How to List Microsoft Office on Your Resume
It can be challenging to know how to list Microsoft Office skills on a resume because so many people have a basic proficiency level and will list them on their resume or CV. Those with advanced levels of skill in the programs and who have taken specialised Excel training courses need to consider how they explain they have done this.
When Should You Not Mention Office on Your Resume?
In some situations, people should refrain from mentioning proficiency with Microsoft Office on their job application. Some jobs won’t use Office at all, so it seems like a waste of space to mention it when it is irrelevant to the job. This situation can arise when someone is applying for a job as a bricklayer or an actor.
It can be something you wouldn’t commonly be expected to use, or in some jobs, it would be so common that it is just expected as part of the norm. In many high-tech industries, having a standard proficiency with Microsoft Office is a fundamental requirement.
Suppose you have listed yourself as being proficient in Microsoft Office, but you only have beginner-level experience. In that case, you leave yourself open to being questioned on it during an interview. When the questions are about a more complex level than you have managed to get to, this can make it seem like you are lying about being proficient.
There isn’t a quicker way to ruin your chances at a job interview than for the interviewers to think that they have caught you in a lie. No employer wants to hire a dishonest employee, and because of this, you would fail the interview at this stage.
Different Ways to List Microsoft Office on Your Resume
Now that you have ensured that you should be listing your Microsoft Office expertise in your resume, there are several different ways to format it to your advantage.
Microsoft Office Proficiency Levels
It is possible to break down the different Microsoft Office programs and give them their own section on the resume or CV. You can then rank each in terms of your level of proficiency. If you have done advanced courses in Excel and don’t think there is anything left to learn, you should list yourself as “advanced”.
“Advanced” users of Excel can generally create and run macros, as well as use pivot tables and VLOOKUP. If you aren’t quite at this level but can do things like make bulk changes, you are likely an “intermediate” user. If you can only create and manipulate documents without many of the extras, then you are most likely a “beginner”.
This designation from beginner through to advanced will give a far more accurate idea of the level of skills you possess and will make it easier to ensure you are up to the job.
List the Skills You Are Proficient in for Each Program
The other popular way of presenting Microsoft Office on resumes and CVs is to list the skills you are proficient in with each program. For Microsoft Excel, you may list things like Workbooks, Spreadsheets, Formulas, Data Linking, Charts, Pivot Tables, etc. For Microsoft Word, it may be skills such as Page Setup, Text Formatting, Editing, Creating Templates, Mail Merging, Spellcheck, etc.
Listing your skills in either of these ways will bring more clarity to the skills you are bringing with you, which could be honed further with a Microsoft Office course. Most employers are happy for their employees to be upskilled during their employment and Microsoft Office skills can contribute to your CPD.
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