At 07:12 PM 4/28/99 -0400, Ronald wrote:
>and i would say, if that's the conclusion you jump to simply by being asked
>if you know autocad, i would not WANT to hire you. i ALWAYS ask if my
>prospective employees know autocad, along with other types of software. i
>want/need to know how immediately my new employee will be able to "jump in"
>and start working, and how much time others in the office will need to
>spend assisting in this training.
And this is a fine way to approach the problem---quite human. I was
premature to say a graduate is a "non-starter" if s/he is CADiliterate. But
it WILL take some extra time and training to bring them up to speed. You're
hiring PEOPLE---each has strengths and weaknesses. The enlightened employer
will find ways to maximize the great investment made in staff by drawing out
those strengths and bolstering the weaknesses. Mentoring and such is one
great way to do this.
>of course it is but one element in the stew of qualities that i evaluate in
>hiring people. and i do agree that it would be stupid to hire SOLELY on an
>"autocad literacy" basis. but i think it is also stupid to assume that
>simply being asked if you know autocad reveals an office of "autocadatons."
> and, all other qualities being equal (design skills, communication skills,
>experience level, etc) i would hire the autocad trained person over the
>non-autocad trained person.
Right---it's no big stigma-thing; that person just has more power tools
available. The best craftsperson is one who can use ALL the tools.
mark
>and i would say, if that's the conclusion you jump to simply by being asked
>if you know autocad, i would not WANT to hire you. i ALWAYS ask if my
>prospective employees know autocad, along with other types of software. i
>want/need to know how immediately my new employee will be able to "jump in"
>and start working, and how much time others in the office will need to
>spend assisting in this training.
And this is a fine way to approach the problem---quite human. I was
premature to say a graduate is a "non-starter" if s/he is CADiliterate. But
it WILL take some extra time and training to bring them up to speed. You're
hiring PEOPLE---each has strengths and weaknesses. The enlightened employer
will find ways to maximize the great investment made in staff by drawing out
those strengths and bolstering the weaknesses. Mentoring and such is one
great way to do this.
>of course it is but one element in the stew of qualities that i evaluate in
>hiring people. and i do agree that it would be stupid to hire SOLELY on an
>"autocad literacy" basis. but i think it is also stupid to assume that
>simply being asked if you know autocad reveals an office of "autocadatons."
> and, all other qualities being equal (design skills, communication skills,
>experience level, etc) i would hire the autocad trained person over the
>non-autocad trained person.
Right---it's no big stigma-thing; that person just has more power tools
available. The best craftsperson is one who can use ALL the tools.
mark