Nowadays, is it possible to find work if you don't know how to use a computer, or is computer literacy essential to getting a job? This is a question I've heard several mature jobseekers raise lately, and after doing a little investigating, I'd like to share my observations.
Searching for a job in SG, you can source a list of available jobs at job bank Singapore.
A recruiting article by Dougles Chan - A recruitment mentor that speciliased in recruitment training and recruitment mentoring in Singapore and globally.
Contact Dougles Chan @ +(65) 9388 0851 or email to dc@dougleschan.com for your recruitment training and mentoring needs.
Certain jobs clearly require computer knowledge. Rocket scientist or mechanical engineer, for example. But increasingly, most ordinary jobs require some computer-savvy. Anyone who works in an office, for example, must have some familiarity with the computer, including the receptionist, who at the very least will have to know how to send and open an e-mail, browse the Internet, and perhaps do a simple letter in a word-processing program.
Certainly there are still a few jobs today that require little or no computer knowledge. Hairdresser is one that comes to mind: construction worker, sanitation worker and groundskeeper are others. The problem is that these jobs tend to be physically demanding and not that suitable for the older workers who are most likely to lack computer skills. Even among these jobs, the number requiring no computer knowledge whatsoever is dwindling. Many of the trades, such as electrician, mechanic, plumber or TV repairman, increasingly require information from manuals and tables that are only available online, and require the use of computerized equipment.
When I first considered writing this article, my thought was that certainly retail and restaurant server jobs were reliably computer-free. I reconsidered this view later that very day, when I went out to do some errands, and stopped at a busy coffee shop. The lady behind the counter, with a Trainee badge pinned to her uniform, was probably in her early 50's, and seemed slightly flustered as she slowly and deliberately entered my order into the computerized register.
I saw mild panic in her eyes as I told her I wanted to pay for my coffee with a special swipe-able coffee card. This entailed her hitting various buttons on the register, then pressing several more on a little separate keypad, then swiping the card through two different debit machines. She went through the whole process once, twice, three times - nothing worked. Finally, with her face all red from embarrassment and frustration, and with a long line forming behind me, she called over another worker, a boy who looked 16. He calmly hit a few buttons, swiped the card, then said, "There you go!" and sauntered off, leaving her looking exhausted. That's when I reconsidered my earlier idea that restaurant jobs are computer-free.
From the coffee shop, I stopped off at a corner store to rent a movie. The teenager serving me said that that day a new video-rental system was taking effect. She had to re-enter all my membership information in their system, including my driver's license number, phone number and address, and then had me set up a PIN number using a special keypad.
Then I paid by debit. Between the PIN keypad, the debit machine and the computerized touch-screen register, her fingers were flying, completing the complicated process in about 3 minutes. I was very impressed. But again, I was shocked at my earlier assumption that retail clerks don't have to know anything about computers.
Bottom line? There are very few jobs left today that require absolutely no computer knowledge. My guess is that a few years from now, there will be even fewer than there are now. So for anyone planning on re-entering the job market right now, my advice would be to learn at least some basic computer skills.
The very minimum I would suggest would be to learn how to open and send an e-mail, and how to access the Internet, and find and navigate a website. Use a friend's computer, go to an Internet cafe, hang out with a grandchild...
So can you still get a job without computer knowledge? Yes, but it's getting more difficult. Why not face your fear and meet the challenge? Learn a little computer. You may be surprised at how quickly you gain knowledge and confidence, and maybe even more surprised at how much fun it can be!
Certainly there are still a few jobs today that require little or no computer knowledge. Hairdresser is one that comes to mind: construction worker, sanitation worker and groundskeeper are others. The problem is that these jobs tend to be physically demanding and not that suitable for the older workers who are most likely to lack computer skills. Even among these jobs, the number requiring no computer knowledge whatsoever is dwindling. Many of the trades, such as electrician, mechanic, plumber or TV repairman, increasingly require information from manuals and tables that are only available online, and require the use of computerized equipment.
When I first considered writing this article, my thought was that certainly retail and restaurant server jobs were reliably computer-free. I reconsidered this view later that very day, when I went out to do some errands, and stopped at a busy coffee shop. The lady behind the counter, with a Trainee badge pinned to her uniform, was probably in her early 50's, and seemed slightly flustered as she slowly and deliberately entered my order into the computerized register.
I saw mild panic in her eyes as I told her I wanted to pay for my coffee with a special swipe-able coffee card. This entailed her hitting various buttons on the register, then pressing several more on a little separate keypad, then swiping the card through two different debit machines. She went through the whole process once, twice, three times - nothing worked. Finally, with her face all red from embarrassment and frustration, and with a long line forming behind me, she called over another worker, a boy who looked 16. He calmly hit a few buttons, swiped the card, then said, "There you go!" and sauntered off, leaving her looking exhausted. That's when I reconsidered my earlier idea that restaurant jobs are computer-free.
From the coffee shop, I stopped off at a corner store to rent a movie. The teenager serving me said that that day a new video-rental system was taking effect. She had to re-enter all my membership information in their system, including my driver's license number, phone number and address, and then had me set up a PIN number using a special keypad.
Then I paid by debit. Between the PIN keypad, the debit machine and the computerized touch-screen register, her fingers were flying, completing the complicated process in about 3 minutes. I was very impressed. But again, I was shocked at my earlier assumption that retail clerks don't have to know anything about computers.
Bottom line? There are very few jobs left today that require absolutely no computer knowledge. My guess is that a few years from now, there will be even fewer than there are now. So for anyone planning on re-entering the job market right now, my advice would be to learn at least some basic computer skills.
The very minimum I would suggest would be to learn how to open and send an e-mail, and how to access the Internet, and find and navigate a website. Use a friend's computer, go to an Internet cafe, hang out with a grandchild...
So can you still get a job without computer knowledge? Yes, but it's getting more difficult. Why not face your fear and meet the challenge? Learn a little computer. You may be surprised at how quickly you gain knowledge and confidence, and maybe even more surprised at how much fun it can be!
Searching for a job in SG, you can source a list of available jobs at job bank Singapore.
A recruiting article by Dougles Chan - A recruitment mentor that speciliased in recruitment training and recruitment mentoring in Singapore and globally.
Contact Dougles Chan @ +(65) 9388 0851 or email to dc@dougleschan.com for your recruitment training and mentoring needs.
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