Typing speed is something that a lot of companies are interested in when looking to recruit staff, particularly if you are going through a recruitment agency, but how important is it for the role that you want?
There are many websites available online that offer typing speed tests, this is a good place to begin as you will then know where your starting point is and how much you’ll need to improve by for your ideal role.
For secretarial work most companies would require you to type between 55 and 80 words per minute, if you work in legal administration that amount is usually higher and can be around 100 words per minute. However it is not just typing speed that’s important as for many role accuracy is just as, if not more, important. Jobs such as a medical cleric or working with data entry must be accurate so therefore a lower typing speed is usually expected.
The highest typing speed role is by far a court reporter, they have to type around 225 WPM however to do this they have a specially laid out keyboard and they are given specific training for this role to ensure they are able to catch every word accurately and quickly.
Whichever role you’re going for the real key is practise practise practise as this is the most effective way of improving speed and accuracy in a short space of time.