Potential employers think I haven't done much IT work.

[Auburngal]

After 17 years of working at a supermarket, I am looking for work. I have applied for many and get many rejections.

I think people don't realise that retail uses computers. Of course we do and the use of IT has increased so much in the 17 years of being there. For example, training test papers were on paper, now its done online via the staff pages. Same with booking holiday, had to book all the next year's holiday on paper. If you realised you needed to change dates, you had to write to the manager. Now its done on an app and can book holidays as and when. That's two changes and there are others. When the checkouts and lottery terminal were playing up, it was me that tried to fix them myself then ring up IT as most of my colleagues were clueless when they rang them and used IT jargon on them.

Believe some employers when looking at my CV, think, 17 years in retail, she has little IT skills and put me in the no pile.

I also use computers at home as well. Also done a 3 week course which had qualifications which refreshed my skills in call centre and IT skills.

How do I convince potential employers that my IT skills are better than they think. I need to do some refresher stuff online for Excel etc.

Office jobs generally require proficiency in email, word, excel, PowerPoint etc. IME people, including store managers, are weak on these and have a steep learning curve/require a lot of support when they move into office roles.

if that’s not true of you, you need that to be top of your CV. Also have your work speak for itself with a brilliantly impactful and accurately spelled CV.

On your CV job role description I'd add in system management/stock control reporting as part of your role.

Then on the key skills section add in what your IT skills are.

You're right, people frequently underestimate job roles, so you need to spell it out for them.

Have you got outlook, excel, word, teams etc experience?

If not I'd do some online training courses. You'd be expected to know those apps well.

Do you have experience in the packages that companies use like word, excel etc. I’m a sahm but over the years have volunteered for organisations so have kept my skills up. Is there someone you could either volunteer for or do work experience just so you can give examples of how you’ve performed in an office?

What you're describing doesn't sound like IT experience to me, certainly not to the level of proficiency which would make you suitable for roles which require knowledge and competency in Office/G Suite products.

I have teams experience as the 3 week course I did was on teams. Shared screens, used chat etc.

Word, I am fine on. Though has Libre Office at home

Excel, need some refresher courses. They are free online. Again only have Libre Office Calc.

Outlook. Only had one place where I had an e-mail address on Outlook. Other jobs no. Depending on the job, employer and how much reliance on e-mails, I will be able to get my head around it quickly.

I am a fast learner as well. When we had new systems put in place at workplaces, I was the one that knew the ins and outs of the systems before others and showed colleagues how to do/where things are etc.

Yeah I imagine they're specifically referring to Office tools. So Word, Excel, Powerpoint proficiency. Even knowledge of comms tools, like Teams, Zoom and Slack are expected these days. If you are proficient in these then make sure you make that really clear in your CV, and list your qualifications etc.
It can be really touch breaking into office work if you've never done it. But keep trying!

Hey OP.

I say this kindly. I was a manager in retail for YEARS and managed teams who booked holidays via app etc. I've since moved to corporate. The difference of IT skills I'm seeing is massive.

It's not just about how to use Teams to send a message/join a call. It's about the social etiquette around those. Anyone can type something and press send, it's about being able to phrase things and structure your communication. Knowing what kind of communication works for which kind of groups and when.

Same with documents etc. If you're looking at something that wants Excel/Word, it's not just about how to physically use it. It's knowing how to share the pages, ensure you know who can see documents at what time, a general knowledge of what sort of document you'd have on a shared drive, what you'd keep private and what you'd share with a manager. It's knowing what standard of document you'd share with different stakeholders and which types of numbers are needed/how to structure these documents.

Obviously this depends on what kind of job you're applying for, but I'd think most roles bar entry level need a far greater level of understanding of tech than just how to use an app/the basics.

I completely understand what you are saying OP and agree that you need to push regarding your IT skills if you feel they are better than people may otherwise assume.

That said, in my last few years of working I was involved heavily in training modern apprentices (after the recruitment process unfortunately) and was shocked at their lack of computer skills.
They were ok on their phones, using apps, gaming etc but when it came to getting to grips with a laptop and using basic programs such as Word, Excel, Power Point, Teams, Zoom, SharePoint etc they were completely unprepared. That was even before we started on job specific systems (of which there were many).

Using apos, intranet, Teams/Zoom etc is pretty much taken for granted in everyday life. By IT skills an employer means being proficient in Word such as using tables and mailing lists, Excel including setting up spreadsheets, formulae and manipulating data, using databases to extract information and import it into other programmes, Powerpoint for presentations and so on.

@Auburngal when you say you're "fine" on word, what does that look like? Do you know how to correctly format documents as opposed to simply just typing something out? Can you use the more complex functions of the software? Have you got experience with Sharepoint?

What you're describing is simply the level of computer literacy that most people living in 2024 would have (logging on to an app, joining a teams call, booking annual leave).

There's nothing to suggest that you have a professional working knowledge of Excel or office.

Exactly this.

From how you're describing your experience OP it sounds like you haven't really got any. Particularly since you don't use Office at home. So where is the experience?

I’m sure you could pick it up OP. But the problem is there is such competition for jobs that recruiters are just going to pick someone who can evidence they’ve done the exact same work, not take a punt on potential transferable skills.
For instance, I’m an “operations admin” and I support managers including booking their travel, meetings and some calendar organising.
It’s not wildly dissimilar to being a PA but I get nowhere applying for PA jobs as even with doing outlook calendar support, it’s not seen as high level enough to co-ordinate a senior’s complex diary management.
There will be plenty of PA’s applying who have done this so I won’t get a response (understandably, it’s quite a skill - though I feel I could learn it!)

It’s frustrating because you wonder how you’ll ever get experience but I’d say temping is a better bet. With retail experience you could get receptionist temp work, then maybe build up admin from there with doing Microsoft 360 courses at home.

It might be a good idea to take another IT course then at least you would have a qualification to put on your CV. If you feel this lack of IT skills is holding you back.

I agree with PP. You need to be proficient in using the Microsoft applications. In my job I only use Outlook, Word, Excel and Teams. I don't even have Powerpoint.

I mostly work with spreadsheets and the work database.

When I was in a similar situation I did a course called the International Certification of Digital Literacy at a local college, evening classes. I think it helped having that on my CV.

I don't know what sort of jobs you are applying for but your description simply suggests that you use tech inasmuch as most people do in their every day lives, and not that you have particular skills that are necessary for a workplace.

What do you mean by "fine on Word?" Have you created multiple page documents to a template, collaborated with others to improve them and then converted into different formats? Understood the privacy requirements? If you think you need a refresher on Excel, then you are not proficient in it. Have you used Office 365 which is what most companies will be using?

If you want companies to think you have the skills you need to demonstrate that you do, not just say you can pick them up quickly.

I honestly would share potential employers concerns about your actual proficiency on IT applications even based on what you have described. I have seen people with a full year of training in these applications still not be at a proficiency required in an office environment and you have not been using these applications professionally in you previous employment so you don’t have much in the way of evidence to show what your home experience on the packages is. I think trying to get some very short term office based work experience might be a good way of demonstrating your competency by way of a reference.

OP similar to your issue that people who don't work in retail don't know what is skills are utilised and required, your answers to questions about IT show you really have no idea what jobs in IT require. Good for you that you are wanting to progress in a different field but you'll need to have the skills people are mentioning and not just having used them once or twice or in some limited capacity for a few weeks.

You may be a fast learner but employers have people who already have the skills applying

What type of roles are you applying for? Are you tailoring your CV to apply?

Maybe look to another route in. My last company we had apprenticeships schemes open for all. We had a number of SAHP or looking to change roles apply. One lady had been a parent and just doing shifts at supermarket- she in her spare time upskilled on coding (& other courses) . She applied for the scheme, worked through it and took all the opportunities and eventually applied for a role 2 years later she now works in the IT team doing coding.

Your own description of what you've done, it doesn't really sound like you have the kind of IT skills that would be required for an office job. Booking leave via an app or doing some online training doesn't count, I'm afraid. And while it's good that you've tried to learn by doing a short introductory course, that's very different from the kind of experience that you build up through years of actually using IT in a professional context.

You may well be right that you're a quick learner and that you would pick things up in time, but if you're competing against candidates who can demonstrate that they already have the skills, then obviously employers are going to prioritise those candidates.

A temp role/voluntary work where you are actually using these skills regularly might be the best thing to help you bridge the gap.

What type of jobs are you applying for @Auburngal ?

While you can show that you are able to use the systems used by the supermarkets, unfortunately none of those same systems are in place in other workplaces.

I would focus on doing some Microsoft refresher courses, as you've said, but focus your CV not on specific IT programs (other than mentioning your new training), but your ability and willingness to learn.

Also, see if your local council adult education department run any courses that might be useful to you. They're often either very cheap or even free if they're work related.

We took on a member of staff for our reception team who hadn't worked in a similar environment before. She had, however, done some Pitman training, so although she hadn't worked in an office environment before, she had shown that she was committed to learning.

You don't know what you won't know, unfortunately, until you're in an office environment. For all new trainees we have, I now make sure they know how to use the photocopier and scanner, for example.

You just need to find someone willing to give you a chance.

There are some useful courses here - https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/find-a-course/the-skills-toolkit

I would encourage you to gain a recognised certificate confirming your competence. In Ireland you can do the ECDL or new version in libraries.

You need to look into getting some more formal qualifications in IT

I re-trained as a medical secretary at 30, its not just about using the systems, it is also data processing, laying and setting out text, text processing, (do you know how to formally set out a letter for example?) and shorthand and audiotyping, using a database and Excel and Powerpoint. Then when I got a job, I had to learn to use all the Trust-based systems too.