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Background:

Yesterday I applied to a job posting and received an e-mail from the head of the talent acquisition for a phone interview and I accepted.

Before applying I read the job description, and constructed my cover letter accordingly. The job description mentioned 2 platforms and that the ideal candidate would have some experience with at least one of them. The reason being the company produces a similar product.

When I wrote my cover letter, I made sure it was clear, straightforward, and most importantly, honest. She mentioned that she enjoyed reading my resume/cover letter, so I know she didn't just quickly scan it.

At no point in my resume or cover letter did I say that I have experience with the 2 platforms.

I have no experience with the 2 mentioned platforms, but they still contacted me for a phone interview tomorrow. The person conducting the interview told me what the questions will focus on, and none of them have anything to do with the 2 mentioned platforms or the one the company produces. Afterward she will answer any questions I have.

Question:

Would it be inappropriate to ask if there will be training with the company platform? Can this knock me out of consideration for the job?

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    I can't imagine them hiring you and not training you on their platform.
    – cdkMoose
    Commented Apr 25, 2018 at 16:25
  • @cdkMoose There is training and then there is training, and while the OP would like the former, he fears he will get the latter.
    – Peter M
    Commented Apr 25, 2018 at 16:28
  • @cdkMoose my first job working with VBA, I received no training, so it does happen
    – Old_Lamplighter
    Commented Apr 25, 2018 at 16:30
  • @RichardU, did they hire you specifically to work with VBA knowing that you had no experience and not give you any training? I guess it happens, but seems pretty irresponsible of the hiring company.
    – cdkMoose
    Commented Apr 25, 2018 at 17:08
  • @PeterM, OP didn't specify what type of training. I'm not suggesting that they will necessarily have a formal training program, but to knowingly hire someone with no experience with the tool and not train them in some fashion seems foolhardy.
    – cdkMoose
    Commented Apr 25, 2018 at 17:09

2 Answers 2

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You have been upfront and honest with your application, so it is a good sign that this company still wants to interview you - they obviously see something worthwhile in your application. (Or playing Devil's Advocate - They are desperate for warm bodies.)

But we can't know if you will receive formal (take this class) or informal training (here's the documentation) or no training at all (Here's the code, get at it). However this would be a good question for you to ask during your interview - what sort of sort of training do they offer.

Remember the interview is a 2 way street. Not only are they interviewing you to see if you would be a good fit, you are also interviewing them to see if it is a place where you would like to work. The quality of training that they offer would be one consideration in accepting any offer from them.

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The question is not whether "it [would] be inappropriate to ask if there will be training with the company platform?".

It wouldn't. The question is however, whether strategically it makes sense to ask about it.

And the answer is:

It depends what kind of platforms you mean.

Search for a trial version or youtube videos and try to assess how difficult it will be for you to learn it.

If it's something that you know you will be able to learn quickly, don't even mention you have had no experience with that. If asked about it, say you've heard of the platforms, have had no practical experience with them but are able to learn it in no time. Add that you are quick to pick up new skills and give an example how you learnt something quickly.

Only if that's something you would need days of training to learn you can ask about it during the interview.

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