A significant portion of an executive assistant’s responsibilities includes conducting research and preparing meeting documents, presentations, and reports as part of data entry. Consider that employers need these documents to conduct business operations efficiently.
Additionally, the documents act as channels of communication and collaboration among team members in an organization, like sharing meeting minutes. Therefore, while most people type at an average speed of 40 words per minute, the rate is deemed insufficient for executive assistants.
So, how fast should you type to consider picking the executive assistant open position in any job list? Let’s find out.
The average typing speed required for an executive assistant is 60 words per minute. However, this changes depending on the employer or the type of industry. For instance, an executive assistant tailoring their resume for a SaaS company might be better off with a typing speed of at least 75 words per minute.
Also, some employers expect their assistants to type as fast as 90 wpm. As a rule of thumb, an executive assistant must know how to type fast. Accuracy in typing is also part of the typing speed requirement.
Usually, the error rate allowed in typing is 3%, meaning only three errors are present in one hundred words.
Generally, the faster an executive assistant type, the faster they complete their work. But in a world where everything is going digital, typing fast is becoming a necessity. Think about it: typing fast enhances the pace of communication and data storage, and sharing within an organization.
It also ensures the needs of the company and an executive assistant’s employer are always met. This, in turn, ensures efficiency, collaboration, communication, and productivity in the workplace.
Additionally, typing speed contributes to business agility, adding immense value to organizations as it breaks market barriers and enhances organizational resilience to continually changing markets.
More than that, typing fast saves time: usually, an average typist spends at least three hours in a day sending messages, emails, or typing on social networks. On the other hand, a fast typistfinishes the same amount of work 35 minutes faster.
In a year, this amounts to 213 hours, which makes up about 21 days since active hours in a daily average of 10 hours. In business, these minutes are crucial because they are spent on more important or less mundane tasks that propel business growth.
That is why executive assistants with slow typing speeds are frowned upon in the job market.
Yes. A big part of being the best executive assistant is consistently working on improving one’s skills. There are typing games and typing tests to help you learn proper technique and bump up your average wpm. A typical typing speed test gives users one minute to type as many words as possible and displays their typing speed at the end.
Every executive assistant aims at an average typing speed of 80 words per minute. Notwithstanding, there are different typing methods to try, but the best one is the touch typing technique. The fastest typists direct their keystrokes with muscle memory, getting the right keys without typos.
Here, the typist is aware of all the keys on the keyboard and their placement, making it easy to maneuver from key to key. The fast typist doesn’t look at the keyboard when typing but instead focuses on the screen, yielding the fastest typing speeds and the greatest typing accuracy.
Looking at the screen allows you to quickly identify any errors you make in your writing. It also ingrains the keyboard type and key placements in memory. As a result, the typing speed increases since typing becomes more natural.
Additionally, the stillness of the palm determines the speed of typing. The secret here is to move the fingers only across the keyboard. The consistency of the finger pattern helps in reaching the next key effortlessly.
This is challenging at first, but 15 minutes a day of practice ensures the fingers learn the keyboard placement within a few weeks. These are some of the things that enhance typing speed and make it an automatic process:
It goes without saying, but type with two hands. However, the placement of your hands depends on the type of keyboard you choose and the number of typing fingers you use. Your speed also improves once you understand the layout of the keyboard and the position your hands take every time you type.
Usually, the best position is to place your hands in the middle of the keyboard. Called the home row, the middle position allows you to reach all the keys of the keyboard easily. You also return to this central and natural position fast and with little movement.
Use your little fingers to reach the keys on the farthest ends of the keyboard and the index fingers to tap on the central keys. For instance, the Qwerty keyboard’s central position is defined by the letters F and J.
These letters have a small bump to help you return to the central position without looking at the keyboard. Place the left hand near or over the letters ASDF and the right hand over JKL on the keyboard. The thumbs are always over the space bar.
Don’t shy away from trying different hand placement variations. The goal is to find a method of hand placement that suits your typing style. Find a position that is comfortable, natural, and that enhances your typing skills.
Most people are familiar with the qwerty keyboard, but other devices have different key styles. For instance, the DVORAK keyboard has letters arranged differently from the qwerty keyboard. With the DVORAK, the middle has the most common letters used in English.
The vowels are on the left, and you have the consonants on the right. As such, the hands don’t stray as far when using a DVORAK keyboard as they do on a Qwerty keyboard because most words have letters in the middle.
Therefore, most people type faster on a DVORAK keyboard than on a Qwerty keyboard. The bottom line is that preference determines the keyboard that is easier to use for each person. Nonetheless, the best option for increasing typing speed is to practice using both keyboards.
Also, try an ergonomic keyboard to ensure your wrist experiences minimal pain. The hands rest more naturally on these keyboards, making them the most comfortable to use when typing. As such, the typing speed might increase when using ergonomic keyboards.
The upright position in your chair allows you to type faster than slouching or on a couch. Sit on a straight-back chair with a desk in front and find a comfortable position for your hands to ensure you are not typing from an angle. Let the elbows rest on the table. Keep the wrists elevated slightly, not angled or bent.
A trick to ensure you type fast is to understand the topic beforehand. This exposes you to the words to type in the document, thus preparing you for typing. Additionally, technology makes it easy for anyone to improve their typing speed with online tests.
Use these tests to measure your typing speeds, implement these tactics, and manage your progress and accuracy. Work on practicing your typing speed as often as you can. Find time every day to type and monitor your accuracy and speed.
Take your time instead of rushing through the practice. The objective is to make your typing speed natural. As such, give it time to grow and improve.
Typing speed is a necessity for an executive assistant. This is why the average typing speed for an executive assistant is 60 words per minute, depending on the employer and the job description.
The most demanding executive assistant positions might require a rate as high as 100 words per minute. But typing speed is not enough. An executive assistant must know how to type accurately, no matter their pace.
Therefore, this is not a skill to take lightly. Instead, aspiring executive assistants should improve their typing speed to levels that deem their capabilities sufficient for the position.
Sources:
Why should business agility matter to your organization | The Agile Company
What is a good typing speed for an administrative assistant | Hacktivateed
How To Save 21 Days Per Year By Typing Fast | Lifehack
Several techniques of typing – Different typing methods | Online Typing