Difficult Record Manager Interview Preparation Guide

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They are, and they should be reduced to some physical form so they can be handled, stored, and disposed of in the same ways as all other organizational records.

An effective record schedule specifies which records should be stored and maintained in the organization’s working areas for how long, and when those records should be transferred to off-site storage and for how long.

The individual who either creates or receives the record is responsible for determining if it is a record, where it should be retained, how long it should be retained, and how it should be disposed of in compliance with the organization’s record schedule.

I believe that success is not only achieving a team’s targets and goals but also exceeding them. It is not, in my opinion, acceptable to simply set out to meet your targets; you should constantly be striving to beat them. For example, in a previous management role I was set the target of achieving 50 new clients for my company within the first quarter of the year. I started out by briefing the team on what was required and the strategy that we would use to beat this target. Everyone in the team knew what they needed to do and we all set about working together to not only achieve the target, but beat it easily. At the end of the quarter we have achieved no fewer than 64 new clients for the company, something which we were all very proud of.

☛ Records management is a process for the systematic management of all records and the information or data that they contain. Traditionally these were held on paper, or more recently on microfilm or fiche, but are now held increasingly within electronic systems.
☛ The core concept is the life cycle of information, which sees information having a series of phases from creation to final disposition either through a controlled destruction process or being added to the long-term or permanent record (the archive) of the University.
☛ Records Management incorporates the practice of identifying, classifying, providing access to, archiving, and sometimes the controlled destruction of records.

No, all records, no matter how they were created or received should be handled, stored, and disposed of the same way based on the content of the record.

A records Retention and Disposal Schedule is a control document that sets out the periods for which an organisation’s business records should be retained to meet its operational needs and to comply with legal and other requirements. It forms a key element of the University's records management policy. It consists of timetables that set out when individual or groups of records are due for review, transfer to an archive and/or destruction.

In response to compliance with current legislation eg the Freedom of Information Act 2000, they make it easier to establish whether or not a record exists when a request is received. Using such schedules will also give the public confidence that the University has adequate procedures for identifying records that have been requested.

The person in the organization designated as the organization’s records manager should be responsible for creating a file structure for each organizational unit with read access shared by all members of that unit.

Yes. Any number of operational subject areas such as hiring, firing, fair employment, occupational health and safety, products liability, securities, antitrust, and any number of others have their own record-keeping requirements. If in doubt, seek the advice of the person in the organization designated as the organization’s records manager. If that is not satisfactory, seek the answer from a lawyer responsible for the legal matters of the organization.

A records Retention & Disposal Schedule provides generic guidance on retention of records which are commonly generated in the course of:

☛ core work
☛ developing relationships with stakeholders
☛ the management of the institutions themselves as corporate bodies

It covers key groups of records generated by the common business functions and business activities. In the case of the University these will include Student Records, Financial Records, Personnel Records, Health & Safety Records, etc.

The Schedule being used for Records Management at the University is based on research and consultation with a wide range of institutions. However, it is not intended to be either totally prescriptive or exhaustive. A certain amount of individual judgement will still have to be made in dealing with some records.

One can work to be a prime example of a great record keeper. Setting this example will encourage coworkers and peers to see that effective record keeping is possible, not that difficult, and significantly beneficial when one or others need the data, information, knowledge, and/or expertise in one’s records. Equally important, one should work to continually record new information, knowledge, and expertise that one learns, or observes in others, while working.

The sharing of an employee’s tacit knowledge with those outside the organization should be covered in the organization’s policy about sharing the organization’s data, information, knowledge, and expertise with those outside the company.

Most records will never be needed again; the unanswerable question is which ones will be needed sometime in the future. When one of the organization’s top executives or managers has a vague recollection of having seen a record that he or she now desperately needs—particularly to defend or protect the organization—and you are the one to produce it, hopefully you will be considered a hero and eventually promoted and/or financially rewarded.

☛ By the very nature of Retention & Disposal Schedules it is essential that records are dated and that they are filed or stored in some manner that identifies the date or (at a minimum) the year of creation. The Schedules will then advise as to how many 'years' after that date the records should be retained for before disposal. For example:
☛ Current academic year + 5 years OR Life of course + 1 year
☛ There can be some confusion as to whether ‘year’ relates to the UK fiscal year, the University financial year, the ‘academic’ year or the calendar year. Some record sequences relate directly to an academic year whether that starts on 25 September or 28 September or 1 October (depending on which date is a Monday).
☛ In the event of the schedule stating that the (academic year) records can be disposed of after (for example) three years it is advisable to take this to be ‘after the end of the calendar year, three years after the end of the academic year’.
☛ For example, a record created on 5 November 2005 in the academic year 2005/06 with a 'Current academic year + 3 years' retention period could be considered for disposal after 31 December 2009.

☛ What are the benefits of records management?
☛ What are the components of an effective records management program?
☛ What are the reasons for storing records off-site at a records warehouse?
☛ One reason is that warehouse space is cheaper than office space.
☛ Under what circumstances should records be microfilmed?
☛ Microfilm is used for records that are vital and require long term retention typically 10 or more years.
☛ What types of records would be ideal candidates for optical imaging?
☛ What is the purpose of a records retention schedule?
☛ What types of records would be considered as vital records for an organization?
☛ What are records?
☛ What are the legal implications associated with a records management program?
☛ What steps are involved in determining the retention period for records?
☛ Name the factors to consider in determing the appropriate retention period for records.
☛ Name the risks of having an ineffective records management program.
☛ What actions can you take to facilitate the retrieval of records?
☛ Tell us about your experience in managing off-site records storage?
☛ Have you managed off-site records storage or did you use a contract facility?
☛ What are the critical service requirements in using a contract facility for off-site records storage?

No. The principles underlying records management - creation, retention, identification, and retrieval of records - apply equally to both electronic and paper records. This means that procedures for e-mail and information held on shared and personal hard drives have to be as robust and detailed as those for other records.

Without institution-wide records management procedures, each College, School, Department or Unit of the University would continue to follow their own practices. Whilst each set of practices may seem to be based upon a common sense approach, an uncoordinated approach to managing the University's records could lead to:

☛ Failure to comply with legislation
☛ Risks to institutional accountability
☛ Inefficient use of staff time
☛ Poorly informed decision-making
☛ Loss of institutional memory

By following the procedures and guidelines issued centrally, the benefits likely to be achieved include the following:

☛ Needed documents and information can be easily accessible:
A standard method of describing and arranging records across the University will assist in document and information identification and retrieval for purposes from audits and legislative compliance, to reuse of management information.

☛ Reduced need for excessive equipment for storing records:
An appropriate Retention and Disposal Schedule will set out standard time periods for which University records should be retained. By destroying records no longer required, the need for equipment for the storage of paper or electronic records is reduced.

☛ The University's cultural history is safeguarded:
The Retention and Disposal schedules also enable vital records required for longer time periods, and those of archival value, to be identified and safeguarded.

☛ Increased productivity and reduced time spent searching for needed documents:
Administrative and clerical staff spend a significant amount of their time searching for information or documents created within their own office or elsewhere within the University and a clear set of RM procedures will improve the efficiency of that process.

Accountability throughout the Records Life Cycle:

Records testify to the authority behind the decision making processes of the University and provide audit trails when both internal and external audits are required.

One could lose one job if one’s poor record keeping puts the company in significant jeopardy, or one could be subject to civil or criminal penalties if the information one has recorded is used to support and prove such legal actions.

It is only with an understanding and appreciation of many of the details of the organization’s operations that a professional records manager can help the organization’s employees make the quality of the data, information, knowledge, and expertise in those records as accurate and as complete as possible. Further, with this knowledge of its operations, the records manager will likely spot potential trouble about which he or she can seek legal advice.

The person in the organization designated as the organization’s records manager should be notified so that an item covering those kinds of records can be drafted, approved, and added to the schedule.

This is a very common question that is asked in almost every interview. I love this question because it gives you the opportunity to sell yourself. Discuss what makes you standout from the crowd and show them how you can help advance their company. Remember to be specific. This is where all the company research you have done comes into play. You should have an idea as to why the company is hiring or looking to hire someone for that position. What problem do they have that they are looking for people to help them solve? And once you can establish this, you are to show them how you can solve this problem for them.

My members of staff would say that I am an effective leader who injects enthusiasm and motivation in to the team. They would also say that I am results driven and that, whilst I am fair, I also expect a hard day’s work from everyone.

The Data Protection Act applies to personal information relating to living individuals. The gathering, storage and processing of that data has to conform with a number of principles including its gathering and retention for specific purposes, the secure retention of the data, the ability to recover it when a Data Subject submits a request, and ensuring that it is kept for no longer than is necessary for the purpose for which it is held. Good records management policies and procedures will ensure that there is compliance with the Act.

Report it to one’s own manager, the person in the organization designated as the organization’s records manager, and/or the lawyer responsible for the legal matters of the organization.

Find an item on the organization’s record schedule that specifies how long that record must be retained and after that period has expired, follow the disposition method specified in the schedule.