Should You Put Typing Speed on Your Resume?
Should you put typing speed on your resume? Only for the right jobs and above a certain WPM. Here's when to list it, what number to use, and how to prove it.
TypingFastest Team
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In This Article
- 1. The Quick Verdict on Listing Typing Speed
- 2. When Typing Speed Belongs on a Resume
- 3. When to Leave It Off
- 4. What WPM Is Worth Listing
- 5. How to Prove Your Typing Speed
- 6. How to Phrase It on Your Resume
- 7. What Recruiters Actually Think About It
- 8. Sharpen Your Number Before You Apply
- 9. Typing Speed for Remote and Gig Work
- 10. Frequently Asked Questions
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The Quick Verdict on Listing Typing Speed
Every few weeks someone asks whether typing speed belongs on a modern resume, and the answers online are all over the place. Some say it's a relic; others swear it landed them an interview. The truth sits in between and depends entirely on the job.
> Quick answer: Put typing speed on your resume only if the role involves heavy typing (data entry, transcription, admin, customer support) and only if your WPM is genuinely good — 60+ at minimum, ideally with accuracy. For developer, management, or creative roles, leave it off; it adds nothing and can look like filler. Confirm your real number first on a free typing test.
Here's exactly when to include it, what number to use, and how to back it up so it helps instead of hurting.
When Typing Speed Belongs on a Resume
For some jobs, typing speed isn't a nice-to-have — it's a core requirement, and listing it answers a question the recruiter was going to ask anyway. Data entry, medical and legal transcription, virtual assistant work, court reporting, administrative roles, and high-volume customer support all live or die on how fast and accurately you type.
For these, a strong WPM is a real differentiator. Many of these listings even state a minimum (often 50–60 WPM, sometimes a keystrokes-per-hour figure), so putting your number front and center shows you clear the bar without the recruiter having to test you. If you're targeting any of these, I'd treat typing speed the same way a driver treats a clean licence — expected, and worth stating plainly. I covered which roles weight it most in typing speed for jobs.
The rule of thumb: if the job description mentions typing, data entry, accuracy, or keystrokes at all, your WPM belongs on the page.
When to Leave It Off
For most professional roles, typing speed on a resume is at best neutral and at worst a small red flag. Nobody hiring a software engineer, a marketing manager, an accountant, or a designer cares whether you type 60 or 100 WPM — the job is about judgment, not keystrokes.
Worse, listing it for those roles can signal that you're padding. A recruiter scanning a developer resume who sees "Typing: 95 WPM" wedged between skills might wonder why you thought that was the strongest thing to mention. It's prime resume real estate spent on something irrelevant.
There's a softer reason too: a generic "75 WPM" with nothing to verify it reads as fluff. If the role doesn't demand speed and you can't tie it to a real outcome, the line does more for your word count than for your candidacy. When in doubt and the job doesn't mention typing, leave it off and use that space for an accomplishment.
What WPM Is Worth Listing
If you've decided the role justifies it, the next question is whether your number is actually worth showing. Listing a below-average speed does you no favours.
The average adult types around 40 WPM, so anything in that range is just average — not worth a line. The threshold where it starts to impress is roughly 60 WPM, and 70–100 WPM is the sweet spot for typing-heavy roles: clearly fast, clearly useful, still believable. Crossing 100 WPM is genuinely top-few-percent territory, which I broke down in is 100 WPM fast; list it if you've got it, but be ready to prove it.
Always pair the number with accuracy. "90 WPM at 98% accuracy" is far stronger than "90 WPM" alone, because for data entry a fast typist who makes mistakes is a liability. If you're not sure where your honest number lands, the average typing speed chart shows what's worth claiming.
How to Prove Your Typing Speed
Here's the mistake people make: they write a WPM on the resume they've never actually verified, then freeze when an interviewer hands them a keyboard. Don't claim a number you can't reproduce on demand.
Before you list anything, take a proper typing test a few times on the keyboard you'd realistically use, and take the middle of your scores rather than your single best run. That middle number is the one you can defend. Many data-entry employers will give you a live typing test as part of the interview, so the figure on your resume needs to be one you hit on an average day, not your lifetime peak.
If you want something concrete to point to, a screenshot of a recent result or a typing certificate from a recognized test gives the claim weight. The key is honesty: a verifiable 70 WPM beats an unverifiable 100 WPM every time, because the second one collapses the moment someone asks you to demonstrate it.
How to Phrase It on Your Resume
If typing speed makes the cut, presentation matters. Don't give it its own heading or a whole line of empty space — fold it into your skills section where it reads as one credential among others.
Good, clean options: "Typing: 80 WPM (98% accuracy)" in a skills list, or worked into a bullet like "Processed 200+ records daily at 80 WPM with 98% accuracy." That second version is the strongest because it ties the speed to an actual result, which is what recruiters remember. For an admin or support role, something like "Fast, accurate typist (85 WPM) supporting high-volume email and chat" frames the speed as a benefit to the employer, not a trivia fact about you.
Keep it short, keep it honest, and always pair speed with accuracy. Done right, it's a quiet credibility boost for the jobs that care — and once your number is solid, you can keep it sharp by treating a quick multiplayer typing race as practice between applications.
What Recruiters Actually Think About It
It helps to see this from the other side of the desk. For a typing-heavy role, a recruiter scanning fifty resumes is genuinely looking for a speed number — it's a quick filter that saves them a screening step, and a clear "80 WPM, 98% accuracy" line moves you toward the yes pile. According to general career guidance from sources like Indeed, listing a relevant, quantified skill is exactly what recruiters want to see for roles where that skill is core.
For everyone else, the reaction is mild at best. A recruiter hiring a project manager doesn't have "typing speed" on their checklist, so the line gets skimmed past or, occasionally, raises an eyebrow about why you led with it. It rarely actively hurts you, but it spends attention you could have spent on something they do care about.
There's also the applicant tracking system to consider. Many resumes get filtered by software before a human sees them, and those systems match against the job description's keywords. If the listing says "data entry, 60 WPM minimum," then having "60 WPM" on your resume can literally help you clear the filter. If the listing never mentions typing, the keyword does nothing. That's the cleanest test there is: mirror the job description, and let it decide for you.
Typing Speed for Remote and Gig Work
One place typing speed quietly pays off more than ever is remote and freelance work, and it's worth a separate mention because the resume rules shift a little there.
Remote data entry, virtual assistant gigs, online transcription, chat-based customer support, and content moderation all reward fast, accurate typists, and many of these are hired through profiles and applications rather than traditional resumes. On freelance platforms, a verified typing speed can be a genuine differentiator because clients are filtering a sea of identical-looking profiles and a concrete "90 WPM, 99% accuracy" gives them a reason to click. Here, the number isn't padding — it's a selling point tied directly to how much work you can turn around.
The catch is the same as everywhere: it has to be real and it has to come with accuracy. Remote employers often run a live typing test during onboarding precisely because anyone can type a number into a profile. So if you're leaning on speed to win gig work, make sure the figure is one you hit consistently, not your one good day. Practising a few minutes daily on a typing test keeps the number sharp, and treating it as a real, maintained skill — not a one-time stat — is what turns it into steady remote income rather than a line that falls apart under the first real test.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should you put typing speed on your resume?
Only for typing-heavy roles like data entry, transcription, admin, or customer support, and only if your speed is 60+ WPM. For developer, management, or creative jobs, leave it off — it's irrelevant and can look like filler. Verify your real number on a [typing test](/practice) first.
What typing speed should I put on my resume?
List it only if you're above roughly 60 WPM; 70–100 WPM is the impressive, believable range for typing-heavy roles. Always pair it with accuracy, e.g. "85 WPM at 98% accuracy," since speed without accuracy is a liability for data entry.
Is 40 WPM worth putting on a resume?
No. Around 40 WPM is the adult average, so it doesn't differentiate you and may read as padding. Use that resume space for an accomplishment instead, and only list typing speed once you've practised past the 60 WPM mark.
How do I prove my typing speed to an employer?
Take a reputable typing test several times and claim the middle score, not your best. Many employers run a live typing test in the interview, so list a number you can reproduce on an average day. A recent result screenshot or certificate adds credibility.
Where should typing speed go on a resume?
Fold it into your skills section or a relevant bullet point, never as its own heading. The strongest format ties it to a result, like "Processed 200+ records daily at 80 WPM with 98% accuracy," which recruiters remember far better than a bare number.
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