I've interviewed hundreds of job candidates from clerks to engineering managers and was once over 350 employees in 3 locations across the US. Unless you're looking for an executive assistant position, I think you can get by with very basic MS Office skills.
People with MS Office skills are a dime a dozen. As Janet said, you can learn Excel and Word on your own. Your most important skill set(s) are:
- Attitude. I don't how many posts I've written about this. If you display a negative attitude here, guess what? Do you really think you can put on a false pretense and fool an experienced manager? They can see right down to your core whether you display it during an interview or not. Truuuuust me on this.
- Common sense. This was HUGE for me! Thank you for your degrees and your MS Office skills but do you have your head on straight? Can you identify and think through a problem?
- Willingness to tackle and LEARN new things. Do you give up before you start? This is incredibly important and will get you more money down the road.
- Cooperation. We have work to do. Don't make me deal with mr/ms grumpy. I have things I want to share with you and things to teach you. Learn them well and you'll get paid well.
- Team spirit. How did you do in your grade school report card in the little box that says, "Gets along well with other people"? Think deep about that. May be time to pick up and read "How to Make Friends and Influence People", then apply it! A big item that managers will analyze about you.
- Customer service. Do you understand internal customer service? Learn to reach beyond your job description to help other departments. They may like you and hire you for more $. At the very least you will be the talk at the manager meetings.
Amber, the perky front receptionist greeted me as I went in for a manager interview. When I started, I noticed she was gone. I asked what happened and the VP told me she had an attitude problem, so they moved her out to the warehouse. On occasion I would go out to the warehouse and look for a part. They (me) hadn't set up an inventory control system yet, so people were a bit lost. I asked Amber if she knew. "Go down aisle 7, 3/4 way down, on your left side, belly button high." She didn't HAVE to know this, but she did. Perfect candidate for daily cycle counts and monthly inventory. She was a sponge, and I gave her more and more tasks. Eighteen months later she was Warehouse Coordinator over the warehouse supervisor with a salary greater than his. She was frightened at first, but I never had a warehouse manager quite like her and she was always a step ahead of me. No matter the position always be a step ahead. That means pulling something out from within you and pushing yourself.
I have a hundred Ambers I can tell you about. They were all people who were willing to learn new things, extend themselves for others and to think outside of their sphere.
There are so many jobs that require skills beyond basic typing and spreadsheets. Basic accounting skills (take a class, I did!), ability to learn data entry using specialized software for that particular job, ::::solving problems::::: and developing a Midas touch for handling people. These are a few basic things that will make you valuable in a general work environment. Specialty skills may be developed as you go along and make you more valuable.
Purchasing assistant, inventory control assistant, inside sales, payroll, marketing assistant, engineering office assistant, service department assistant, warranty clerk, specialty cashiering (yes, some cashiering gets difficult) may all be learned on the job. Now you have something to take with you.
Last thought, if you're having trouble getting past an HR manager, look for places of employment that don't have one per se. Cut out the middleman. My wife is an office manager. She just got a new employee that never applied or interviewed. She came with a recommendation from a friend of a friend, of a friend after her job got automated remotely. She said the gods were with her when she got the job.
Good things happen to good people. |
| Messages in this Thread |
|  Mortgage Applications Plunge to a 25-year low and are 90% - grapebed on 10/5/22 7:07pm |
|  Re: Mortgage Applications Plunge to a 25-year low and are 90% - PaigeTurner on 10/6/22 9:08am |
| This will pass after a long, bumpy ride we may not survive. n/m - Lee/AR on 10/6/22 9:32am |
|  Notaries will survive if this gig is simply a hobby, which - grapebed on 10/6/22 12:16pm |
|  I do take exception to your statement that "notaries will -  MW/VA on 10/6/22 2:06pm |
|  Re: I do take exception to your statement that "notaries will - grapebed on 10/6/22 2:47pm |
|  I have plenty of other skills, but can't do full-time for - MW/VA on 10/6/22 3:32pm |
| Re: Notaries will survive if this gig is simply a hobby, which - SteveS/CA on 10/6/22 3:28pm |
| Re: Notaries will survive if this gig is simply a hobby, which - PaigeTurner on 10/6/22 3:34pm |
| It's all up to you... - JanetK_CA on 10/7/22 1:40am |
| Re: Yes it is up to each person - Carolyn Bodley on 10/7/22 10:46am |
|  yes, yes, yes Janet and Carolyn! n/m - sigtogo/OR on 10/7/22 11:24am |
 | Very well said and right on target - Bear900/CA on 10/7/22 11:34am |
| Excellent post Bear! Must read for anyone looking for work n/m - sigtogo/OR on 10/7/22 12:49pm |
|  Couldn't agree more! Excellent stuff!! - JanetK_CA on 10/7/22 1:18pm |
| Re: What is sad is the 60 to 70 somethings, and possibly - Carolyn Bodley on 10/7/22 7:36pm |
| LIKE! such a great description of what employers look for - Cheryl Elliott on 10/8/22 5:57pm |
| Re: LIKE! such a great description of what employers look for - PaigeTurner on 10/8/22 7:53pm |
|  Re: LIKE! such a great description of what employers look for - JanetK_CA on 10/9/22 4:25pm |
|  Re: LIKE! such a great description of what employers look for - PaigeTurner on 10/10/22 9:45am |
|  Re: LIKE! such a great description of what employers look for - JanetK_CA on 10/10/22 3:43pm |
| Chamge is good, and we don't grow without it but - PaigeTurner on 10/8/22 7:37pm |
| Re: Chamge is good, and we don - Yoli/CA on 10/10/22 5:28am |
