Modern office productivity requires many technological tools. Employers expect employees to be able to complete their work quickly and effectively. This has led to employers searching for individuals with specific skills that revolve around popular business platforms. Microsoft Office 365 is the most popular of all these.
This is because it’s simple to learn, hard to master, and has a depth that’s hard for anyone to match in the current market. IDC found that Microsoft Office skills were fourth most important attributes a candidate should have when entering a job interview. These skills even outperformed integrity and creativity.
This suite of products is vast and varied, so it can be difficult to know where to begin or what you need. We’ve compiled a list of the most important Office 365 skills that modern workers can have to help them on their path to better career opportunities.
“Excel is widely used in a variety of industries.”
1. Excel IF statements
Excel is a common tool for anyone who works with numbers in their job. Excel is used in many industries because it works. Microsoft spent many years developing Excel into the versatile tool that it is today. One of the most important functions of Excel is the IF statement.
These features allow you program in a response that will occur when a cell or group of cells behaves in a certain way. Imagine that you are a teacher and want to create a spreadsheet listing your students’ grades. Column A contains their names and column B their grades on a particular test. To quickly glance down the rightmost column, you will need to see who passed and who failed. Below a 65 percent mark, it is a failure. The IF statement should look something like this:
=IF(B1<65, "Fail", "Pass")
To extend this feature to the rest the class, click on the square at bottom right of your original IF statement. Drag it down to the end of the list. This feature is ideal for those who have conditional reactions to the data they deal with.
2. Track changes and make comments in Word
Collaboration is an important part of the work world, especially when creating written documents. Microsoft understands how important it is to work in a team, so they have added a commenting function in Word. Click the Review tab when you receive a Word document to review. You will now see a New Comment option. All you need to do to add a comment is highlight the appropriate section and click on the New Comment button. The comment you have written will appear in a red box right next to the original article. The highlighted section will also be red.
You can also choose to track the words you have added with the Track Changes option. This option is located under the Review tab. It allows you to add words that are brightly colored to a document. This allows you to add sentences to your coworker's review, without them having to go through the entire article looking for your addition.
3. Microsoft Outlook Keyboard Shortcuts
Computer experts will tell you that efficiency is all about keeping your fingers on the keyboard. Moving to the mouse is a waste of time and distracts you from the task at hand. You can make the most of Outlook by using keystrokes.
The list of shortcuts Microsoft has created goes beyond the scope of this article. Although you can access the entire site of Microsoft, we have provided a list below of the most important ones.
New Message:Alt+ H, N1, 1Reply to:Alt+ H, R. PReply all?Alt+ H, R. AInsert file :Alt+ N, A, FGoto search box:Ctrl+ ECreate contact:Ctrl+ Shift+ CGet certified and really get in the water
Office 365 offers many tools that can be used to increase productivity. To fully take advantage of the platform's many features, you will need to learn more. You can learn more about how a more detailed approach can help your career by taking the Office 365 certification course offered by New Horizons Computer Learning Group.