Typing is a skill that that can be used in many occupations and situations - and most famously in secretarial jobs. Fast, accurate typists are always in demand and there are several tips that can help you to improve your typing skills.
These include tips which are quite simple to carry out by yourself, as well as ones which are perhaps a little more complex. But all of them will help you to develop your typing skills to a high level, a tool which is invaluable in the modern job market.
7 tips to improving your typing skills for secretarial jobs
- Take a class. Classes and courses are available for typists of all skill levels. Even if you are an experienced typist, it can't hurt to brush up on your technique or learn additional tips from professionals.
- Use both hands. Ten fingers are considerably faster than two, and the standard QWERTY keyboard was designed for typing this way.
- Adopt a good posture. This will help you to concentrate and alleviate the distracting aches, pains and minor discomforts that can all stem from sitting in a manner that does not help your posture.
- Test yourself. There are many free typing speed tests available online. Using them regularly can help you focus and keep track of your progress. If your typing speed has improved (and you can match results on a consistent basis) it may be time to update your CV accordingly.
- Don't look. An essential skill for highly skilled typists is the ability to concentrate on the source and let their fingers do the work. Try typing without looking at the keyboard. This will help familiarise the layout of the keys so you can eventually type automatically.
- Practice makes perfect.This is perhaps the single most important piece of advice. You don't necessarily have to practice typing the sort of material you might encounter at work. You could copy type a passage from a favourite book, while sending emails, live online chats and social media sites can all help to improve your typing skills – especially if you use the typing techniques that you would ordinarily use at work.
- Audio typing. The prerequisites for being a successful audio typist include the ability to type quickly and accurately. These days almost all typing is done on word processors rather than old-fashioned typewriters. This means that mistakes can usually be rectified later but it is also good practice to try and ensure there are as few mistakes as possible to begin with. Audio typing may involve transcribing from tapes and digital recordings, and may involve material such as medical dictation and board meeting minutes. Recordings can be paused and wound back, but live audio dictation involves typing dictation or dialogue as it occurs and can be even trickier. Audio typing, as opposed to copy typing, will require the typist to provide the grammar and correct spellings. This means that good English skills are essential. Courses are available that are tailored specifically towards audio typing and practice can help you to improve your speed.
