive with a salary of S​​$2,634. But if you work your way up to a senior executive level, you can leap up to S$3,338.
What is the career path of data entry personnel?
While there are not many opportunities for promotion within the data entry field itself, you can still earn a raise as a supervisor or team leader. At the same time, the skills and experience you acquire as a data entry clerk open up opportunities in other fields.
According to Payscale, many data entry personnel in Singapore decide to shift to different career paths after working as clerks. Here are the industries they usually transition to after working in data entry:
Manufacturing and Engineering
Education
- Data Entry Clerk
- Teaching Assistant
What requirements do you need to become a data entry clerk?
Required skills
Attention to detail
Precision is key. Data entry personnel must be able to input the information correctly. Employers will also expect them to spot and fix any errors.
Knowledge of MS Office applications
This is essential for carrying out your duties. Moreover, knowing your way around Excel is especially important. Some employers may prefer that their data entry personnel be familiar with Google Suite as well.
Ability to type quickly
You'll be working with large amounts of data, and you'll be expected to enter them in a fast and efficient manner.
Other skills
Good communication and interpersonal skills
Data entry personnel often assist coworkers by retrieving files as requested. You may also need to perform administrative tasks such as answering the phone. Because of this, a pleasing personality is a must.
Excellent organisational skills
Scanning and filing documents will be a big part of the job. Aside from this, your coworkers may ask you to generate reports. Staying organised will help you to perform these duties competently.
Confidentiality skills
Data entry personnel often work with sensitive information. For example, you may have to input customers' details or company figures.
Educational background
A secondary level and O-level are usually the minimum requirements for this field of work. At the same time, companies look favourably at candidates who have completed Nitec courses. A background in accounting can give you a competitive edge as well.
Opportunities for Continuous Education
Most companies don't require applicants to be familiar with data entry systems. After all, they'll teach you most of what you need to know on the job. However, you can improve your Excel and database management skills by taking short courses. The Singaporean government has a list of courses on their website, MySkillsFuture. For instance, you can get an ICDL Perform Advanced Database Functions certification from the Singapore National Employers Federation. If you'd like to learn more about Excel, you can take the Microsoft Excel 2013 Advanced class at Gil Consultancy.
How to write a data entry personnel resume?
Ready to begin your job hunt as a data entry clerk? Download this Data Entry Personnel resume HERE.
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