<p>I mean, most people already have proficiency with those. And even if they don't have proficiency, they could easily "become proficient" in the span of several hours. Proficiency is so vaguely defined that knowing how to use it would probably count as proficiency.</p>
<p>Yet many people still put it on their resumes and some jobs even ask for it.</p>
<p>Yes, it means you’re just like everyone else who went to college after 1993.</p>
<p>Don’t put it on your resume unless you’re exceptional at it or unless the job specifically requires proficiency.</p>
<p>If you have to use “help” then you’re not exceptional, You’re just like everyone else.</p>
<p>Older adults (over 50) should mention it as well.</p>
<p>How good are you with programming macros?</p>
<p>Haha good question - Macros were always the feature of Word/Excel that I never used.</p>
<p>But I highly suspect that many people will put on Word/Excel experience even though they don’t know Macros (and the same is true for many jobs that list word/excel experience as a desired skill). Certainly I think that people should specify that they know Macros (if they do), and that employers should ask for Macro experience (if they desire it). Rather than just use the blanket catch-all term “experience”.</p>
<p>If you don’t know VBA then it’ll be a waste of space.</p>
<p>There are a lot of other complicated things excel can do besides macros (add-ins are crazy), and using solver for optimization/statistics is a pretty cool trick.</p>
<p>I am searching for something free online that would give me proficiency. I just found something for-paid:
<a href=“https://deals.cultofmac.com/sales/microsoft-word-2011-course[/url]”>https://deals.cultofmac.com/sales/microsoft-word-2011-course</a></p>
<p>Does anyone know good place to learn MS office for both Windows and Mac? Learn as in being proficient, (better than average?)</p>
<p>The best way is to actually use it, not look for places to “learn” it. It’s the only way you’ll become proficient with hotkeys and macros. Just google when you don’t know something.</p>
<p>A recruiter asked me if I’m good with computer skills like MS Office. </p>
<p>How should I reply? I think I forgot a lot of what I learned in High School computer class regarding Word and Excel, but I can do what basically anyone can do which is adjusting font size, color, spacings, controlling indentation, the layout of the print format, etc. For Excel I think I forgot most of how to do it. But at the same time I think it shouldn’t take too long to be good at it.</p>
<p>Should I say that I am fairly good at MS Office but will learn it with focus in the next few days? Or should I just say that I am “proficient” and then proceed to learn it in the next few days so that they don’t get any surprises on my ignorance if they hire me?</p>
<p>Someone once told me they were a “pro” at Microsoft Excel. I proceeded to ask him what pivot tables were and if he knew how to use them and what strategies he had for setting up data more efficiently.</p>
<p>He then said, “Oh, well I don’t know all the specific aspects of Excel.”</p>
<p>Yeah…</p>
<p>“Proficient in Excel” on a resume often means, “I once used it to add up a string of numbers, possibly by writing ‘+2+15+7+9+12’ all in one cell.”</p>
<p>I rarely use pivot tables - and up until a couple years ago, I’d have said, “huh?” had you asked me about them. One of my clients loves them, so I can make do, now.</p>
<p>I use array sums nearly every day, and I’ve never met anyone else who even knew what those were. They work similarly to pivot tables, or to VLOOKUP / HLOOKUP, and IME someone really likes one or the other of those things, but rarely likes all of them equally.</p>
<p>Being proficient, to me, doesn’t mean that you know everything - or even that you know some other person’s favorite thing. IMHO it does mean that you know a heck of a lot more than the standard temp agency Excel screening (which checks for things like whether you know how to make a number bold, and whether you can add a string of numbers by clicking the Sum button).</p>
<p>Here’s my judge of how proficient you are at Excel:</p>
<p>Foundational - You understand basic functions such as SUM, IF, CONCATENATE and VLOOKUP but very little outside of that; you can create a chart with static data and utilize formatting functions to make it look good; you understand how to properly format cells and use Excel options like Sort and AutoFilter; pivot tables make sense to you but you can’t make one on your own
Intermediate - You can create more complex functions such as SUMIF and SUMPRODUCT; you may not be intimately familiar with formulas like FIND, INDEX, MATCH, etc. but can essentially follow an existing formula and tweak it as needed; you can create a dynamic chart based on datasets; you understand how to name a range and work with named ranges; you understand worksheet and workbook protection; you can make a good pivot table
Expert - You can create VERY complex formulas, including INDIRECT and IF (with multiple layers of nesting); you understand and can apply array formulas without needing to seek outside assistance; you can create dynamic ranges; you can set up workbooks to allow users to dynamically change charts and graphs by simply selecting from a list of available values; you do not know ALL Excel formulas since the possibilities are literally infinite, but you can understand any formula that you see and need little - if any - assistance in creating new formulas to accomplish any business task.</p>
<p>With regard to VBA, there are different levels of skill depending on what is necessary. For businesses that have a need for VBA usage, you probably won’t need to know the full battery of VB functions. Based on my company’s definitions, I would say…</p>
<p>Foundational - You understand subroutines and declared variables; you know the difference between public and private routines; you can create and edit macros to automate common tasks using the macro recorder; you cannot create a macro from scratch
Intermediate - You can create a macro from scratch and understand how to best utilize declared variables; you understand how to pass values ByRef and ByVal from one routine to another; you can create basic userforms and push-button functions; you have familiarity with repeating functions such as Do/Loop and For/Next; you know how to programmatically reformat text, insert formulas and move around information
Advanced - You can create macros that will handle files in folders; your programs can interact with other applications in the Office suite; you can utilize VB events; you can create complex userforms; you understand array variables including multi-dimensional array variables; you understand how and when to use public variables; you can define functions that do not yet exist; you can create work-arounds for functionality that does not exist in Excel; dynamically create named ranges.</p>
<p>Obviously, there are certainly functions within each of those levels that I didn’t mention, and there are higher levels on both the Excel UI and the VB interface. But for practical business purposes, the above should cover it.</p>
<p>As far as listing it on a resume, don’t list it if all you have done is take a couple of classes. However, if you have done some legitimate work in Excel that would place you a step above your peers, it is worth talking about; for example, I used Excel in a political science class in order to crunch numbers to make a point for a paper. Though it did not show advanced skills it showed the ability to use Excel as a valuable tool to model projections and explain numbers. </p>
<p>For the other programs, though, you shouldn’t list it because it is expected. If you don’t know how to go into Microsoft Word and type something out, you are not qualified for most jobs in business. For you to say you are PROFICIENT in anything, you need to be at the intermediate level or higher for whatever business you are applying to.</p>
<p>chrisw’s description is probably the best I’ve seen.</p>
<p>Usually wouldn’t write that unless the job specifically asks for it or else might get asked questions about obscure excel macros.</p>
<p>During a job interview, an interviewer actually told me I could get certified in Excel. Until then, he kind of hinted, that he didn’t believe that I was capable of utilizing it. Yep.</p>
<p>PP/Excel and Word are three problems all grads MUST be very proficient with. For Excel, at a minimum, you should understand pivot tables and simple macros.</p>
<p>LakeClouds, not entirely true. Excel is important, but VB is not terribly crucial. Most applications of Excel in business (for your average new analyst/associate) are going to involve basic modeling. If you understand how to write a good formula, you’ll be fine. Pivot tables can be useful, but they’re not needed for every industry. </p>
<p>I’m not sure how anyone can graduate college without at least being able to use Word, but most businesses will not require you to understand the full details of all of Word’s features (though it is certainly nice to know how to use dynamic fields and how to play with numbering using section breaks). </p>
<p>PowerPoint is hit-or-miss. I know a lot of companies still use PP, but I get the feeling that more and more companies recognize that a PP deck is pretty ineffective. For example, one of my friends works with PP on a weekly basis; I, on the other hand, have been with my company for more than a year and a half, and I haven’t even opened the PowerPoint application.</p>
<p>That said, I don’t think there are very many companies that would stop considering you because you aren’t proficient in the Office suite. As long as you know that Excel can do formulas, that you can write stuff in Word, that using the animation sounds in PowerPoint is a TERRIBLE IDEA and that Outlook exists, you’ll probably be just fine for most companies. You will probably be expected to become proficient in things within a few months, but you aren’t expected to already know everything. </p>
<p>Of course, having proficiency in the Office suite is going to be very helpful to you when applying to jobs. Companies today are happy to train, but they’re happier when they don’t need to train… or when their people start two levels higher than the expected level.</p>
<p>Just be careful about overestimating your skill. College students have the tendency to say, “sure I’m proficient in that!” when the reality is that you are at a foundational level at best.</p>