KaraBoo
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Post by KaraBoo on Jul 27, 2012 6:47:49 GMT -5
What would you think about an interview applicant that mentioned they know how to use Lotus 1-2-3 while also mentioning they are proficient with other programs as well?
I attempted to look up the latest version of this program and everything I was finding referenced the early 90's as the most recent mention. Is that accurate? Does anyone still use this program?
I am about to go to work and may not have a chance to respond to any questions until later, but I'll be back.
Thanks for any thoughts you might have!
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Post by BeenThere...DoneThat... on Jul 27, 2012 6:52:41 GMT -5
...I wouldn't worry about it... that was pre-excel years... it's still good spreadsheet familiarity... if you want more than just familiarity, then test them on excel... happy hiring!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 27, 2012 7:14:42 GMT -5
I would think that they hadn't been on a computer in a decade or more...
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Miss Tequila
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Post by Miss Tequila on Jul 27, 2012 7:44:27 GMT -5
"I would think that they hadn't been on a computer in a decade or more... "
or they don't have a lot of accomplishments so they are really scratching for things to put down...how old IS the applicant? I used Lotus in college but I can't remember when I made the switch to excel...it was very similar to excel from what I can remember...but I only used it for basic functions.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 27, 2012 7:56:03 GMT -5
I would think that they hadn't been on a computer in a decade or more... I guess this means I should add my FORTRAN coding skills to my resume! Oh, yeah- I can also punch my own IBM cards. Got a keypunch machine? ;D Seriously- it may be a good indication. Truly computer-literate people who know one spreadsheet language can get up to speed on a new one pretty quickly- but my first question would be, "have you worked with Excel and if not, why not?" If they know Lotus but haven't developed a spreadsheet since Lotus disappeared, I'd wonder about them.
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KaraBoo
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Post by KaraBoo on Jul 27, 2012 8:09:13 GMT -5
Okay - I have a few minutes before I get to work, so I'll try and answer some of the questions so far and add a little more detail.....
She's probably in her 40's (when I first met her, I thought she was in her early 30's, but she has a child in college right now - she mentioned it, we didn't bring it up. She seriously looks good for her guesstimated age.).
She threw in Lotus after she mentioned knowing Word, Excel and Power Point - kind of after the fact, like the first several weren't enough. This was after being asked what computer programs she was familiar with and how proficient she was at them. She said she knows them very well, but mentioning Lotus afterwards made me question whether she really knows the Microsoft group as well as she implied. This is also combined with some of the other things mentioned in her responses to other questions.
The other co-worker who was doing the group interview with me (there are only 3 of us total in the office: me, coworker and our boss) doesn't think it's that big of a deal. However, she too has reservations on this applicant for other reasons.
Boss lady loves this candidate for her energy level. She does seem to have a lot of energy....but co-worker and I question if that is enough.
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swasat
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Post by swasat on Jul 27, 2012 8:10:35 GMT -5
I remember using Lotus for the first time in HS. And I am 35. I never used Lotus in college, Excel was already in and a much better product. Lotus was so out by then. Didn't even know Lotus 123 still exists.
If I were you I would focus on the other programs that the applicants claims to be proficient in.
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CarolinaKat
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Post by CarolinaKat on Jul 27, 2012 8:12:08 GMT -5
Lotus might have just been a major player at her last job. Some validated system probably relied on it so they were stuck with it so she knew it for that reason
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Miss Tequila
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Post by Miss Tequila on Jul 27, 2012 8:12:31 GMT -5
How recent is her work experience? Without knowing more details, it kind of sounds like she stayed home to raise her children (that would be about the right time to have used Lotus) and is now trying to get back into the workforce...doesn't mean she would be a bad employee, just that she might not be as fluent in Excel and other programs as someone with more recent experience.
But, I think Excel is extremely easy to use...hell, I google all the time to figure out how to do things (just did it this mornign because I jazzed up the formula for a Vlookup)..
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Miss Tequila
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Post by Miss Tequila on Jul 27, 2012 8:13:47 GMT -5
"I remember using Lotus for the first time in HS. And I am 35. I never used Lotus in college,"
That is about right because I am 41 and used Lotus in college....I remember the switch to Excel being painless...now going from DOS to windows took some getting used to....I couldn't freaking double click fast enough!lol
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wvugurl26
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Post by wvugurl26 on Jul 27, 2012 8:21:03 GMT -5
Me and vlookup don't get along! I've been trying to find more advanced excel classes but no one seems to offer them. I've worked with some auditors from other offices who can do way more with excel than I can.
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Miss Tequila
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Post by Miss Tequila on Jul 27, 2012 8:30:55 GMT -5
wvu, I don't claim to be an Excel expert...but I can normally muddle my way through something by googling...and we just sent some people here to Excel training locally...I will see where they got the informatin from. If we have it around here you have to have it in your area.
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KaraBoo
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Post by KaraBoo on Jul 27, 2012 8:32:41 GMT -5
Okay - Boss lady just called to say she's not coming in (sick) and coworker is out on a vacation day today - so I have more time to play (Woohoo!!). Thank goodness too - I need a little bit slower day.....50-60 hour weeks are getting old....
I just re-looked at her resume....it's a little misleading (which I'm just now realizing). It states from 1/11-present she's been the admin assistant for this group. It turns out the group is actually her bowling league (which she revealed in her interview) that she keeps the spreadsheet in Excel for with their stats. She updates it weekly or whenever they have an event.
Her last job was from 2001-2010 doing accounts payable and some accounting assistance work. She mentioned data entry, but no mention of actually creating the spreadsheets. She mentioned towards the end of her employment with them (several years) that she was basically waiting on them to give her work to do, the rest of the time she was playing games on the computer and how she needs more stimulation than that.
Also, she asked a question that made us chuckle (and is kind of a flag for me) - she asked what do we do with any down-time we might have. Our response was, we don't have down-time. Even if we don't have a pressing job right this minute, there is 40 years worth of scanning to do as we transition to all electronic records. We have a major job going on right now that is the reason for hiring in the new position - the 2 of us cannot do the work by ourselves and are each putting in 50-60 hours of work per week.
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Post by BeenThere...DoneThat... on Jul 27, 2012 9:16:14 GMT -5
...interesting that you would consider her question about down-time a "flag"... I kinda like it... but, full disclosure, I'm apparently old now, if I take this thread to heart...
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Miss Tequila
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Post by Miss Tequila on Jul 27, 2012 9:16:54 GMT -5
"the rest of the time she was playing games on the computer and how she needs more stimulation than that. "
Holy shit...who the hell says that in an interview??? Granted, all of us posting on here during work ours are playing on teh computer, but it's not like I bring that up during an interview!lol
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KaraBoo
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Post by KaraBoo on Jul 27, 2012 9:23:31 GMT -5
...interesting that you would consider her question about down-time a "flag"... I kinda like it... but, full disclosure, I'm apparently old now, if I take this thread to heart... Sorry - should have included more info on why it was a "flag" for me. She also told us she was currently going to class for her CDL license (to help her DH drive a truck route on the weekends) and had applied to nursing school. She's excited to work in our office because it's working with the medical staff at a hospital - but nursing is her goal. I just wonder about how diverse her choices seem to be - accounts payable to CDL to nursing - they seem to be at extreme ends of the spectrums for jobs. Boss lady doesn't think it's an issue, but it makes me pause.
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wvugurl26
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Post by wvugurl26 on Jul 27, 2012 9:29:59 GMT -5
wvu, I don't claim to be an Excel expert...but I can normally muddle my way through something by googling...and we just sent some people here to Excel training locally...I will see where they got the informatin from. If we have it around here you have to have it in your area. Thanks! The stuff in particular I tried googling but no luck. I think the girl in Philly finally did it for me and sent me the steps. If I remember there was a shit ton of steps between the data we got from the auditee and when you did the vlookup. We have New Horizons and Learning Tree but no one seems to cover the more advanced nuisances of Excel. The hell of it was I could have done what needed done in Access or with SQL but it was not happening in Excel.
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Post by BeenThere...DoneThat... on Jul 27, 2012 9:48:26 GMT -5
...interesting that you would consider her question about down-time a "flag"... I kinda like it... but, full disclosure, I'm apparently old now, if I take this thread to heart... Sorry - should have included more info on why it was a "flag" for me. She also told us she was currently going to class for her CDL license (to help her DH drive a truck route on the weekends) and had applied to nursing school. She's excited to work in our office because it's working with the medical staff at a hospital - but nursing is her goal. I just wonder about how diverse her choices seem to be - accounts payable to CDL to nursing - they seem to be at extreme ends of the spectrums for jobs. Boss lady doesn't think it's an issue, but it makes me pause. ...is it fair to say, then, that "boss lady" is of a certain age? similar to applicant? and you're younger? maybe? ...fwiw, diversity in job experience wouldn't rub me wrong at all... having worked in the 80s, 90s, 00s, and 10s, I've seen (and done) quite a bit of job hopping and industry hopping... relocations, RiFs, family-business opps, the list can go on and on... ...so my vote would be to find a common thread in her experiences, if you feel the need to "make sense" of her past choices... ...imo, a well-rounded gal like this (no pun intended) could be just the kind of energy and adventurous spirit I'd want in a worker... someone who has the ability to work white collar tasks along with the willingness to put in some blue collar elbow-grease... ...just mho...
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swasat
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Post by swasat on Jul 27, 2012 9:50:56 GMT -5
...imo, a well-rounded gal like this (no pun intended) could be just the kind of energy and adventurous spirit I'd want in a worker... someone who has the ability to work white collar tasks along with the willingness to put in some blue collar elbow-grease... ...just mho... Well-rounded is not what came to my mind when I read about her career choices....... More like she wasn't sure what career path she was taking. Or that she was not into a career, just a job.
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on Jul 27, 2012 9:55:14 GMT -5
Was she wearing shoulder pads and a spiral perm?
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Post by BeenThere...DoneThat... on Jul 27, 2012 9:55:29 GMT -5
...and I actually share her desire for a CDL... if I were married to a trucker, it'd be a no-brainer... ...I was thinking more along the lines of picking up a credential to mirror a skill (or predisposition) I hold in driving road trips... why not parlay that into a business opp? in an industry that won't age me out too soon? and with a job that would pay me while listening to audio books for hours on end? while watching the rolling hills roll by? ...sounds like I should start my own thread about it, LOL
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Post by BeenThere...DoneThat... on Jul 27, 2012 9:56:51 GMT -5
...imo, a well-rounded gal like this (no pun intended) could be just the kind of energy and adventurous spirit I'd want in a worker... someone who has the ability to work white collar tasks along with the willingness to put in some blue collar elbow-grease... ...just mho... Well-rounded is not what came to my mind when I read about her career choices....... More like she wasn't sure what career path she was taking. Or that she was not into a career, just a job. ...you'd agree that for many, these are "just jobs"... ?
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Post by BeenThere...DoneThat... on Jul 27, 2012 9:57:37 GMT -5
Was she wearing shoulder pads and a spiral perm? ...now THAT would be a flag, even to those of us who once wore them...
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Post by BeenThere...DoneThat... on Jul 27, 2012 10:00:39 GMT -5
...anyway, KaraBoo... I hope your screening process uncovers what you need, so that you can feel confident about any candidate... I also hope my bouncing ideas back at you was helpful and not distracting... it's not my intent to be harsh or anything...
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on Jul 27, 2012 10:09:59 GMT -5
I ROCKED the spiral perm. I asked my hairdresser 2 weeks ago if she would give me one, and she said no.
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Post by BeenThere...DoneThat... on Jul 27, 2012 10:21:13 GMT -5
I ROCKED the spiral perm. I asked my hairdresser 2 weeks ago if she would give me one, and she said no. ...so, should we find a new hairdresser, or buy her a rose? hmm? ;D
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kent
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Post by kent on Jul 27, 2012 10:21:41 GMT -5
She probably mentioned Lotus to demonstrate the breadth and depth of her knowledge? Back in 1980 (or maybe it was 1981) my employer bought an Apple II with Visicalc and told me to go figure out what they could use it for. I spent a couple of weeks messing around with it and fell in love with spreadsheets. Subsequently, Lotus hit the market and I shifted over to it. I stayed with Lotus until Excel came out and shifted to it because Lotus was not capable of handling some longer strings of - I hit the wall at 254 characters in nested "if" statements and had to figure out how to "trick" it into doing what I wanted (don't ask) LOL. So, the bottom line is that she may be very proficient and just trying to let you know than.
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NoNamePerson
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Post by NoNamePerson on Jul 27, 2012 10:26:42 GMT -5
I would think that they hadn't been on a computer in a decade or more... I guess this means I should add my FORTRAN coding skills to my resume! Oh, yeah- I can also punch my own IBM cards. Got a keypunch machine? ;D Seriously- it may be a good indication. Truly computer-literate people who know one spreadsheet language can get up to speed on a new one pretty quickly- but my first question would be, "have you worked with Excel and if not, why not?" If they know Lotus but haven't developed a spreadsheet since Lotus disappeared, I'd wonder about them. Me too. Was introduced to keypunch IBM cards back in 62 or 63 while in college. Can I admit though that it fascinated me back then.
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KaraBoo
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Post by KaraBoo on Jul 27, 2012 10:42:58 GMT -5
...anyway, KaraBoo... I hope your screening process uncovers what you need, so that you can feel confident about any candidate... I also hope my bouncing ideas back at you was helpful and not distracting... it's not my intent to be harsh or anything... Not distracting at all and I appreciate the different perspectives. I LOL'd at the spiral perm and should pads comment! No - none of those present at the interview anyway. The applicant is probably closer to my coworker's age (early 50's) than mine (I'm 37), but probably 10+ years younger than boss (60). Hard to tell for sure - like I said, she looks great! One thing that I guess is really at the crux of the issue for me is this - boss has stated she wants someone in the position for the long haul, not someone who will be wanting to leave within a 1-3 year time frame. Both the boss and coworker have been in their positions 20+ years. I've been with the company 17 years and was recommended for this position 8 months ago through word of mouth/recommendations from a previous coworker that was in this position 15+ years (and was promoted to another position). How does getting a CDL license and possible nursing degree jive with this philosophy of the boss's for a long-term employee investment? I know it's hard getting this information in bits and pieces - sorry about that!
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KaraBoo
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Post by KaraBoo on Jul 27, 2012 10:57:17 GMT -5
She probably mentioned Lotus to demonstrate the breadth and depth of her knowledge? So, the bottom line is that she may be very proficient and just trying to let you know than. Maybe....but I didn't get that impression. Like I said - I'm the only one in the office that commented about it when we did our group meeting to talk about the applicants and our impressions of them. Since I am the "baby" of the office, I wanted to see if anyone else would be wondering about her mentioning this program like I did. FWIW - she also mentioned a string of other applications she was proficient in that none of us knew anything about or had even heard of. We all assumed they were industry specific programs during her time with the AP job. I have no issues with her mentioning those programs as we have one of our own that the new hire would have to learn that most people have probably never heard of. But - the program doesn't have any coding involved in it - just data entry. I guess I have an issue with her mentioning the program because I had another coworker many years ago who also claimed to be knowledgable in Word and Excel. However, she asked me to proof-read a document she had written up to submit to her insurance company. There were so many issues regarding grammar (sentence structure and spelling), that I asked her to see the computer copy (not just a printout). She had everything formatted in a way that the spelling and grammar issues were being ignored by the program unless specifically told to fix the issues. I have no idea how or why she did what she did, but I've never seen Word used that way before or since. I told her to redo the entire paper because there was no way I could help her with what she had done without redoing the whole thing myself. I think I'm afraid that someone who mentions Lotus as a skill will give me the same work as the other, previous co-worker.
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