Listing Microsoft Office Skills on Your Resume

Microsoft Office skills are required for many jobs. How do you list these skills on your resume most effectively? Learn more with ResumeHelp’s resume tips!

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Microsoft Office Skills

If you’re trying to expand your skill set, then it’s important that you improve skills that you’ll actually use on a regular basis. One of the skills that can be extremely beneficial is MS Office, which stands for Microsoft Office. If you know how to use these tools, then you can become very valuable to a hiring manager. However, too frequently, people think of basic skills when they think of Microsoft Office. Here’s what you need to know about learning these skills well enough to put them on your resume.

What Are Microsoft Office Skills?

Microsoft office skills are skills that you learn surrounding the different facets of the Microsoft Office Suite. This suite actually encompasses a variety of Microsoft Office programs. The most commonly-known Microsoft Office app is Microsoft Word, a word processing app. Here are a few of the Microsoft Word skills that you might know if you understand MS Word:

Macros
Track changes
Changing fonts
Page setup
Specialist formatting

Another commonly-known Microsoft Office app is Microsoft Excel. This program handles spreadsheets. Here are some Excel skills you might be able to learn if you want to put this program on your resume:

Creating graphs
Pivot tables
Adding hyperlinks to graphs
Coding interactive tables

Microsoft PowerPoint is another app that allows you to create presentations and slideshows. If you’re well-versed in PowerPoint, you should be able to demonstrate these PowerPoint skills:

Unique transitions
Applying text boxes
Making templates your own

The Microsoft Office suite also includes OneNote, which is a note-taking app, and Microsoft Outlook, which is a mail app. If you want to list Microsoft Office skills on a resume, then it’s important that you have more than just a basic understanding of these apps. You should have advanced skills if you want to call yourself a Microsoft Office specialist.

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Why Should I List Microsoft Office Skills?

When you’re trying to fill out your skills section, you might need to include computer skills because they’re such a crucial part of working in today’s world. Here are a few day-to-day job requirements that you might use the Microsoft Office Suite for:

Checking your team’s email accounts (Microsoft Outlook)
Presenting information to higher-ups and shareholders (Microsoft PowerPoint)
Keeping track of project management information (Microsoft Excel)
Understanding profit and loss (Microsoft Excel)
Writing documents about the company (Microsoft Word)
Screening job seekers as a hiring manager (Microsoft Outlook)
Staying on top of important deadlines (Microsoft Outlook)

Additionally, if you choose to go into a career that’s heavy on computer skills, like computer science, you’ll probably need to use all of these skills, and might have to learn other Microsoft-based skills like VBA. The more your job description talks about computers, the more you should know about Microsoft Office.

How To Validate Your Microsoft Office Skills

How can you stand out as having extremely good Microsoft Office skills, especially since so many people use this as a “padder” skill?

First of all, you can discuss achievements that you have used Microsoft Office to complete. For example, if you used Microsoft Excel to create a system that cuts down on data entry time, you can mention this as an achievement in the job that it applies to. This proves that not only do you understand how to use the program in a vacuum, but you also understand how to use it effectively in a job.

You can also get certifications with many Microsoft Office skills. If you’re applying to a job that really desires a high skill level with one of the Microsoft Office Suite apps, then you can get a certification in that specific app. Check the job description to see whether the job itself mentions a specific MS Office app that you should be handy with.

Lastly, mention your Microsoft knowledge in both your work experience section and your cover letter. The more frequently you reference your knowledge, the more likely it will be that the hiring manager believes that you really have those skills.

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FAQ: Microsoft Office Skills

Q: Should I list basic proficiency with Microsoft Office on my resume?

No, not unless it’s specially mentioned in the job description as a prerequisite. In today’s job market, basic proficiency with the MS Office suite is essentially expected by all hiring managers. It will take up valuable real estate on your resume if you list your basic Microsoft Office skills, and that can limit your ability to create a one-page resume. Instead, either be more specific about Microsoft Office apps you’re proficient in or include different technical skills.

Q: How can I learn more about Microsoft Office skills?

The more frequently you use Microsoft Office, the more your skill level with the program will go up. If you just want to learn over time, then you can start using these tools more frequently in your daily life. However, if you really want to learn the ins and outs of these programs, you can instead take classes to learn more about Microsoft Office usage. Plus, then you’ll be more likely to get certification in the usage of Microsoft Office skills.

Q: What Microsoft Office skills are necessary for my industry?

The best way for you to see which Microsoft Office skills you should be listing is to look at the job description and check resume examples at ResumeHelp. The more resume examples you look at, the more likely you will be to see what skills are valued in your industry. If you regularly see a specific Microsoft Office tool on these resumes, then you should probably get a certification in that tool.

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