Do You Have The Right Records Management Skills?

By Katie Wike, contributing writer

According to consultant and analyst Steve Weissman, there are certain skills that make a great records manager.

Are you looking for a records manager? According to consultant and analyst Steve Weissman, there is a specific skill set you should be looking for before you pick just the right new employee. First, as Weissman explains for Search Content Management, IT skills are critical. He lists the following as requirements for the perfect candidate:

• an understanding of business operation
• knowledge of hard- and soft-copy storage media and formats
• familiarity with best practices for sharing and protecting information of all kinds
• the ability to work with and lead people in a range of other departments

According to the article, the key is to see the bigger picture, and be able to use your skills in all departments.

Following is Weissman’s checklist for making sure that, when you’re the one being interviewed, you leave no doubt you are the correct applicant:

• Be familiar with how and where the needs of your organization's legal, compliance, and operational departments intersect and, often, compete — and be prepared to recommend possible solutions.
• Learn more about what business analysts do and how to leverage their work when furthering your records strategies.
• Be conversant in the technologies and issues involving not just records management, but content management, business process management (BPM), database management and other critical aspects of information management.
• Understand how to use electronic tools to manage both digital and physical assets.
• Deepen your expertise in taxonomy and metadata, especially as it relates to reconciling vocabularies across lines of business.
• Finally, don't forget about all your “regular” records practices, such as classification, retention, disposition, compliance, legal hold, etc.