MS Office Skills
Do you need MS Office skills to function well in your job role? This article provides a guide on how you can develop the skills and include them on your resume.
What are MS Office Skills?
MS Office skills are the expertise one acquires when using Microsoft Office software. These skills demonstrate a person’s level of proficiency with some of the most widely used MS Office applications, such as those used to coordinate communications and prepare documents and presentations. It is generally advantageous to list these MS Office skills on your resume because applicants with these skills are usually valued and preferred by companies.
A conventional definition of Microsoft Office proficiency is the ability to edit text documents using MS Word, build templates, and automate the development of tables of contents. When applying for jobs, having Microsoft Office abilities is often necessary to stand better off landing the job. The experience you have with Microsoft Office might help your CV stand out. To create an organized and comprehensive resume, you have to determine which Microsoft Office skills are most relevant to the position you are applying for. Fundamental knowledge of the common Microsoft Office programs is required for many positions, and it’s necessary to list those skills on your resume. Enlisting your Microsoft Office skills can be a great way to fill up a resume if you have less work experience. Ensure to include the skills that are relevant to the position and also relate directly to the requirement listed in the job description.
Additionally, to further distinguish yourself as an ideal candidate for the job, ensure to highlight any intermediate and advanced Microsoft Office skills you have. MS Office skills include proficiency in Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Skype, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft OneNote, and Microsoft Publisher. Proficiency in these MS Office quartet will imply the skills in creating spreadsheets, creating tables, creating pivot tables, running and creating macros, data analysis, data visualization, validating data, creating documents, managing tables of content, preparing documents for print, proofreading, and editing copy, creating slideshows, and embedding video and images.
Importance of MS Office Skills
- Improves Job Prospectus
MS Office skills improve work productivity, which will eventually increase your job prospects. Microsoft Office skills are essential and a prerequisite for future jobs. Jobs such as Business Administration, Office Administration, Project Administration, Insurance Advisory or Sales, will be a lucrative career option with effective MS Office skills.
- Different Features
Microsoft offers all office tools with more and improved features with every new release. There is extensive and professional support available at all times for MS Office, as well as several online resources providing tutorials and tips for using MS Office tools.
- Trust and Reliability
Companies and individual users continue to use MS Office in recent times because of the trust which Microsoft has built up over the years. MS Office provides great utility and advanced features with every new release, so people wouldn’t need to look at any other tool. Microsoft has justified the fact that trust and reliability are essential for users to keep using the MS Office tools.
- User-Friendly Interface and Features
Microsoft Office is well known for its clear and straightforward user interface, which is also easy to understand and navigate. The pages of MS Office tools are extremely user-friendly, and you can easily navigate through them. The menu items explain and guide you clearly on how to execute your tasks efficiently and effortlessly.
How to Improve your MS Office Skills
- Learn the Basics of Microsoft Office
When you start to learn Microsoft Office then you need to start from the basics, because if you do not understand the basic tools of MS Office then it may be challenging for you to become proficient in Office. Many tools, features, and settings in MS Office are the same in every application such as font settings, alignments, justification, and many others. Learn Insert Images, Edit and Create Documents, Font Settings, Add Watermark and other basic tools learn first in Microsoft Office because they will help you to create a basic document in Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
- Memorize the Quick Commands
MS Office has easy and quick key commands which can save time and the stress of extra clicking or scrolling. Memorizing some of the most used keyboard shortcuts in Ms Word can make a big difference on large writing projects and significantly improve your skills. MS Office’s easy shortcuts include commands like Ctrl + C to copy, Ctrl + V to paste, Ctrl + x to cut, etc.
- Take a Course
Enrolling in a course online or offline is a good option for you to become proficient in MS Office and there are many free courses available to teach you how to use Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Free and paid courses are also available to improve MS Office skills and enhance your learning of the basics of Office. You can also take classes from your family members and friends who have great expertise in Microsoft Office.
- Leverage the Smart Searches
Research and writing usually go together, and with Ms Word, users can maximize research while writing. If a user right-clicks on a word and selects “Smart Lookup”, they can quickly browse the web without having to open a new browser window. This Ms Word feature can quickly enhance writers to a deep knowledge base. There are also more ways to search through documents without going over every word. Users can select Ctrl + F to find any word in a sample. There’s also a lesser-known option in the “Find” menu that lets a user find and replace every instance of a word.
- Minimize Eye Strain
Working on a project for long periods can be strenuous to the eyes. Taking advantage of the zoom function in Ms Word is a great solution to that. The zoom function is located in the “Window” tab and it allows the user to select how large or small words appear on the screen. Using the tab slider at the bottom right of the document is another option available in Ms Word to minimize eye strain. The tab slider tool enables users to adjust the document size and preview its look at the same time.
- Pin Down Keyboard Sequencing
Many people are aware of keyboard shortcuts, but PowerPoint also has useful keyboard sequences. PowerPoint keyboard sequences are commands that require the user to press two buttons at the same time and add a third keystroke. Online resources that outline the most popular keyboard sequences can be beneficial to users. Keyboard sequences are good ways to complete full projects without having to stop and look up where to find a function.
Jobs that Require MS Office Skills
- Administrative assistant
Administrative assistants and receptionists usually need Microsoft Office skills. They often employ MS Office programs in a variety of ways. They might schedule and manage appointments using the calendar feature in Microsoft Outlook, communicate via Microsoft Outlook and create documents using Microsoft Word.
- Content writers
Content and copywriters spend most of their time on a computer either researching, writing, or uploading content. Writers usually need basic Microsoft Windows skills to search for and organize their files and folders because they produce large volumes of content. Content writers also need to be able to use word processing programs, content management systems, spreadsheets, and other job-specific software, such as SEO applications.
- Cost Estimator
A cost estimator usually works with contractors and project managers. They negotiate with contractors and project managers. They interact with them about the money, time, and labour needed to complete each of their projects. Thus they will be using Ms Excel to calculate all of these estimates and show them to them. Cost estimates can also use in Excel to keep track of past projects to use data from those projects to avoid past mistakes.
- Project Manager
Project managers usually work with cost estimators, and may often need to keep up with spreadsheets of their own. Project managers will need spreadsheets to help them with the day-to-day operations, organisation of vendors, management of all financial information, and writing out reports.
- Teacher
Teachers often use programs like Microsoft Word and Excel to create teaching curricula and other educational materials. They need these tools to draft classroom reports and manage student grades. Some teachers may also use Microsoft Skype to educate children who are in other locations.
- Accountant
The job of an accountant often requires advanced knowledge of Microsoft Excel to track client costs and expenses using equations and computation features. Microsoft OneNote may also be used to collaborate and share documents with other team members.
- Marketing Professional
Marketing professionals often use programs like Microsoft Word to draft communications and Microsoft PowerPoint to create sales presentations. Some marketing professionals may also use Microsoft Publisher to create advertisement materials.
- Business Analyst
Business analysts are responsible for keeping tabs on a large amount of company data. The slightest hiccup is capable of resulting in big trouble for a business. However, with MS Office Excel, a business analyst can hold all the data in one place and keep it organized. This way they can easily go through the data, study it, and use it without losing anything.
- Data analyst
Data analysts usually evaluate and retrieve information from Microsoft Excel sheets. The ability to create formulas and locate information in this application is essential for this job.
How to Include MS Office Skills on Your Resume
- Highlight your level of experience
Describe your level of experience with each Microsoft Office skill you mention in your resume. You can indicate your level of experience by categorizing whether it’s a beginner, intermediate or advanced level.
- Emphasize your method of use
It is essential to provide information about the method by which you use each Office program. Emphasize if you use Microsoft Excel on both desktop and mobile devices and are proficient in both methods. There are more positions today that require the use of smartphones and tablets for Ms Excel. The use of Microsoft Office skills across all technological programs and gadgets can be desirable.
- Describe the tasks undertaken
You may also need to describe the tasks undertaken with any of the Microsoft Office. Mention the types of tasks and projects you employed each software for. Also, ensure to identify the tools and features as well as the particular role they played in your tasks.
- List any education, certifications, or recognition
Certifications in one or more of the Microsoft Office programs can further demonstrate your experience. They often test your knowledge of the tools and features and how they can be used.
Examples of How to Include MS Office Skills on Your Resume
- Professional Summary:
Administrative assistant with 2 years experience in MS Office; Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel.
Highly skilled and proficient in creating spreadsheets, and creating tables, and documents.
Intermediate-level skills in using Microsoft Publisher professionally to create and edit marketing materials.
- Work Experience:
Handled all administrative documents using advanced skills in MS Office to create, edit, and print materials
Created marketing correspondences for upcoming events using intermediate skills acquired through certification in Microsoft Publisher
Oversaw office inventory and managed the supplies with advanced skills in Microsoft Excel.
Interacted with executive team members, including scheduling meetings frequently with intermediate skills in Microsoft Outlook.
- Education:
Completed an Udemy six-week professional coursework in Microsoft Excel.
Coursera certification course on MS Office.
How to Demonstrate MS Office Skills in an Interview
- Come to the interview with your MS Office work portfolio.
- Have a ready referee who can confirm your proficiency at any time.
- Speak boldly and with self-awareness. This shows the level of confidence you have in your skills.
- Be smart and ready enough to practise any of the skills if the need arises.
- Display knowledge of MS Office terminology.
- Demonstrate a good understanding of how to communicate complex MS Office concerns.
- Defend the information you gave in your resume.
Examples of Interview Questions to Test MS Office Skills
- How can you customize the toolbar on Microsoft Word?
- How do you insert an image into a document on Microsoft Word?
- What is the purpose of creating a macro on MS Word and MS Excel? How do you do it?
- Mention the steps you would take to save a PowerPoint presentation as a video.
- How do you change the default document font in MS Office?
- What is Autotext in MS Office?
- How do you turn off the automatic URLs in MS Office?
- What is conditional formatting and how/why should it be used with data tables?