Experience vs. Qualifications
I am looking for a PA at the moment and so I am spending a lot of my time reading CVs and interviewing potential candidates. Interestingly, I am doing this at a time where a record number of applicants are trying to secure a place at university – which leads me to think about what is important to me in a potential candidate?
Certainly one of my major considerations for anyone that I employ here at Great Guns is that they are customer centric, meaning that they have that sense of urgency about them in making sure that we particularly deliver on our promises to clients/prospects. This usually seems to link up with individuals that have great people skills. Therefore people skills are always at the top of my tick list, no matter what job they are applying for! The customer touches every area of your business when they engage with you, the accountant, receptionist, PA and even IT at times. This gives us an opportunity to leave a great impression as they touch each point.
So, do you acquire better people skills if you have been to university? My view is probably no. I think people skills generally come earlier on in life. I think children that are exposed to a wide range of age groups and walks of life and who converse with adults and not just their peers respectively generally are more versatile in their conversation skills. Children that are encouraged to step outside of their comfort zones and ask questions usually develop more of an interest in the world around them and the opportunities available to them. I think this generally makes them more interested in their surroundings and more ambitious in their own personal achievements.
Therefore, university education for somebody who is self motivated and has a desire for academia (and the pocket to pay for it!) would only enhance their people skills and obviously their education and put them at the top of the pile for an interview line up. Having said this, if somebody already has excellent people skills and chooses to go down an apprenticeship route it is my belief that not only will they achieve great skills and job experience but ultimately they won’t build up debt for themselves. Certainly these people in certain careers will be ultimately be favorable.
In my profession, experience definitely tops academic achievement. Especially as so much of what we do is about the ability to engage with people through all mediums whether we are representing ourselves or our clients. In the main our job is to get people to like us, and people buy from people! Of course it stands to reason that people skills means nothing if you can’t read and write or can back up what you say with real delivery but it’s not that difficult to get a good accountant or administrator but add great people skills to the job spec and you’ve got yourself a challenge.
