1/22/08 Reading Summary
When I applied for my current job, I always thought that I could at least get an interview but once reaching that point I was clueless. I didn’t have a single ounce of financial aid experience professionally or even as a student. My experience working within a university system and customer service background eventually did land me an interview, but that is where my worries began. When it came time to the interview process I just knew that I was going to be hammered with financial aid questions which I would not be able to answer intelligently. To my surprise and much delight at the time, I wasn’t asked a single question pertaining to any specific financial aid skill. The whole interview circled around what soft skills I could bring to the office and how I could apply them to the job.
In the end they really were impressed by my soft skills and offered me the position. I was extremely excited because I was able to land a job I didn’t think I really was qualified for technically, purely off of the soft skills I could offer. Around two months have passed since I was hired and it is hard to believe they would hire someone solely off of the fact they are a good team player or have communication skills. The world of financial aid is an extremely complicated one and there is a large technical aspect which needs to be comprehended to be successful.
After having gone through several different interviews over the years, I know these specific skills are extremely valued by employers. I can’t help but wonder though if that is all an employer should be concentrating on? However if they do, then I strongly believe in having the on the job training to backup such hiring decisions. If an employer doesn’t have the training capabilities to train someone with great soft skills the technical aspects of their job; then you may not allow the employee to completely execute those soft skills.
My department is currently working on changing their current approach to training. They have recognized the need for something more structured than in the past and have started the process of a needs assessment. Everything is still in the beginning stages but they have taken a very typical first step by surveying specific members of the organization. Being one of the newest employees, I know I am going to be part of the training changes. It will be interesting to see the changes to training as I continue my own training.