Question for HR types - interview advice please

In My Humble Opinion
1

I have many years of general office clerk experience. On a whim I applied for a job that I feel is way out of my league. For some crazy reason I was shortlisted and have an interview tomorrow morning.

One of the Requirements is a Certificate of training in Advanced Word (which I don’t have). Two of the Preferred qualifications are: experience in Visio and experience with Adobe InDesign (I have experience in neither).

My resume and my letter of application were not misleading or dishonest in any way. On my resume it indicates that back in 2000 I took an inhouse course in Intermediate Word (it was a one day session).

When I was contacted two days ago to schedule the interview, they asked that I bring in certificates of my training. :eek: I have a certificate for the Word course on my personnel file, but since I am no longer with that company, my file has been archived and there is no way I can obtain the certificate in time for my interview.

My questions are:
a) Is it appropriate to let them know that although I don’t have the certificate, I am hoping to have it next week and would be happy to forward it to them asap?
b) How should I handle an interview for a job for which I am woefully underqualified? I don’t feel confident at all about this!
c) I just found access to Visio and InDesign through a friend, but I certainly don’t have time to LEARN them before tomorrow morning. I thought I could quickly look at them tonight after work - would it be appropriate to mention this at the interview, or would it appear as if I was grasping at straws?

Help! Any advice would be fantastic … thank you!

2

I’m not a “HR type”, but I have interviewed plenty of people. Go to the interview. If someone asks for your Advanced Word certificate, explain that you have an Intermediate Word certificate but you won’t be able to produce it until later. Be honest about your complete lack of experience with the other software (only if asked, of course). Do not be surprised if you’re shown the door, but don’t assume that you will be.

3

I’m so concerned about finding the confidence to carry this off. :frowning:

4

Herein lies one of the problems (not with you, with them). In another thread, we discussed that the person who receives your resume will likely not be the person interviewing or hiring you. They may be screening them, passing along only that information which they find important. If the interviewer receives only basic information about you with this information omitted, they’ll probably assume that you have such a certification, since it’s a requirement.

I’m not sure why you didn’t mention this when asked to bring in your certificates of training. That would be the most appropriate time, IMO.

At this point, that’s probably your only option. You’d have been better off, I think, telling them this when they asked you to bring in your certificates during the phone call.

Just as you would any other, really. If you focus on your shortcomings, they’ll stand out not only to you, but to the interviewer as well. Not to be harsh, but if you were confident enough in your abilities to get this far in the process (even unintentionally), then you should be confident enough to interview.

I wouldn’t mention it that way at all. “Well, I’ve never seen either before, but yesterday a friend offered to help me learn them quickly” just means “No experience.” If you’re going to try to learn on your own, then the best way to approach this (IMO) is, when asked about your experience with either, to say that you have informal experience with both outside of work, and plan to acquaint yourself further with them on your own time.

If you tell the truth about (c), you’re going to come off as underqualified and unprepared. You could lie, but I wouldn’t recommend it. If it doesn’t come out during the interview, it will during your first few weeks. Since they’re preferred and not required, the ambiguous “I have access to both and am willing to hone my skills” may fly.

5

With the economy the way that it is, they probably had no shortage of applicants. Yet they picked you to interview. So why?

Sometimes the people who write up the requirements aren’t the ones conducting the interview. Sometimes that person will not know what you REALLY need to bring to the job.

I suppose I could give you some general advice like “be confident” and “be assertive” but I think what will better serve you is this: keep in mind that the number one thing the interviewer is looking for is how well you’ll be able to either do the job or adapt to what the job entails. In short, what can you do for the company?

Keep that in mind. Think tonight about some examples of how you’ve helped the companies you’ve worked for and how that will relate to this job. Especially think tonight about times when you’ve learned something new. A new program, a new concept, a new tool of the craft. This is important because if you’re only 50% of what they want, they’re going to want to know how long (or even if you’re able) to get up to speed on the rest.

Good luck.

6

OK, deep breath. You did a good thing in applying for something above your current job because you will have new challenges. It’s also brave to put yourself in a scary situation, and I feel your pain there.

However (1) They are seeing you because something about you looks valuable to them (2) Even if you crash and burn (which you won’t) you haven’t lost anything and you have gained interview experience.

As far as presenting yourself confidently, you can do it! I bet you have had to learn a lot of things on the job and on the fly in your jobs over the years, and you can show them that. Convince them that you have done it before and you can do it again with respect to new software. You take for granted all the things you have learned over the years because they come naturally to you but they are valuable. How do you relate to other people and problem-solve? If you are skilled at those things, that’s essential, and you can learn the other technical skills as you go. Did you pick up on Word after getting trained for one day, and how do you use it now? Let them know that you picked it up and ran with it and that you can do the same with Visio and InDesign.

If it helps, list all the things you have learned and examples of things you have accomplished. It may help to see that list grow as you realize all you can do and not just the things you don’t happen to have learned yet.

7

It would be helpful to know a little more about the general nature of the job. But here’s my take.

First, if asked about these software packages, emphasize all of the software you have learned to use. State that you don’t expect learning these packages to be a problem, since you are already familiar with … (note: this assumes you are generally proficient with a variety of office software. If you are someone who struggles with learning software, don’t get in over your head.)

Visio is used for making flow charts. Do you have experience making flow charts in Excel or PowerPoint or some other program? Talk about that. Those skills will transfer to Visio.

InDesign is a desktop publishing program. Do you have experience with other desktop publishing packages, such as Publisher or PageMaker? Again, talk about your desktop publishing software experience.

My guess is that people with experience with those 2 specific software packages are not all that common among the general office worker applicant pool. They will be more common in a communications/ graphic design applicant pool, but a) those people may expect more money and b) those people may not be interested in also doing general office work.

In any case, congrats on getting an interview. Focus on being positive and charming. It may get you this job, or if they can’t overlook these requirements, maybe they’ll be favorably impressed and consider you for a future job.

If they don’t ask about these specific skills, my advice is for you not to bring them up unless/ until you get an offer. Then, you might want to bring them up to avoid getting in over your head due to atomicbadgerrace’s first point. You probably don’t want to show up and take a job working for someone who’s under the mistaken impression that you have these skills. But I always say go into the interview trying to get the offer. Once you get the offer, you can consider whether you want to take it or not.

8

Thanks all …

To answer the poster who asked why I didn’t mention the lack of certificates during the initial phone call - (a) I was caught off guard, and (b) I thought there might be a chance I could either find my copy or retrieve it from my personnel file - I didn’t know it had already been archived.

I have an example of a document I created using Word - it is a technical document with labelled, photos, tables, and instructions. I was thinking I could bring that if they asked what I could do - OR - would that be instead showing them all the things I CAN’T do? Because while I’m proud of it, it’s not exactly tough to do for anyone that knows even a little bit about Word.

I don’t want to misrepresent myself in any way, but I also don’t want to shoot myself in the foot by being too self-effacing, because I am confident I can learn the skills necessary to do this job, and I think it would be a job that would really interest me and would take me in a different direction. Not to mention the fact that it pays almost $7 an hour more than my current job.

The job itself is called Document Services Operator and it sounds like it’s all about producing handbooks, brochures, posters and newsletters. There are proofreading aspects (I am a kick ass proofreader), transcribing from a dictation machine or notes or rough drafts, and it sounds like a big concern is accuracy, typing speed, ability to communicate, familiarity with office procedures & software.

I have worked with PowerPoint, FrontPage, Word, Excel, AutoCAD (a baby version of CAD), and many inhouse databases.

9

At a guess, they already have their chosen candidate and you’re just there to make up the numbers. So chill and go do your best with no expectation of an offer.

10

I would have a sample of work ready to send them if they follow up with a request for it, but no need to offer it during the interview.

If you’ve worked with AutoCAD you’ll be fine picking up Visio–it worked that way for me. I like how you’re enumerating what you’ve done and are comfortable with here, and that you are looking for new challenges. That’s the right attitude to go in with.

11

Thanks for the encouragement & the advice, esp gigi and Harriet! It’s in about an hour and a half and I feel a bit more comfortable and confident now … You guys rock! :slight_smile:

12

Update - the interview went well and I think I made a good impression. They were very friendly and it was a casual atmosphere, so I felt quite comfortable and relaxed.

I believe that although they liked me and I have a lot of what they’re looking for, the lack of Desktop Publishing experience will knock me out of the running.

But at least I left there feeling confident and happy, instead of embarrassed and bummed out.

13

I’m glad it went well overall! How exactly did the conversation about desktop publishing in particular go?

14

That was the only stumbling block. But of course I knew it would be! I was honest and said that although I didn’t have experience with those specific applications, I felt comfortable with my ability to learn the software and skills, because I pick up things very quickly. I gave them samples of a flowchart I did in Visio and a Technical document that I had done in Word (mentioned above) and told them I was very comfortable with PowerPoint and that I had taken a course in FrontPage. I felt that although those weren’t exactly what they were looking for, it showed that I have a lot of software skills and that I can learn a variety of applications.

They told me that the next step would be to test the 2 or 3 finalists with some hands-on tasks - a spreadsheet, Word doc, Visio, InDesign, and meeting the other people in the department to see how you might fit in.

I think they’re probably disappointed that I am missing a big piece of the overall package. But I know I kicked butt on the typing test and I believe I would be a very good fit for their department.

So I am going to cram on the software so that I can produce at least a basic pamphlet or brochure, just in case I make that next stage …

Thanks for asking gigi!

15

Well, you’ve already done the interview, so any advice would be a bit late. But my guess is: you have some experience with some of the skills required, but not all of them. This is perfectly common, I have been told by recruiters that a requirements list for most job postings are an ideal. It doesn’t mean a person who has every one of the skills listed will automatically be chosen over someone who doesn’t have all the skills. Of course it wouldn’t hurt either, but there are other things to consider.

I’ve worked with Visio and it is a very very simple program to use. You drag shapes over to your document and connect them with one of several different types of connectors. It’s about as basic as you can get. You also have experience with Powerpoint, Frontpage, Word, Excel, AutoCAD, and database software, all of which are much more complex than Visio.
I don’t know anything about Adobe InDesign, but if that and Visio are all you really lack, I’d say you have a serious shot at the job.

Good luck, and keep us posted!

16

Thanks Apocalypso! It’s always nice to hear encouraging words.

Even if nothing comes out of THIS interview, the whole experience has definitely taught me that I have nothing to lose by challenging myself and reaching for a position that is bigger & better than what I’m used to. I DESERVE to have a job that I enjoy and that is a stretch for me- I’ve played it safe for much too long! :slight_smile:

17

I am someone who plays it very safe too and I am very impressed by what you’ve done and how you presented yourself! Congratulations!

This is exactly right.

18

Great Stainz. Make the most of it.