Microsoft Office Skills for Resumes & Cover Letters

Microsoft Office Skills for Resumes & Cover LettersMicrosoft Office Skills for Resumes & Cover LettersEmployersacross many industries expect job seekers to have Microsoft Office (MS) skills, and its probably the most preferred productivity software in businesses around the globe. You may not need to be an expert in MS Office for your next job, but youll improve yourjob prospectsand be considered for mora roles if youre at least acquainted with the basics. If youre applying for anadministrative position, youll need to be well-versed in using Office programs for your daily tasks. Most likely, your hiring manager will expect a high level of MS Office proficiency. For even high-level positions, your employer will expect you to have at least a basic proficiency in MS genau and MS Excel. What are Microsoft Office Skills? MS Office includes ten different desktop applications. The most common are Excel for spreadsheets, Outlook for email, PowerPoint for presentations, and Word for word p rocessing. Although your next job might use a number of Microsoft Office applications, many positions require daily use of either, or both, MS Excel, MS Word, and MS PowerPoint. The following descriptions cover skills within unterstellung programs that an employer might require, so you can brush up on these as necessary and include them on yourresume. Types of Microsoft Office Skills MS Excel You might receive extra consideration from potential employers if you let them know your skill level in MS Excel includes knowledge and experience in using the following functions Pivot tablesYou can manage, sort and analyze data in a number of ways using Excel if youre able to master the art of the pivot table. Pivot tables do automatic actions like sorting and averaging to help you parse data quickly, using formulas, sorts and other functions that would otherwise take hours to extract for data analysis.Formula functionsKnowing how to use basic formulas in Excel can help you create spr eadsheets that provide real value to your employer. Know the formulas for simple math calculations, and then learn commonly-used skills such as how to link data from one spreadsheet to another, how to find information in large data sets using formulas like VLookup, and how to use the filter and subtotal functions to sort and present data in visually-appealing formats. FormattingTheres no rule that says spreadsheets have to be ugly or boring. Spreadsheets that are formatted using consistent font sizing, brand-specific colors and uniform spacing will be better received by colleagues and bosses. Beyond the basics of making them palatable, Excel provides a host of formatting options you can apply to a spreadsheet to make it more easily readable and aesthetically pleasing. Dont underestimate the power of a well-placed line divider, or sparingly-applied color scheme. MS Word For written-wordcommunicationsin business, MS Word is the system of choice. Most employers will seek candidate s who can execute the following tasks in MS Word. Formatting Page SetupMany people feel unable to grasp the basics of MS Words seemingly difficult-to-use formatting and page setup functions. It will greatly benefit you to learn the basics of these functions because theyre core to using MS Office. Formatting can involve things like custom repeating headers, multiple columns, page numbering, and font and color choices.Template Building Editing Once you create something you like, you can save the template and reuse it again and again.Using SmartArt TextboxesMSWord is great for more than text-based documents. Its also useful for things like flyers and signage. Word makes it easy once you know how to use these features. Shapes and text boxes can at times be unwieldy, because its more difficult to get them tooverlap, and they can sometimes jump around the page, but once you get the piste of it and understand the quirks, youll be a master. If you prefer not to use Photoshop or dont hav e access to professional digital design, MS Word and Publisher make great alternatives to simple visual design projects using images, shapes, colors, and other design elements. MS PowerPoint PowerPoint is presentation software. It enables the designer to create a wide variety of custom slides for projecting onto a screen. Employers will seek candidates that can put together a presentation in PowerPoint and include text, pictures, graphics, and spreadsheet tables. PowerPoint has a lot of features, like shadows, sounds,and slide transitions. Those adept at PowerPoint will know how to use the right features for emphasis while not going overboard with too many distractions. Custom Slides and TemplatesEmployers want someone who can create an attractive slide from scratch, understanding the basic design elements of composition, color, and balance. A successful candidate will also be able to input new data into an existing template.AnimationAdding animations to text and images adds a l ayer of excitement to each slide. Animations allow elements on the page to zoom or fade in and out. Employers will prefer candidates who can tastefully and thoughtfully use this feature without going over the top. Working with MS Office can be fun and rewarding. Microsoft Office skills come in taschentelefon in just about any role, but especially a workplace environment where administrative tasks are valued. Brush up on your skills and be prepared to talk about what you can do with MS Office in your next interview. More Microsoft Office Skills MS OutlookMS PublisherMS CertificationsOneDriveOneNoteChartsConfigure Email SettingsElectronic Business CardsWritten CommunicationCollaborationDigital File/Folder OrganizationForm CreationLabel CreationDigital PresentationsQuery CreationSlideshow CreationData AnalysisDatabase ManagementEmail FiltersEmail AttachmentsGrammar CheckMail MergePage SetupPrint SettingsSchedulingEmail SignaturesDocument SharingSpell CheckDesign How to Make Your S kills Stand Out Add Relevant Skills to Your Resume Each job will require different skills and experiences, so make sure you read the job description carefully and focus on the relevant job skills listed by the employer.Highlight Skills in Your Cover Letter Use the skills above as you create your letter. For each skill you include, imagine that youre being interviewed and need to provide an example of a time you used the skill.Use Skill Words in Your Job Interview During yourinterview,be prepared to discuss the features youre familiar with and what youre able to do.