Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Digital Native...An Employment Requirement
After I transferred back to PUC this January I began searching for a part-time job...something "professional". On each application and interview my "computer skills" or "computer literacy" came into play. Employers today want to know that they are hiring someone who will, at least, be able to send an email. I started working for Standard Bank as a teller and I am surprised, almost on a daily basis, at how computer ILLiterate many of my co-workers are. The oldest employee in the office is 47, but I am still the go-to person when someone needs to add an attachment to an email in Outlook. I imagine that by the time our children head into the workforce they will all be digital natives, so computer literacy will just be assumed. My question is, TODAY, do you think that 2 candidates, equal in everyway will be judged on their computer skills? Will one person be chosen over the other because they are more keen with the workings of all the Web 2.0 features, sites, software, etc.?
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3 comments:
Based on your experiences at the bank, what do you think would be the outcome? If you had a say in the hiring choice, whom would you choose?
It depends on the line of work. If you are an employer hiring for a construction job where computer usage is limited, or non existent, computer skills would not factor into the hiring process as much. But, if you are hiring for a professional position within an office environment, or for a software company, of course a higher level of computer compentency would be necessary.
At my job, at Standard Bank, all of our transactions are done through on online program. In addition, it is a typical office environment where we use Outlook, Word, and other typical office technology. Because the computer needs at the bank are fairly simple, it is possible to hire someone who is not a digital native and take the time to train them. On the other hand, in many industries more advanced computer skills are needed so employers could not take the time to "go back to the basics".
If it was up to me, as a hiring employer, I would choose the candidate who was most qualified for the position. If computer skills were necessary for the position that would come into play, if they were secondary in the job performance I would offer computer skills in the training program.
I that in today's society, "equal candidates" would have to mean equal in computer skills, right? It is too bad that many older adults are being overlooked because they may lack the computer skills not available to them when they were young like their younger counterparts of today. Should everyone be offered a free course in the basics of computer operation and software application? I know my mom struggles with this because she is reaching retirement this year. Although she would like to find a part-time job in an office after she turns 66 this year, all she has to her credit is being able to use a key punch back in the day at US Steal. Will she have to resort to Wal-Mart greeting just because she doesn't know currently how to send an attachment?
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