Feature Article

The Secret to Finding Home-Based Data Entry Jobs
by Rosalind Mays

If I had $1.00 for every person that has contacted me on how to find a data entry job they could do from home, I would be $500,000 richer -- literally!

I'm so tired of reading the words:

I just want to work at home. I'm computer literate and I have a PC. I really just want to do something simple, like data entry.

If I see these words one more time, I'll scream. So you better leave the room in a couple of minutes. Yes, that is how often I get an e-mail like this.

I'm equally weary of my answer:

Those with simple clerical skills are competing with thousands of others with the same skills. Not only do the applicants have the same skills but also they will commute to the employer's location and accept minimal wage for those jobs. The employer has his pick, why would they opt for a telecommuter? Most employers offer the option to telecommute to those with specialized skills that can not be easily filled.

I don't want to tell them real reason why these jobs are so far and few between.

What I really want to tell them is the truth:

The reason is most employers do not trust minimally skilled employees to work outside their watchful eyes. And even if they did trust their employees, employers simply love having someone at their beck and call. In other words, your employer just does not feel the kind of security they need when you are sitting at home 45 miles away.

I don't often use the above answer because when I do, I usually get silence or a series of curse words that describe my lineage in unappealing terms.

I try to counsel them further. [Yes, I'm a glutton for abuse]. I ask them, Do you have any specialized skills? Languages you write or speak? HTML knowledge? Programming experience? Writing experience? Proofreading? Anything?

I'm of the school that everyone has a specialized skill and if they don't, they could quickly learn one thus become more valued.

Just recently, this idea was proved correct. And happily, it was provided with data entry work! You see I've broken through the data entry wall. I found a way to get data entry jobs one can do from home, but it requires specialized skills.

Told ya!

I've recently had two jobs for data entry work and the key to my success is my knowledge of creating databases! Yes, that's right, employer's need the whole shebang . . . they need someone who can organize the data, create the system, test the system, enter the data and then produce reports and inquiries. Once employers realized I knew how to do these things, I began getting requests for my services.

So you guys looking for data entry work, here's your chance. If you don't have knowledge of major database software [in my case, MS Access and FileMaker Pro] you better get cracking.

Here are some FREE online courses that may help: