As I contemplated my return to full time employment after a 5 year break, I thought about a lot of things. Most of the thoughts were positive: the things that I would enjoy doing, the additional focus on things outside my home and family, using some of my untapped intellectual skills and having some free time, well at least during the commute…. But if I’m honest, I also did think a little about how things might have changed since I had left the workforce.
I work in finance so the migration to social media is less impactful day-to-day than it is in some other industries. But five years is not insignificant and there were bound to be changes, maybe even things I had not thought about.
At a certain point earlier in my career, when I was an analyst and an associate, I would have classed myself as ‘very proficient’ in excel. I could even run some of the analysis add-ins, do some v-lookup functions and run pivot tables like a whiz. I was also not bad at PowerPoint. By the time I left for my career break, I was using other people’s excel models rather than building them myself, a fact that had suited me well, but did not necessarily support a conclusion that I was the technology proficient candidate that I thought I was.
Nevertheless, I was relatively positive that I could dust off my old technology skills and have them be an asset to my candidacy in a variety of jobs. How hard could it be, right?As for some of the newer technologies related to collaboration and the online platforms for meetings and video conferences…. I mean I’ve used Skype and had done video conferences, so I was feeling pretty good that I would be able to adapt.
That good feeling lasted until a close friend and former colleague had interviewed for a job where there was an excel test as part of the interview process. I would have guessed that her tech skills were roughly similar to mine; she used the word ‘bombed’ to describe the test experience. But realistically, would I even want to consider a job that had AN EXCEL TEST? (the answer was ultimately yes, I was open to ANY job)
A small panic set in. There was evidently a time component on this test; though I was very confident in my skills to figure things out, I was significantly less confident in my skills to figure it all out with a time constraint. I decided to confront my fear head on: I opened excel on my home computer. I then sat there for a bit, not even knowing what to look at or for. Then I sat wondering what tutorials I should be watching to be ready.
As it turned out, thankfully, there was no excel test for the position I interviewed for. When I started, everyone assumed that I was proficient in excel, dropping function names and data analysis which I quickly remembered. (Ok, so I actually had to google some things… maybe a lot of things) There are very well organized, step-by-step online demos and written instructions readily available online and easy to follow and understand. I would say it was less than a week and I was perfectly at ease, like I had never had a break.
I had managed a Skype for business meeting with a colleague in another office and while I’m still no ace at PowerPoint, I am very solid in the basics. I have enjoyed getting back up to speed, both so I can do my current job and because it’s empowering to feel capable. As I examine my next steps, there may be some bottlenecks, but I am confident that my technology abilities are not going to be an issue!
If you find yourself needing to refresh technology skills, think about online learning or use the software to make your lists, plan a vacation, or create a powerpoint deck outlining your back to work plans. Make the most of refreshing your skills. We’ve Got This!
We've Got This 