Today’s job market is as tough as ever. Though there are plenty of open positions posted every day in the newspaper classifieds and on Internet job boards, competition for these openings is intense. Partly as a result of those online job postings, recruiters and hiring managers are receiving more résumés for each position than ever before. The bar has been raised for entry-level positions because employers can now demand – and find – people with more and better computer skill training. In this competitive landscape, you, the job seeker, need at least basic computer skill training to get noticed.
While a strong résumé and a compelling cover letter are important marketing tools for the job seeker, they won’t get you too far if they don’t contain the skills and experience relevant to the position. Experience only comes with time, but you can start today with basic computer training for the skills you need to land that new job.
Computer skill training used to be highly specialized, and only certain positions were expected to know how to communicate via e-mail, use a word processor or manipulate a spreadsheet. Today, however, most employers expect candidates to have at least basic computer skill training in these areas. If you don’t have basic computer skill training in these key areas, you can start today to learn computer basics. In a short time, you’ll be able to add this valuable expertise to your résumé and start down the road toward landing that next job.
Communicating Via E-mail
Today’s office environment relies heavily on e-mail for communicating important information, scheduling meetings and appointments, and even managing projects. It is not uncommon for an office worker to process hundreds of e-mails per day. Employees must learn computer basics in an e-mail program to communicate important information to employees, provide status updates to customers, collaborate with coworkers and seek updates from suppliers all done via e-mail in many companies.
Because the use of e-mail is so pervasive in the modern workplace, employers often assume their employees already have basic computer skill training with e-mail tools. If you want to hit the ground running and excel in a new job, you must have basic computer skill training with at least one of these tools. Look for online courses and other basic computer skills training materials to help you master Microsoft® Outlook®, Lotus Notes® or Novell® GroupWise®, some of the most common tools used to send, receive and manage e-mail. Take a computer skill training course and update your résumé with this valuable skill set.
Using a Word Processor
Not so long ago, knowledge of the latest electronic typewriters was enough to distinguish an administrative office professional among his or her peers. Today, however, the tool of choice for written documents is word processing software on the computer, and employees must have at least basic computer skill training with word processing tools. Microsoft Word and Corel® WordPerfect® are two of the most common word processing applications on the market today.
While the basic skills of word processing are similar to those used for typing, word processors contain a number of powerful, advanced features that require computer skill training. A number of basic computer skill training courses – some available free online – will help you learn computer basics, such as how to use the numerous formatting and automation features available in Word and WordPerfect. If you can show your prospective employer that you have more advanced computer skill training, such as creating a mail merge for form letters or inserting charts, pictures and tables in a document, you’ll quickly distinguish yourself from applicants who do not have that computer skill training.
Manipulating a Spreadsheet
Spreadsheets are some of the most powerful tools a company has for collecting, manipulating and making sense of information. As such, they require the most advanced computer skill training. The complex computer systems used in most businesses have made an overwhelming volume of data available to the company’s decision makers, but tools like spreadsheets are needed to turn that data into useful information. Because so many companies have begun to understand the competitive and strategic power of this information, spreadsheets have moved beyond the traditional analytical functions of the business – such as accounting, finance and information systems – and are now basic computer skill training in marketing, human resources, sales and most other functions.
While there are a number of spreadsheet applications on the market today, Microsoft’s Excel® is by far the most popular. Excel’s vast catalog of features and functionality make it one of the most robust tools available to anyone trying to wrangle and make sense out of data. The job candidate who has enough computer skill training in Excel to organize information, perform mathematical functions, and even create charts and graphs will stand head and shoulders above those without this computer skill training.
Job hunting can be a difficult and disheartening experience. In a competitive and ever-changing world, today’s job seeker must distinguish themself from the pack of job applicants with their computer skill training and experience. While computers are just one piece of the puzzle, having basic computer skill training in some of the basic software applications used in today’s office environment is bound to pay dividends and get you noticed over candidates who lack these valuable skills.
