Secrets of an Excel Trainer
I like to consider myself as a bit of an investigator and it’s amazing how much I can learn about the people coming on an Excel course before they have even entered the meeting room and I don’t mean by whether or not they know how to use a vlookup formula!
Before my training courses, all participants need to fill in a training needs form so I can see what they know and don’t know and what they would like to focus on, but at the top of each form there are also are a few boxes such as Name, Email Address & Phone number.It is fascinating to me how many people don’t fill that part in. Not sure if they don’t see them, don’t feel they are relevant to them or can’t be bothered to answer. But it does say a lot about the person that is coming on the course – guess attention to detail isn’t their forte.
I am pleased to say, generally speaking, that people working in Finance, where attention to detail is most certainly a requirement, tend to be the ones that fill it in! Phew!
I have been teaching Excel for over 5 years, so not much surprises me anymore, but I quickly realised that as well as teaching Excel I was actually going to be a pseudo Maths teacher. It is amazing how many people don’t know the difference between the greater than sign (>) or the less than sign (<). I also have to regularly explain percentages and percentage increases. What were people doing in their school Maths classes?!
I think the most shocking thing I have learnt being an Excel trainer is how dishonest people can be! Seemingly there are some recruitment firms that want to assess someone’s computer literacy before helping them find a job. On a couple of occasions, job seekers have asked me to do their online Excel tests for them! One person told me I shouldn’t worry, as they can be next to me when I take the test!
You will hopefully be glad to know, each time I have been asked to do this I have (politely) said absolutely no way!
If you are looking for an (honest) Excel trainer – please click here to contact us.
Great blog post Gina! I assure you I would always be completely honest… ? But you must tell me what a vlookup is one of these days…!