Can you Really Pass an Impromptu Software Test?

It happens, and likely more often than you might think.  Sometimes Employers, right in the middle of a job interview, will ask the often nervous candidate to demo their Microsoft Office skills, right then and there.  I’ve been there myself.  In one interview, I was asked to create a flyer advertising a new on site instructor led training program for staff.

Just a few minutes later, there I was sitting at someone's desk with a computer in front of me that I'd never used, while three pretty intense interviewers stood by and watched.  Luckily, inspiration hit and I was able to pull off a Word document that made it - whew!  But what if I had choked?  It was certainly on my Resume that I knew how to use MS Word, but creating a Flyer is an advanced skill.  I could have failed miserably and it would have been a very embarrassing exit, ouch.

It's this unexpected experience that stays with me today as I continue to work on making my MS Office Courses the best they can possibly be for those who attend my classes.  I ask myself, often, if I have truly included the topics that might be needed on the job, at school, and especially on the fly?  I know that I can't possibly know for sure, but after so many decades of intense use of MS Office programs, the odds are likely kinda on my side, but what's much more important, are they on your side?