Posts Tagged ‘Add new tag’

Certification

February 16th, 2010 - by Angela

ub_cs_graduationHave you ever thought about becoming Microsoft certified in Word, Excel, Access, Outlook or PowerPoint? I’m surprised at how many of the clients I train have not thought about adding a Microsoft Office Specialist certificate to their list of accomplishments.

How many times do people go to job interviews and say they know Excel at the expert level but are not able to deliver once they are hired?  I think it would be so important to be able to back up my skills with a world recognized certificate from Microsoft.  Not only would I be able to say that I knew the software but Microsoft would say that I knew the software.

I must note that Microsoft has not made it easy to understand the certifications.  The name of the certification has changed from MOUS (Microsoft Office User Specialist) in the 97 Office version to MOS (Microsoft Office Specialist) for 2000, XP, and 2003 versions to MCAS (Microsoft Certified Application Specialist) for 2007 version. Since I have been certified since the 97 version, I sometimes don’t know what to call myself.

Each certification, though, has definitely contributed to my career path. Having the certifications on my resume has helped me to succeed in reaching several of my goals. Not only have they contributed to my life, but I’ve watched many students build their confidence in their skills by studying for, taking and passing the tests.

Several times I’ve done one-on-one training sessions for clients that are studying to take a Microsoft certification test. The training is an investment that can have a big payoff if you are able to advance in your career with the new certification. 

If you are interested in taking one of the certification exams, start at the Certiport website. (http://www.certiport.com) They administer the Microsoft exams.  If you need some training to help study and get ready for the exam, let me know! At Versitas, we love helping you succeed!

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Leadership and Change

December 21st, 2009 - by Angela

untitledAn article I was reading the other day really hit home and reminded me of many important concepts.  The article was about the 10 traits of superior leaders.  I believe that every person can be a leader in their own organization in whatever position they currently hold.  It may be leading in small ways or just working for change in a very focused area.  Leadership traits are still required to work on change at any level, in your own life or as the head of a corporation.

Sometimes people feel frustrated because they don’t know how to help their organization, corporation, or even themselves improve.  I’ve been there.  Especially over the last couple of months, I’ve heard some people say they wish the company they worked for would be more responsive or that change is not happening to help workers learn and grow in their positions/jobs.

When asked for advice, I usually encourage people to become the change agent that they would like to see in their organization.  If they develop leadership traits, they can lead at whatever level they are at in their organization.

One friend complained to me a couple of months ago that her corporation did not provide any training.  She was frustrated and venting to me since she knew I would sympathize about how important training was because I am a trainer.  I think she was surprised when I told her she should funnel her frustrations into constructive activities to improve her own leadership traits and encourage her company to provide the training that she needed.  It might not happen right away, but there were several things she could do over time to encourage the change she wanted to see in the corporation she worked for.

First of all, I asked her to look at her company’s mission and/or vision statements.  I told her to write out her specific goals for training.  Next, she should line out the benefits for her, her team, and her company as a result of that training.  I suggested that she quantify as much as possible the savings the training would provide.  I explained how doing all of those tasks would help her develop her leadership traits, including interpersonal and communication skills, showing ambition and vision, and building competency and experience in analysis and problem solving.

Her reaction was much better than I expected.  I was afraid that she would think it was too much to do and not want to follow up on any of it.  In the last couple of months, she has made some good progress towards her goal of getting the training she needs.  She has also told me how much better she feels because she empowered herself to do something and not just sit back and wait for change.

The article that I read was a wonderful reminder of how important it is that we are all change agents at our current level in our corporation or organization.  If we see a change that needs to happen, we should be part of the solution to help instead of complaining and wishing for change!

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Great Tools!

December 15th, 2009 - by Angela

toolsThis past week, I did a customized 1-on-1 deskside training class on specific topics in Microsoft Excel, Visio, and Project.  It had been a while since I’d done training on Visio and Project. As we went over the individual’s questions, I was reminded of what great tools Project and Visio are.  (Note: Versitas doesn’t sell any of these products, so these are just my personal thoughts on the software.)

If your company uses either of those applications, I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.  If you don’t, I’ll fill you in.  Visio is a drawing software that lets you turn your designs, diagrams and maps, etc., into visual documents easily. You can create flowcharts, organizational charts, maps, and much more.  There are stencils available with all kinds of shapes to use for your designs.

The student I was working with was mainly concerned with floor plans.  She had scanned in her floor plans and wanted to plot items on those plans. She had an Excel spreadsheet listing all of the items and their dimensions/specs.  I showed her how to import the Excel spreadsheet items in a list in Visio that she could use to drag those specs onto the items/shapes she had plotted in Visio.

It was all so easy!  She thought she was going to have to go shape by shape and type in all of the information.  It was one of those “happy trainer moments” to see the look of relief on her face when she realized the time she was going to save.  Also, she was now going to be able to WOW her clients with the quality of her presentations.

We also worked with some Introductory topics in Project.  Project is a project management software that assists in developing task timelines, planning and managing budgets, assigning and tracking resources, and assessing progress.  Some people think Project is too complex.  With a little training, it doesn’t feel overwhelming at all.  In fact, it really can help a project manager in so many aspects.

Most of my student’s projects initially followed a similar pattern and format setup.  I told her that she would need to spend some time setting up a generic template.  After creating the first one, she could use that template for her other projects.  She would have some date adjusting and other tweaking to do but those would require little time if the template was set up correctly.

We really had a fun training session.  She was excited to see how these tools could work for her.  I was happy to see what a great help the software would be for her with just our half day of training.  It made me realize once again that the software we use can be so useful to our jobs!

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Budgeting for 2010

November 30th, 2009 - by Angela

happy_2010_new_years_2010_greeting_cards-p137059697326968539q6k5_400As 2009 is rapidly coming to a close, I know many companies are evaluating 2009 and planning their budgets for 2010.  This year has been a rough one in terms of the economy.  However, it looks like we are having some good indicators that we are at least beginning the recovery process.  Some companies cut back on training budgets for 2009.  As a proponent for training (as if you can’t tell from my blog posts) I have been thinking lately about how to encourage organizations to add that training component back to their budgets for 2010.

A favorite quote of mine is:  “If you always do, what you always did, you will always get, what you always got!”  I think that quote applies here for companies that want better productivity and effectiveness from their employees but haven’t been willing to change how they do training. I think that it is vital that companies look at their training “return on investment”.   How have the current training practices translated into increased production, engagement and employee development? 

In a recession environment, more is required of every employee.  Training is even more crucial in this setting.  As just one example, I think about how Versitas Outlook training classes that I have done have helped employees process their email, schedule, and other items more efficiently.  Many people are self-taught Outlook users and so may not know about some helpful practices to manage their electronic inboxes and schedules.

After the Outlook training sessions, I’ve received feedback from many students about how the tips and tricks they learned would help them feel less overwhelmed in their jobs.  Many of these classes were 1/2 day training sessions, so only required 3 hours!  Having a feeling of empowerment over the huge number of emails received daily can make a big difference in how productive a person is in their job.

Obviously, corporations working on their training budgets want to develop their priorities and align those with the training classes they need.  I think it is important to make sure the training provider is able to customize and focus the training sessions to be efficient and effective.  I think they should ask how they can get the best value for their clients and stakeholders.  The recession has caused all of us to look at how to work smarter. I think training deserves to be considered a key component of that thought process.

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Stop and Smell the Roses

September 15th, 2009 - by Angela

Over the recent long holiday weekend, my husband, son and I traveled to visit my husband’s family.  Most of the times we visit, I take my laptop and projects to work on while I am there.  Rarely is there a time when I am not working on something new or developing materials for a class.  This time, I chose not to take my laptop or any of my work with me.  I’ve been feeling like I’ve been, as the saying goes, burning the candle at both ends.  Do you ever find yourself feeling the same way?

 

So, off I went for the weekend without any training materials or computer.  I did remember to pack a good novel a friend had loaned to me.  For the first couple of hours on the road, I felt lost not having my work with me.  How warped is that?  Soon I started feeling my shoulders let down and relax.  I sat in the back seat with my infant son and played and laughed.  Wow…did I ever need that time away!!  I really enjoyed not checking email or working on the computer over the long weekend. 

 

I’m a little frustrated with myself that I didn’t take a break like that sooner.  I’m so careful about advising others to take breaks.  I’m a firm believer in breaks when I do training classes for Versitas.  I encourage my students to get up, walk around, get a drink, etc., even when I’m only doing a half-day of training.  I suggest that they not look at email or go back to their desks if we are training on-site.  I even encourage them to get outside during lunch, if possible, when I do full-day classes.

 

I think that it is fascinating how trainers are so focused on taking care of everyone else, but often neglect themselves.  We are so used to taking care of everything in the classroom, making sure that all questions are answered and that everyone understands the subject matter we are covering.  I think this applies to our time in the classroom, but often flows over into the rest of our lives, too.  In these tough economic time when we are working so hard to make ends meet and keep ourselves marketable, we need to make sure and take a break once in a while to refresh ourselves. 

 

Our training managers and students will appreciate us for it!

 

 

 

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