How to Assess MS Office Skills

How to Assess MS Office SkillsHow to Assess MS Office SkillsDespite attempts by heavyweights Google and Apple to gain market share, the Microsoft Office suite endures as the most widely used set of desktop applications across industries. They are flexible and easy to use, and they have become a mainstay in every geschftszimmer across the nation. Its no surprise MS Office skills are required for every type of administrative position, from executive assistant at a multinational corporation to receptionist at a property management firm.Tools of the TradeBusiness needs vary, but, in general, the MS Office applications required for most administrative jobs - and why - areOutlook Many admin positions involve scheduling appointments, managing calendars, and creating and maintaining contact and mailing lists.stimmt genau For many admins, the most frequent task is composing letters, documents, reports and sales material with this word-processing tool.Excel This program is routinely used in admin jobs to create and maintain expense reports as well as to generate graphs in Word documents and PowerPoint presentations.PowerPoint More and more admins are required to use this program to create slideshow presentations for meetings and verbunden marketing content.The level of knowledge needed for each application depends on the job. An admin who will primarily write letters, answer emails and set up meetings doesnt need to be an expert in Excels Pivot tables. On the other hand, someone who will be entering and manipulating numerical data and generating associated reports and graphs should be talented at Excel.Finding an MS WhizAll this means that, when hiring an administrative professional, one of the skills managers must be on the lookout for is MS Office knowledge. But how do you assess a candidates grasp of the suite, especially those programs and applications that are most pertinent to the job? The candidates resume, assessments tests, and the interview are all essential tools in evaluating a candidates proficiency, but pay attention to the following in particular1. Experience. A candidate who has already performed very similar tasks in another job likely has the skills you need. Ask not only what office applications the candidate used, but also how they were used. Probe for examples. Another opportunity to verify the applicants experience level is during the reference stage. As Panicia Stroski, OfficeTeam Division Director in the San Francisco Bay Area, advises, When doing reference checks, ask previous managers what applications the candidate used in previous roles and how they would rate their proficiency level.2. Courses and certifications. Be on the lookout for solid proof of a candidates proficiency. A 101 Excel course at the community college level indicates basic knowledge of the application. A course taught by an e-learning lieferant that partners directly with Microsoft or one that offers targeted online learning, such as SkillPort, has mo re credibility. The number of course hours is a good indication of the depth of the course, as is the type of content. Passing the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) test is valid proof that the candidate has been trained in the software using scenarios that closely resemble everyday situations. The MOS Championship, for the highest-scoring certified members, is evidence of expert skill level.3. Testing. In-person computerized assessments validate a candidates MS Office capabilities. There are tests for evaluating basic, intermediate and advanced proficiency in Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint, as well as assessments that focus on particular features of a program. Several companies provide standard assessments, but make sure you choose a reputable one to ensure scores are meaningful. Tiffany Arcaris, Branch Manager at OfficeTeam in Salt Lake City, and Amy Keitt, Branch Manager at OfficeTeam in Baltimore, say they have been using Proveit to assess candidates with excellent results. 4. Assembling a team. Recruiters specializing in finding administrative talent have the tools and experience to evaluate a candidates MS Office skills because they are familiar with the various training and assessment platforms. An admin staffing professional is able to interpret test scores and evaluate skill levels easily, says Tiffany Arcaris. They also know which questions to ask and where to look for red flags, making them ideal for conducting a thorough screening process.5. Interviewing. Once a shortlist of candidates has been selected, its time to conduct interviews in house. Be sure to include on the interview team any supervisors the new employee would report to because they would know firsthand the conditions and requirements of the job, and which specific features of each MS Office program the candidate needs to know to perform their daily tasks. Amy Keitt encourages her clients to hold working interviews, giving applicants a project to complete on software they will be e xpected to use most often. She points out, Many candidates who may not necessarily articulate themselves as well during a traditional interview do much better when evaluated in action. Hands-on testing reveals not only the extent of a candidates skill level, but also how long it takes to complete a task.The continued relevance of Microsoft Office programs ensure their high demand in the administrative work world. Assessing a candidates skill set is easier than ever with a range of tools at any hiring managers disposal. Looking to hire a great admin right away? We can help you find candidates with the MS Office skills you need.Interview administrative candidates right awayIf youre hiring an administrative professional, we can help make the process easier. You can see profiles of skilled administrative candidates in your area using our online database. Tell us who catches your eye, and we can arrange an interview or placement ASAP.Find administrative assistant candidates in Austin, Te xasFind executive assistant candidates in Boise, IdahoFind receptionist candidates in Charlotte, N.C.Find executive administrative assistant candidates in Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto, Calif.Find administrative coordinator candidates in Tucson, Ariz.

Salesman Uses Excel to Get a Job Hundreds Wanted

Salesman Uses Excel to Get a Job Hundreds WantedSalesman Uses Excel to Get a Job Hundreds WantedBryan Stinson used Excel spreadsheets to organize his professional network and had about 100 people helping him look for a job.Bryan Stinsons approach to the job search wont work for everyone. He is methodical. He is patient. He is slow.When he began his most recent job search, he had a job and the resources to take his time. It took him 18 months to find his next position. He likes to say that he doesnt look for a job he looks for a career path.The question I asked myself when weighing the options was, Will this company provide me with a career path that I want to be on? This job is going to have to get me my next job. He recognizes that his pace wont work for everyone, but some of his tactics can. The methodical approach he took to networking is a lesson in how to marshal your colleagues and friends to help you find the right job. By his own count, Stinson, a technology salesman from Sal t Lake City, had about 100 people helping him find a job. Doing it took discipline.Stinson was working as a salesman for a technology company outside Salt Lake City, when the company was acquired in June 2008. His role changed and he was asked to relocate.I asked myself, If I dont binnensee myself in this role long term, why take on a lot of risk, in a new role, with a new manager? It didnt make a lot of sense.Still, acutely aware of the dismal economy, he wasnt ready to leave his job just yet. He spent much of his week making sales trips and softly interviewing, seeing what was out there, polishing my interview skills and testing my resume to see what response I could get. It was just a casual thing, as I tried to figure out what I wanted to do.He spoke to recruiters about potential positions and joined SalesLadder to investigate openings. But because he was working, he didnt feel the need to jump at every job.Part of my approach came from a conversation I had with my brother, he s aid. He told me that for every $10,000 you want to earn, you should invest a month in the job you want to find. The right company, the right pay structure - you dont find that overnight. So I wanted to take my time in coming to a decision.100 people looking for a job for meOnce he decided to leave his employer, Stinson used a Microsoft bro Excel spreadsheet to compile a list of everyone he knew.I put everyone on that list - friends from Facebook, LinkedIn contacts, neighbors, business partners I had worked with in the past - and it grew very quickly. When you do that, you think, I dont know that many people, but you surprise yourself how many people you know.Stinson then broke the list down into people to call and people to e-mail, and started contacting people.Once someone knew I was on the market, it was like someone else was working for you, he said. I had 100 people looking for a job for me.One of those people was his former boss. By April, when the company he had been workin g for was restructured, he was reassigned to a new supervisor, but he remained friends with his previous boss. When he made up his spreadsheet, his former boss was at the top of the list.I reached out to him and we had a general discussion, Stinson said. And about four weeks later he called me and asked if I was still looking, because he knew someone who was looking to hire an account manager.The position, with one of the top five software vendors in the country, was for someone to oversee 10 accounts in the Great Salt Lake Valley of Utah.There were hundreds of people applying for this job, but his recommendation was favored very highly. I was one of three people short-listed for the job, he said.Stinson started his new position in December, and hes happily becoming acquainted with people in Utah, he said.Its ironic, he said, that despite living his entire life in Utah, every job Ive had since graduation has required me to travel to some other location to transact business. I know more people professionally in New York and New Jersey than Utah, he said.I knew I needed to build my professional network in my own backyard.After a long, deliberate search, Stinson said his career path is now clear to him.This is a company that cares about its people and their development. The path to management is clear its available. Its what I was looking for when I started this search.

Why So Many People Won#8217;t Talk to You, if You Aren#8217;t a Wireless Phone (Part II)

Why So Many People Won8217t Talk to You, if You Aren8217t a Wireless Phone (parte II) Why So Many People Won8217t Talk to You, if You Aren8217t a Wireless Phone (Part II) Because of such technology, people who are physically distant are treated as though they are near, while most of those who are physically near, e.g., at a bus stop, in a hostel or in an elevator, are treated as though they are distant, out of view, out of mind and out of bounds- except for those already admitted into ones digitally-welded, pre-existing social (media) circle.Here, in Part II, the reasons listed in Part I for the massive disconnect with the mass of other humanity are explored in greater detail1. The rise of the cyborgs and other machines The machines have spoken- they, e.g., iPhones, computers and iPads, are more interesting than we are, so when we are given a forced choice between spending time with a new iPhone and a new person, the machine wins. Ask any kid given the choice between saying hello t o a visitor or continuing to play his computer game.The extreme manifestation of this is trans-humanism, in which human perfection is a blending of man and cyborgish add-ons, surrogates or prosthetics that make humans seem lame and the gleaming machine an ideal to aspire to. Movies like Iron Man are the tip of this steel-and-chromeberg.As a result, ordinary humans- especially those not already in ones inner circle- seem boring, limited and otherwise imperfect.In fact, it may be argued that the only reason ur friends we phone do not seem equally boring is that they give us one more excuse to use or celebrate our wireless phones, or because their participation is required for some of its applications, just as many kids computer games still, but perhaps only temporarily, require other human rivals or partners.2. Stranger danger The more strangers there are, the greater the number, if not percentage, of real or imagined psychopaths in the population and the larger the anonymous crowd in to which they can blend and hide.Add sensationalized news coverage of the nut jobs and criminals to the fearful mix, which ensures that stranger conceptually and emotionally morphs to strangler.Hence, time on a mobile phone is perceived as a safer choice than time chatting with a stranger, especially more fun than the time spent on making 911 calls about the weird ones. Ditto for digital social media like Facebook or Skype.In fact, these digital technologies are now laminated onto or compete with each other to create an even thicker security blanket. Mike Lewthwaite, 24, manager of the St. Andrews Tourist Hostel (where I welches comfortably ensconced for the New Year holiday, in St. Andrews, Scotland, 2013), expressed his puzzlement at how young women in local pubs will ask for a guys Facebook page, rather than a phone number (at least in part, it seems, to confirm identity, credibility and innocuousness).The embedded (digital) message Your Facebook page is more you than you are, st ranger.3. Time stress In an economy in which money muscle means money hustle, time is micro-managed. As digital technology makes contacting those we already know easier, it also makes it more professionally or socially obligatory as prescribed digital etiquette, since easier communication not only allows, but also demands more frequent communication.Hence, for every minute a mobile phone saves, theres probably one it uses up in the process of social or job-network maintenance/lubrication and making those one already knows feel special.In any case, there are obvious tradeoffs, in terms of time saved, gained and lost. Such time stress and tradeoffs leave little to no time for strangers- anywhere, anytime.4. Increased conversational and social control There is brilliant underlying social engineering embodied in a mobile phone. It increases control over ones social interactions to levels hard to reach in face-to-face conversation.For example, all manner of unchallengeable excuses for te rminating a conversation become available when the talk switches from face-to-face to place-to-place phone-mediated talk, since disproving that you are walking into a meeting (when you arent) is all but impossible in phone conversations. (However, some control is lost in having no place to hide from the technology, even after work.)5. Homogenization and trivialization of strangers As Ive argued elsewhere, we have become social victims of our economic successes. The triumph of 20th-century democracy and capitalism has not only leveled many playing fields, but has also made the players more indistinguishable from each other.What seems like eons ago, interacting with strangers who didnt appear to be dangerous previously held some promise of a mini-adventure, since there were expected differences in outlook, education, life experience, values, possessions and interests associated with them, kinds of books enjoyed, pastimes and hobbies, travel stories and venues, etc.In those perhaps ove r-romanticized days, there was an easily imagined opportunity cost associated with not engaging a safe-looking stranger when there was absolutely nothing else to do under the circumstances (except silently stand in line, sit on a bench, look out a bus window at the rain, stare at the elevator buttons, etc.).Thats completely changed Now, the homogenization of human types and talents, through mass higher education, mass-media and marketing-driven personality shaping, easy and affordable access to the saatkorn mass-marketed toys (such as iPhones, SUVs, running shoes, a safari in Kenya, a masters degree), and the standardization of the appetite for and response to the entertainment culture have made the prospect of talking with a stranger generally unintriguing, unexciting, unentertaining, and neither exotic nor adventurous.More commonly, that stranger is now seen as boringly familiar and therefore predictable at best or an annoyance, a burden an invalidating, trivializing clone of ones elf, a distraction, a competitor, or, worse, a menacing maniac or exhausting parasite.6. Intolerance and fear of homogeneity Sure, like Chinese senior citizens whose homogeneous circumstances and uniform taste for mahjong and cards fill the many tables in the many lovely parks throughout China (illustrated below), strangers can come together precisely because of, rather than in spite of, the perceived homogeneity of their interests and objectives- including for the purpose of mutually validating their homogeneous identities, opportunities and circumstances.But that works better in a culture in which homogeneity and being the same as others is not only well-tolerated, but also valued.It works less well in more individualistic (or narcissistic) societies like many of those in the West, in which not only do so many individuals want to be precisely that- and not just individuals, but also special individuals who want to feel special, and preferably unique, by associating only with speci al (but not weird) individuals or groups (such as a Facebook circle).In highly individualistic cultures, the encroachment of homogenization as a threat to specialness of identity and experience is, where not strenuously resisted, assiduously exploited, e.g., in tattoo or Goth subcultures, which fight the homogeneity of appearance and values through artistic novelty of design and innovative technique, while exploiting the sameness for the purposes of specialness by excluding any stranger easily identifiable as outside the subculture.Ironically, the same exclusion can apply to a stranger who far from being outside the subcultural inner circle is clearly within it. In that case, such a like-minded, like-looking stranger may be shunned because of the trivializing, invalidating effect it has on ones presumptively special, yet fragile identity.For example, this kind of thinking and behavior typifies the instinctive distancing, non-engaging, resentful response of many overseas travelers to other compatriot Cinderellas who show up at the same travel ball, e.g., trekking the Himalayas, as trivializing, and therefore invalidating clones.Its much better for ones ego to tell others back home about ones special experience by phone or email, since they will not be on pranke to trivialize it by making it less rare. Interaction with strangers is desirable only to the extent that they validate, rather than trivialize us.7. Customization of strangers Ironically, concurrent with the boredom of homogenization of tastes and lifestyle toys is the chore of dealing with the customization of these, in the form of niche or merely radically different interests and other lifestyle dimensions.As the technological and marketing flip-side of mass homogenization, mass customization (brilliantly anticipated by Alvin Toffler in his now-classic Future Shock) creates huge numbers of strangers to whom we can relate only by making an equally huge effort to do so.The guy sitting next to you on the train reading Credit Default Swaps and Other Derivatives has a niche interest that probably hasnt interested you and never will, especially if youre reading Arts and Crafts for Kids.Making the effort to change that seems to be too much of a chore, so, you remain silent, and return to your iPhone Google search, trout and bass fishing lures or history of Norwegian end tables.8. Superiority of digital to face-to-face information flow A traditional benefit of talking face-to-face with strangers was the information they had- Excuse me, where can I find a blacksmith?. No longer. The smart phones information access, including detailed maps and street views, dwarfs the archives of the average human mind, including the minds of travelers.Thats another reason why, these days, hostel guests seem to interact much less than one would expect. Compounding the disconnect on the supply side (in virtue of a much larger and better supply of online information than of private anecdotal knowledge) is th e demand-side drawback of asking strangers for information Asking has come to seem suspicious, lazy or old, as a dated, obsolete alternative to rubbing the iPhone magic lamp for answers and wish fulfillment.Ironically, digital talk is often superior to face-to-face for the opposite reason It provides less, rather than more babble, e.g., in text messaging, which generally spares the reader the endless Im likes of modern youth-talk.9. Diminishing marginal utility of strangers Ive said it before and will say it again (having first said it when I was a teenager) People are like fractions- the more you multiply them, the smaller they get. Besides causing disconnects with and disregard of strangers, the smart phones popularity may, ironically, be a consequence of precisely these two distancers, viz., disconnection and disregard.Tuning out of strangers because there are too many of us may drive iPhone purchases as much as being driven by them. An independent variable driving both may be hi gh- often absurdly high- population densities the higher the population density, the bigger the disconnect and the greater the disregard.Lower population densities and smaller total local population may be a factor in the incredible friendliness of the Scots toward strangers (including and not only me). With a total population of less than 6 1000000 and smaller than New York Citys, Scotland (as well as Ireland) has a demographic framework highly conducive to the survival of a village mind set.The Scots and the Irish are uniformly (and here I mean 100% in my six weeks experience in Scotland and Irelands small towns and big cities during my 2013 visit) hospitable, relaxed, curious and friendly. One possible reason for this is that they seem to have healthy vestiges of the kind of village mind so prevalent among the comparably friendly mainland Chinese.The latter, despite migrations to Chinas huge population centers, retain (for now, at least) their village values, personalities and en joyment (or at least civil acceptance) of the existence of another human- even if (s)hes a stranger.(The only exceptions in my 2013 half-year travels in these countries were one cranky drunk on a Glasgow bus and a nutty old woman demanding money for taking a photo of someone elses water buffalo in Yangshuo, China.)Given the choice between having an iPhone or the chance to meet a Scottish, Irish or Chinese villager, Id take that chanceespecially since it would be offered by them.