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Old 12-14-2013, 02:40 PM
 
10,219 posts, read 19,120,636 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GTRdad View Post
There also a lot of comp sci grads who dont know SQL. I really could not believe we're still importing people for this skill.
I didn't know SQL when I graduated college either (I only took one database class). I learned it OTJ from the Oracle manuals. Of course nowadays it's not enough to know SQL. You have to know the right SQL for the right version of the right database. Be as much as a point revision off and they're hiring a visa worker instead.
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Old 12-14-2013, 07:48 PM
 
6,192 posts, read 7,315,411 times
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I'm not surprised. At my last job, I wanted to mess around with someone so I changed the background of their computer and they didn't know how to change it back. Someone had also moved the task bar and no one knew how to change it back. And just the other day a co-worker asked me how they could add page numbers to their paper. These are younger people (early 30s) so...

I think it's just a thing people throw on their resumes. Because they've used these programs. Not because they know them.

At my last job, when we were all laid-off, we had to go to this thing for the union. I was sitting in a room full of data entry people and none of them could even break 45 wpm. I didn't even really type for my portion of the job and I was typing 100+ wpm. But I'm sure they'll all say they're exceptional typists.
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Old 12-14-2013, 07:53 PM
 
Location: Elsewhere
88,151 posts, read 84,005,514 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jman07 View Post
You can't teach reading comprehension
Oh my.
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Old 12-14-2013, 08:20 PM
 
Location: Wallingford, CT
1,063 posts, read 1,353,954 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jman07 View Post
I can never get over how often and serious employers are about asking if you know how to use MS Office, and to rate yourself at it. I'm not talking 20k a year jobs either. I'm talking jobs in the 50's and 60k's that require a degree. I mean if you can't figure out how to do email, spreadsheets, and word documents, then you have issues. Especially if you graduated college! I thought those were the first programs you are taught in college. How do you even graduate college without knowing these programs?
I dunno, we've given specific requirements to temp agencies where I am now, and it's always merely "computer literate."

One did not know what a start menu was. One could not double click icons.

So... I'm sure they're just making sure to be specific.
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Old 12-14-2013, 08:22 PM
 
24,488 posts, read 41,013,397 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GTRdad View Post
There also a lot of comp sci grads who dont know SQL. I really could not believe we're still importing people for this skill.
Could you imagine if a computer scientist was wasting their time with sql?
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Old 12-14-2013, 08:32 PM
 
Location: NYC
16,061 posts, read 26,657,383 times
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It seems a bit nuts, but I think many people don't know how to use it as well as they think or say. I had a friend pro ted to a director position and they required her to tale courses and testing on Microsoft Office. She thought she could skip the courses and take the test. Sh didn't do to well, and ended up having to study!
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Old 12-14-2013, 09:12 PM
 
Location: Not where I want to be
4,829 posts, read 8,699,165 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NJBest View Post
You'd be amazed how many people say they know word or excel but really don't.

Exactly. They'll know the very basics... but ask them to do something advanced or technical and they look at you like this

Most people aren't "masters" of Excel or Word or any of the other programs. They have a very basic understanding and that's about it.
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Old 12-14-2013, 09:59 PM
 
13,721 posts, read 19,147,190 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jman07 View Post
I can never get over how often and serious employers are about asking if you know how to use MS Office, and to rate yourself at it. I'm not talking 20k a year jobs either. I'm talking jobs in the 50's and 60k's that require a degree. I mean if you can't figure out how to do email, spreadsheets, and word documents, then you have issues. Especially if you graduated college! I thought those were the first programs you are taught in college. How do you even graduate college without knowing these programs?
I dunno. I see reporters all the time who can't spell or figure out which of two sound-alike words is the correct one, based on online newspaper articles I have read. And I don't see mistakes occasionally, I see them constantly. They are mistakes that someone graduating from journalism school 30 years ago simply would not make. They graduated from college knowing those things. I think people are dumber now than they used to be. You should know how to spell by the time you get out of high school and you shouldn't graduate from college if you can't spell. Well heck, you shouldn't be ADMITTED to college if you can't spell.

Last edited by luzianne; 12-14-2013 at 10:14 PM..
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Old 12-14-2013, 10:04 PM
 
13,721 posts, read 19,147,190 times
Reputation: 16970
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeyking View Post
I must admit one thing I find irritating is older managers, experts or knowledge in some area and will sit there talking like there some sort of guru, but at the same time can't understand how a spreadsheet is put together, formulas etc, I find these people who have been working in offices for years so there is no excuses - Your left wondering if a person cannot understand something in front of them what does that say about there expertise.
But at the same time, you use "there" instead of "they're" and "there is no excuses" instead of "there are no excuses" and "your" instead of "you're" and "there" instead of "their" and then "your" instead of "you're" again. So while you are putting them down for not knowing something technical that they did not learn in school like you did, I'm sure they know spelling and grammar. You had spelling and grammar in school, didn't you? I wouldn't be so quick to put someone down for not knowing technical things when you don't know basic spelling and grammar.
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Old 12-14-2013, 10:14 PM
 
Location: Elsewhere
88,151 posts, read 84,005,514 times
Reputation: 114467
Quote:
Originally Posted by luzianne View Post
I dunno. I see reporters all the time who can't spell or figure out which of two sound-alike words is the correct one, based on online newspaper articles I have read. And I don't see mistakes occasionally, I see them constantly. They are mistakes that someone graduating from journalism school 30 years ago simply would not make. They graduated from college knowing those things. I think people are dumber now than they used to be. You should know how to spell by the time you get out of high school and you shouldn't graduate from college if you can't spell.
Sing it.

I have a director who makes almost $200K a year, yet she sends out emails with misspelling and even more annoying, puts a space in front of every comma. So , her sentences , when they include commas , look like this.
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