Depending
on the amount of time you’ve been out of the professional workforce,
you may feel your familiarity with common office project management
tools and other office-related applications is lacking. First, don't be
hard on yourself! Keeping up with these technologies can be like
shoveling a driveway when it's snowing ... there's always more in the
way. Technology is changing every day, and newer (and better?)
applications seem to be released every five minutes. Thankfully, with free and accessible online courses, you’ll be up to speed in no time.
Here are some of the basic office management tools you’ll want to re-familiarize yourself with (or get to know now).
Common productivity suites - which will you use?
Right now, the two most common productivity suites for businesses are
Microsoft 365 and G-Suite (including Google Apps). These tools allow
users to perform common business tasks “in the cloud.” Both suites
include apps for document creation, presentations, spreadsheets, team
collaboration, video conferencing and cloud storage (your work is saved
remotely on Google or Microsoft servers – not on your personal
computer.)
Google's G Suite – a productivity suite including Google Apps
Many offices are switching to “G Suite” because of its customization
for businesses and office integration. However, most of the popular
applications are also accessible from Google Apps. You can be a G Suite
expert by learning to use those apps now.
- Go to the “Learn by Product” section of this page for Google’s free courses on Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Hangouts Chat and Meet, Docs, Sheets, Forms, Slides, and Groups.
- You could even become “G Suite Certified” for $75.
- Coursera offers a “Specialization” in G Suite."
With enrollment, you get access to all of the courses in the
Specialization, and you earn a certificate upon completion. While this
is not a free certification, you can audit the course for free if you only want to read and view the course content.
- Udemy – be sure to filter for free classes.
Microsoft Office
Various versions of the Microsoft Office provide different apps
(Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Publisher, Access) and
their online subscription integrates all aspects of the apps with the
cloud. The following links are just a sampling of tutorials and/or
classes on each of the applications in the Microsoft Office 365 suite.
Product Management Software
Basecamp, Teamwork, Hive, Wrike, Asana, Podio – If these names are
new to you, it’s time to get up to speed on the popular project
management tools out there. Managing and keeping track of the many
projects a team might be working on at any one time, project management
software provides a way for teams to keep track of who’s doing what. As
remote work opportunities increase, teams rely on project management
software to ensure team communication and productivity.
Take a look at these popular project management tools to become
familiar with their capabilities and jargon before your next interview.
Getting back to the basics is an important step for relaunchers – not
just to build your knowledge base, but to improve your confidence.
Feeling mastery over this common office software will help build a
foundation for your overall confidence to return to work. Don't be
afraid to search for "free classes" and "free tutorials" on any software
that you need to learn. There's a good chance you'll find more help
than you'd expect.
