How good you are in excel

Microsoft Excel has been around for decades. And though many other, more robust spreadsheets entered the market over the years, it is still the most widely used spreadsheet across the corporate world in both US and Europe. Featuring calculation, graphing tools, pivot tables, and a macro programming language called Visual Basic, it really offers everything an analyst may need in their daily work. To sum it up, more likely than not you will work with Excel in your new job, and they may ask you about your skills with the program in your interview.

Let’s have a look at 7 sample answers to the question, for different levels of experience with MS Excel, and different interview scenarios. Do not forget to read also my notes below the answers, to learn what exactly you should focus on, and what mistakes you should avoid, while describing your experience with this widespread software from Microsoft.

1. I’ve been working with it daily in my last job of a market research analyst. I had my master spreadsheet, with over 50 sheets inside, everything well organized, and basically on the beginning of each day I opened the spreadsheet and didn’t close it until I leave the work. I used mostly basic mathematical and statistical functionality, and I sometimes created graphs for weekly team meetings. Feeling confident with the software, I have no doubt it will help me a lot in my new job as well.
2. It’s been some time since I worked with MS Excel regularly. Sure enough, I used it often at school, for basic calculations and for the purpose of making illustrated charts for school presentations. I think it is a great software, really intuitive, and easy to use, because it has similar user interface as other programs from Microsoft, such as MS Word, which I am using more frequently. To sum it up, I may need a day or two to polish my skills with MS Excel, to recall this or that functionality. But I won’t struggle working with it in the job, that’s for sure.
3. Well, I’ve been working mostly with Open Office, which is a free alternative to MS Office. I do not know if you have some experience with Calc from Open Office, but the user interface and functionality is almost identical to MS Excel. That’s why I am fairly confident to handle the same things in MS Excel, including mathematical and statistical calculations, and even creating macros, to simplify my work.
4. I would describe my experience as basic. Speaking honestly, I did not have a need to work with MS Excel since leaving high school. It just wasn’t required in the jobs I had. Having said that, I am quite tech savvy, and can typically find my way around any computer software in no time. What’s more, nowadays you can find tutorials on YouTube for everything. When I do not know how to proceed with any task on a computer, I just go to YouTube, type in the right keywords, watch the tutorial, and follow the steps. It’s been working like a charm up to this point, and I see no reason why it should not work with MS Excel.

* May also interest you: Answers to 15 most common interview questions.

1. Instead of describing it, let’s have a look at my portfolio. Here you can see my outputs from MS Excel, this chart for example, illustrating the distribution of sales of XZY car model among different demographic groups. As you can see, I can work with the software, I’ve been using it almost daily in my former job, and I should not struggle with any task you assign me to do in the software.
2. It’s been a love affair from day one. I really enjoy the intuitive user interface, the automated suggestions the software gives you when you try to write some formula, the variety of statistical functions it offers, and how even an average mathematician, someone without an advanced degree in the field, can perform some advanced statistical calculations with the help of the software. When you ask about MS Excel in the interview, I really hope it means you use it in your company. Because I cannot imagine working with any other spreadsheet really, considering the advantages of Microsoft Excel.
3. There’s nothing to describe really, because I have never worked with Microsoft Excel. I know about the program, and how widespread it is, but being an Apple user all my life, I have worked with iWork Suite instead. However, I believe that I can adapt to new conditions in the workplace. If you use MS Excel here, I am definitely willing do dig deep and try my best to learn to work with it in shortest possible time. At the end of the day, it shouldn’t be much different from iWork Suite…

* Do not forget to check also: Why should we hire you? Sample answers to the dreaded interview question.

Practical test of your skills with MS Excel

Talking about your experience with a software program is one thing, demonstrating the experience in a practical test another. If you will spend most of your days in work glued to a computer screen, with MS Excel open on your desktop, there is a decent chance they will test your skills with a short practical test.

Needless to say, you typically do not have to achieve a perfect score in the test. They will set some threshold, let’s say 75%, and everyone who scores 75% or more in the test will be considered as a candidate for the job (will progress to other rounds of the interviews).

Bearing this in mind, I suggest you to be modest when it comes to your skills with Microsoft Excel. It isn’t a bad idea admitting that you may need a week or two to polish your skills, and watch a couple of tutorials on YouTube, to really get into the grove and work efficiently with the software.

Because the worst thing that can happen to you is when your test results do not correspond with your words in the interview. For example, if you claimed to be an expert user of MS Excel, and then struggled to score 70% in the test, the hiring managers might easily start doubting the authenticity of all your interview answers. And that would mark an end to your chances in the interview…

* Special Tip: You will face many more difficult questions in your interview than the one about your experiences with MS Excel. They may ask you questions about prioritization, dealing with pressure, solving problems, and other tricky scenarios that happen in the workplace. If you want to make sure that you stand out with your answers and outclass your competitors, have a look at our Interview Success Package. Up to 10 premium answers to 31 tricky scenario based questions (+ more) will make your life much easier in the interviews. Thank you for checking it out!

To see something once is better than to hear about it a thousand times

You may have some interesting exports from Microsoft Excel in your laptop, either from your last job, or even from school. Perhaps you exported some graphs, or even still have in your laptop sheets with analyzed data from your last corporate position.

In such a case, it isn’t bad idea opening your laptop (if you took it to the interview with you, which is always a good idea), and showing the sheets and charts to the hiring managers. Describe them what exactly you did, what functions in Microsoft Excel you used to come to this and that conclusion, and how it helped you in your work.

Once they see on your screen what you have already done with MS Excel, they won’t have any reason to doubt your skills with the software. What’s more, they may even decide to skip the practical test with you, which will be a nice bonus of a great interview answer…

Ready to answer this one? I hope so! Do not forget to check also 7 sample answers to other tricky interview questions:

• What makes you uncomfortable?
• Describe your experience working with MS Word.
• Describe your experience using a computer.

I recently got this at a job interview (very advanced and competitive company) and think I handled it poorly. I said I would be a 5 ,and maybe 6 on a good day, out of 10. The interviewer said he was surprised by my answer and said many other candidates and employees with my background rated much higher.

I elaborated that I’m fairly good with functions but am learning new ones every day as well as creative ways to use them. I have strong experience with VBA but I can’t go writing my own functions and prefer python for automations. I’m familiar with modeling and computations in excel (I list pivots, Monte Carlo, custom spreadsheets, what if analysis, solver and etc) but not an expert on everything yet. I am still learning power query and the new add on packages. I haven’t made any custom add ins yet. There simply was so much I haven’t touched that I wouldn’t be comfortable rating myself higher. He said that it was too much and if I didn’t know the basics then I wouldn’t be a good fit but went on to list out functions like sumifs and hlookup and asked if I was familiar. He also said that he didn’t know what BI and tableau was and python “wasn’t an approved application” at the company.

Should I listen to what he has to say? Should i just call myself and expert as he obviously doesn’t know what I was talking about? Am I bringing too much to the table?

Edit: this was an interview with the direct reporting manager. They were supposedly the subject matter expert.

Sometimes, Excel seems too good to be true. All I have to do is enter a formula, and pretty much anything I’d ever need to do manually can be done automatically.

Need to merge two sheets with similar data? Excel can do it.

Need to do simple math? Excel can do it.

Need to combine information in multiple cells? Excel can do it.

In this post, I’ll go over the best tips, tricks, and shortcuts you can use right now to take your Excel game to the next level. No advanced Excel knowledge required.

What is Excel?

Microsoft Excel is powerful data visualization and analysis software, which uses spreadsheets to store, organize, and track data sets with formulas and functions. Excel is used by marketers, accountants, data analysts, and other professionals. It’s part of the Microsoft Office suite of products. Alternatives include Google Sheets and Numbers. 

Find more Excel alternatives here.

Excel is primarily used for creating financial documents because of its strong computational powers. You’ll often find the software in accounting offices and teams because it allows accountants to automatically see sums, averages, and totals. With Excel, they can easily make sense of their business’ data.

While Excel is primarily known as an accounting tool, professionals in any field can use its features and formulas — especially marketers — because it can be used for tracking any type of data. It removes the need to spend hours and hours counting cells or copying and pasting performance numbers. Excel typically has a shortcut or quick fix that speeds up the process.

You can also download Excel templates below for all of your marketing needs. 

After you download the templates, it’s time to start using the software. Let’s cover the basics first.

Excel Basics

If you’re just starting out with Excel, there are a few basic commands that we suggest you become familiar with. These are things like:

• Creating a new spreadsheet from scratch.
• Executing basic computations like adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing.
• Writing and formatting column text and titles.
• Using Excel’s auto-fill features.
• Adding or deleting single columns, rows, and spreadsheets. (Below, we’ll get into how to add things like multiple columns and rows.)
• Keeping column and row titles visible as you scroll past them in a spreadsheet, so that you know what data you’re filling as you move further down the document.
• Sorting your data in alphabetical order. 

Let’s explore a few of these more in-depth. 

For instance, why does auto-fill matter? 

If you have any basic Excel knowledge, it’s likely you already know this quick trick. But to cover our bases, allow me to show you the glory of autofill. This lets you quickly fill adjacent cells with several types of data, including values, series, and formulas.

There are multiple ways to deploy this feature, but the fill handle is among the easiest. Select the cells you want to be the source, locate the fill handle in the lower-right corner of the cell, and either drag the fill handle to cover cells you want to fill or just double click:

Similarly, sorting is an important feature you’ll want to know when organizing your data in Excel. 

Sometimes you may have a list of data that has no organization whatsoever. Maybe you exported a list of your marketing contacts or blog posts. Whatever the case may be, Excel’s sort feature will help you alphabetize any list.

Click on the data in the column you want to sort. Then click on the «Data» tab in your toolbar and look for the «Sort» option on the left. If the «A» is on top of the «Z,» you can just click on that button once. If the «Z» is on top of the «A,» click on the button twice. When the «A» is on top of the «Z,» that means your list will be sorted in alphabetical order. However, when the «Z» is on top of the «A,» that means your list will be sorted in reverse alphabetical order.

Let’s explore more of the basics of Excel (along with advanced features) next. 

To use Excel, you only need to input the data into the rows and columns. And then you’ll use formulas and functions to turn that data into insights. 

We’re going to go over the best formulas and functions you need to know. But first, let’s take a look at the types of documents you can create using the software. That way, you have an overarching understanding of how you can use Excel in your day-to-day. 

Documents You Can Create in Excel

Not sure how you can actually use Excel in your team? Here is a list of documents you can create:

• Income Statements: You can use an Excel spreadsheet to track a company’s sales activity and financial health.
• Balance Sheets: Balance sheets are among the most common types of documents you can create with Excel. It allows you to get a holistic view of a company’s financial standing.
• Calendar: You can easily create a spreadsheet monthly calendar to track events or other date-sensitive information.

Here are some documents you can create specifically for marketers.

• Marketing Budgets: Excel is a strong budget-keeping tool. You can create and track marketing budgets, as well as spend, using Excel. If you don’t want to create a document from scratch, download our marketing budget templates for free.
• Marketing Reports: If you don’t use a marketing tool such as Marketing Hub, you might find yourself in need of a dashboard with all of your reports. Excel is an excellent tool to create marketing reports. Download free Excel marketing reporting templates here.
• Editorial Calendars: You can create editorial calendars in Excel. The tab format makes it extremely easy to track your content creation efforts for custom time ranges. Download a free editorial content calendar template here.
• Traffic and Leads Calculator: Because of its strong computational powers, Excel is an excellent tool to create all sorts of calculators — including one for tracking leads and traffic. Click here to download a free premade lead goal calculator.

This is only a small sampling of the types of marketing and business documents you can create in Excel. We’ve created an extensive list of Excel templates you can use right now for marketing, invoicing, project management, budgeting, and more.

In the spirit of working more efficiently and avoiding tedious, manual work, here are a few Excel formulas and functions you’ll need to know.

Excel Formulas

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the wide range of Excel formulas that you can use to make sense out of your data. If you’re just getting started using Excel, you can rely on the following formulas to carry out some complex functions — without adding to the complexity of your learning path.

• Equal sign: Before creating any formula, you’ll need to write an equal sign (=) in the cell where you want the result to appear.
• Addition: To add the values of two or more cells, use the + sign. Example: =C5+D3.
• Subtraction: To subtract the values of two or more cells, use the — sign. Example: =C5-D3.
• Multiplication: To multiply the values of two or more cells, use the * sign. Example: =C5*D3.
• Division: To divide the values of two or more cells, use the / sign. Example: =C5/D3.

Putting all of these together, you can create a formula that adds, subtracts, multiplies, and divides all in one cell. Example: =(C5-D3)/((A5+B6)*3).

For more complex formulas, you’ll need to use parentheses around the expressions to avoid accidentally using the PEMDAS order of operations. Keep in mind that you can use plain numbers in your formulas.

Excel Functions

Excel functions automate some of the tasks you would use in a typical formula. For instance, instead of using the + sign to add up a range of cells, you’d use the SUM function. Let’s look at a few more functions that will help automate calculations and tasks.

• SUM: The SUM function automatically adds up a range of cells or numbers. To complete a sum, you would input the starting cell and the final cell with a colon in between. Here’s what that looks like: SUM(Cell1:Cell2). Example: =SUM(C5:C30).
• AVERAGE: The AVERAGE function averages out the values of a range of cells. The syntax is the same as the SUM function: AVERAGE(Cell1:Cell2). Example: =AVERAGE(C5:C30).
• IF: The IF function allows you to return values based on a logical test. The syntax is as follows: IF(logical_test, value_if_true, [value_if_false]). Example: =IF(A2>B2,»Over Budget»,»OK»).
• VLOOKUP: The VLOOKUP function helps you search for anything on your sheet’s rows. The syntax is: VLOOKUP(lookup value, table array, column number, Approximate match (TRUE) or Exact match (FALSE)). Example: =VLOOKUP([@Attorney],tbl_Attorneys,4,FALSE).
• INDEX: The INDEX function returns a value from within a range. The syntax is as follows: INDEX(array, row_num, [column_num]).
• MATCH: The MATCH function looks for a certain item in a range of cells and returns the position of that item. It can be used in tandem with the INDEX function. The syntax is: MATCH(lookup_value, lookup_array, [match_type]).
• COUNTIF: The COUNTIF function returns the number of cells that meet a certain criteria or have a certain value. The syntax is: COUNTIF(range, criteria). Example: =COUNTIF(A2:A5,»London»).

Okay, ready to get into the nitty-gritty? Let’s get to it. (And to all the Harry Potter fans out there … you’re welcome in advance.)

Note: The GIFs and visuals are from a previous version of Excel. When applicable, the copy has been updated to provide instruction for users of both newer and older Excel versions.

1. Use Pivot tables to recognize and make sense of data.

Pivot tables are used to reorganize data in a spreadsheet. They won’t change the data that you have, but they can sum up values and compare different information in your spreadsheet, depending on what you’d like them to do.

Let’s take a look at an example. Let’s say I want to take a look at how many people are in each house at Hogwarts. You may be thinking that I don’t have too much data, but for longer data sets, this will come in handy.

To create the Pivot Table, I go to Data > Pivot Table. If you’re using the most recent version of Excel, you’d go to Insert > Pivot Table. Excel will automatically populate your Pivot Table, but you can always change around the order of the data. Then, you have four options to choose from.

• Report Filter: This allows you to only look at certain rows in your dataset. For example, if I wanted to create a filter by house, I could choose to only include students in Gryffindor instead of all students.
• Column Labels: These would be your headers in the dataset.
• Row Labels: These could be your rows in the dataset. Both Row and Column labels can contain data from your columns (e.g. First Name can be dragged to either the Row or Column label — it just depends on how you want to see the data.)
• Value: This section allows you to look at your data differently. Instead of just pulling in any numeric value, you can sum, count, average, max, min, count numbers, or do a few other manipulations with your data. In fact, by default, when you drag a field to Value, it always does a count.

Since I want to count the number of students in each house, I’ll go to the Pivot table builder and drag the House column to both the Row Labels and the Values. This will sum up the number of students associated with each house.

2. Add more than one row or column.

As you play around with your data, you might find you’re constantly needing to add more rows and columns. Sometimes, you may even need to add hundreds of rows. Doing this one-by-one would be super tedious. Luckily, there’s always an easier way.

To add multiple rows or columns in a spreadsheet, highlight the same number of preexisting rows or columns that you want to add. Then, right-click and select «Insert.»

In the example below, I want to add an additional three rows. By highlighting three rows and then clicking insert, I’m able to add an additional three blank rows into my spreadsheet quickly and easily.

3. Use filters to simplify your data.

When you’re looking at very large data sets, you don’t usually need to be looking at every single row at the same time. Sometimes, you only want to look at data that fit into certain criteria.

That’s where filters come in.

Filters allow you to pare down your data to only look at certain rows at one time. In Excel, a filter can be added to each column in your data — and from there, you can then choose which cells you want to view at once.

Let’s take a look at the example below. Add a filter by clicking the Data tab and selecting «Filter.» Clicking the arrow next to the column headers and you’ll be able to choose whether you want your data to be organized in ascending or descending order, as well as which specific rows you want to show.

In my Harry Potter example, let’s say I only want to see the students in Gryffindor. By selecting the Gryffindor filter, the other rows disappear.

Pro Tip: Copy and paste the values in the spreadsheet when a Filter is on to do additional analysis in another spreadsheet.

4. Remove duplicate data points or sets.

Larger data sets tend to have duplicate content. You may have a list of multiple contacts in a company and only want to see the number of companies you have. In situations like this, removing the duplicates comes in quite handy.

To remove your duplicates, highlight the row or column that you want to remove duplicates of. Then, go to the Data tab and select «Remove Duplicates» (which is under the Tools subheader in the older version of Excel). A pop-up will appear to confirm which data you want to work with. Select «Remove Duplicates,» and you’re good to go.

You can also use this feature to remove an entire row based on a duplicate column value. So if you have three rows with Harry Potter’s information and you only need to see one, then you can select the whole dataset and then remove duplicates based on email. Your resulting list will have only unique names without any duplicates.

5. Transpose rows into columns.

When you have rows of data in your spreadsheet, you might decide you actually want to transform the items in one of those rows into columns (or vice versa). It would take a lot of time to copy and paste each individual header — but what the transpose feature allows you to do is simply move your row data into columns, or the other way around.

Start by highlighting the column that you want to transpose into rows. Right-click it, and then select «Copy.» Next, select the cells on your spreadsheet where you want your first row or column to begin. Right-click on the cell, and then select «Paste Special.» A module will appear — at the bottom, you’ll see an option to transpose. Check that box and select OK. Your column will now be transferred to a row or vice-versa.

On newer versions of Excel, a drop-down will appear instead of a pop-up.

6. Split up text information between columns.

What if you want to split out information that’s in one cell into two different cells? For example, maybe you want to pull out someone’s company name through their email address. Or perhaps you want to separate someone’s full name into a first and last name for your email marketing templates.

Thanks to Excel, both are possible. First, highlight the column that you want to split up. Next, go to the Data tab and select «Text to Columns.» A module will appear with additional information.

First, you need to select either «Delimited» or «Fixed Width.»

• «Delimited» means you want to break up the column based on characters such as commas, spaces, or tabs.
• «Fixed Width» means you want to select the exact location on all the columns that you want the split to occur.

In the example case below, let’s select «Delimited» so we can separate the full name into first name and last name.

Then, it’s time to choose the Delimiters. This could be a tab, semi-colon, comma, space, or something else. («Something else» could be the «@» sign used in an email address, for example.) In our example, let’s choose the space. Excel will then show you a preview of what your new columns will look like.

When you’re happy with the preview, press «Next.» This page will allow you to select Advanced Formats if you choose to. When you’re done, click «Finish.»

7. Use formulas for simple calculations.

In addition to doing pretty complex calculations, Excel can help you do simple arithmetic like adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing any of your data.

• To add, use the + sign.
• To subtract, use the — sign.
• To multiply, use the * sign.
• To divide, use the / sign.

You can also use parentheses to ensure certain calculations are done first. In the example below (10+10*10), the second and third 10 were multiplied together before adding the additional 10. However, if we made it (10+10)*10, the first and second 10 would be added together first.

8. Get the average of numbers in your cells.

If you want the average of a set of numbers, you can use the formula =AVERAGE(Cell1:Cell2). If you want to sum up a column of numbers, you can use the formula =SUM(Cell1:Cell2).

9. Use conditional formatting to make cells automatically change color based on data.

Conditional formatting allows you to change a cell’s color based on the information within the cell. For example, if you want to flag certain numbers that are above average or in the top 10% of the data in your spreadsheet, you can do that. If you want to color code commonalities between different rows in Excel, you can do that. This will help you quickly see information that is important to you.

To get started, highlight the group of cells you want to use conditional formatting on. Then, choose «Conditional Formatting» from the Home menu and select your logic from the dropdown. (You can also create your own rule if you want something different.) A window will pop up that prompts you to provide more information about your formatting rule. Select «OK» when you’re done, and you should see your results automatically appear.

10. Use the IF Excel formula to automate certain Excel functions.

Sometimes, we don’t want to count the number of times a value appears. Instead, we want to input different information into a cell if there is a corresponding cell with that information.

For example, in the situation below, I want to award ten points to everyone who belongs in the Gryffindor house. Instead of manually typing in 10’s next to each Gryffindor student’s name, I can use the IF Excel formula to say that if the student is in Gryffindor, then they should get ten points.

The formula is: IF(logical_test, value_if_true, [value_if_false])

Example Shown Below: =IF(D2=»Gryffindor»,»10″,»0″)

In general terms, the formula would be IF(Logical Test, value of true, value of false). Let’s dig into each of these variables.

• Logical_Test: The logical test is the «IF» part of the statement. In this case, the logic is D2=»Gryffindor» because we want to make sure that the cell corresponding with the student says «Gryffindor.» Make sure to put Gryffindor in quotation marks here.
• Value_if_True: This is what we want the cell to show if the value is true. In this case, we want the cell to show «10» to indicate that the student was awarded the 10 points. Only use quotation marks if you want the result to be text instead of a number.
• Value_if_False: This is what we want the cell to show if the value is false. In this case, for any student not in Gryffindor, we want the cell to show «0». Only use quotation marks if you want the result to be text instead of a number.

Note: In the example above, I awarded 10 points to everyone in Gryffindor. If I later wanted to sum the total number of points, I wouldn’t be able to because the 10’s are in quotes, thus making them text and not a number that Excel can sum.

The real power of the IF function comes when you string multiple IF statements together, or nest them. This allows you to set multiple conditions, get more specific results, and ultimately organize your data into more manageable chunks.

Ranges are one way to segment your data for better analysis. For example, you can categorize data into values that are less than 10, 11 to 50, or 51 to 100. Here’s how that looks in practice: 

=IF(B3<11,“10 or less”,IF(B3<51,“11 to 50”,IF(B3<100,“51 to 100”)))

It can take some trial-and-error, but once you have the hang of it, IF formulas will become your new Excel best friend.

11. Use dollar signs to keep one cell’s formula the same regardless of where it moves.

Have you ever seen a dollar sign in an Excel formula? When used in a formula, it isn’t representing an American dollar; instead, it makes sure that the exact column and row are held the same even if you copy the same formula in adjacent rows.

You see, a cell reference — when you refer to cell A5 from cell C5, for example — is relative by default. In that case, you’re actually referring to a cell that’s five columns to the left (C minus A) and in the same row (5). This is called a relative formula. When you copy a relative formula from one cell to another, it’ll adjust the values in the formula based on where it’s moved. But sometimes, we want those values to stay the same no matter whether they’re moved around or not — and we can do that by turning the formula into an absolute formula.

To change the relative formula (=A5+C5) into an absolute formula, we’d precede the row and column values by dollar signs, like this: (=$A$5+$C$5). (Learn more on Microsoft Office’s support page here.)

12. Use the VLOOKUP function to pull data from one area of a sheet to another.

Have you ever had two sets of data on two different spreadsheets that you want to combine into a single spreadsheet?

For example, you might have a list of people’s names next to their email addresses in one spreadsheet, and a list of those same people’s email addresses next to their company names in the other — but you want the names, email addresses, and company names of those people to appear in one place.

I have to combine data sets like this a lot — and when I do, the VLOOKUP is my go-to formula.

Before you use the formula, though, be absolutely sure that you have at least one column that appears identically in both places. Scour your data sets to make sure the column of data you’re using to combine your information is exactly the same, including no extra spaces.

The formula: =VLOOKUP(lookup value, table array, column number, Approximate match (TRUE) or Exact match (FALSE))

The formula with variables from our example below: =VLOOKUP(C2,Sheet2!A:B,2,FALSE)

In this formula, there are several variables. The following is true when you want to combine information in Sheet 1 and Sheet 2 onto Sheet 1.

• Lookup Value: This is the identical value you have in both spreadsheets. Choose the first value in your first spreadsheet. In the example that follows, this means the first email address on the list, or cell 2 (C2).
• Table Array: The table array is the range of columns on Sheet 2 you’re going to pull your data from, including the column of data identical to your lookup value (in our example, email addresses) in Sheet 1 as well as the column of data you’re trying to copy to Sheet 1. In our example, this is «Sheet2!A:B.» «A» means Column A in Sheet 2, which is the column in Sheet 2 where the data identical to our lookup value (email) in Sheet 1 is listed. The «B» means Column B, which contains the information that’s only available in Sheet 2 that you want to translate to Sheet 1.
• Column Number: This tells Excel which column the new data you want to copy to Sheet 1 is located in. In our example, this would be the column that «House» is located in. «House» is the second column in our range of columns (table array), so our column number is 2. [Note: Your range can be more than two columns. For example, if there are three columns on Sheet 2 — Email, Age, and House — and you still want to bring House onto Sheet 1, you can still use a VLOOKUP. You just need to change the «2» to a «3» so it pulls back the value in the third column: =VLOOKUP(C2:Sheet2!A:C,3,false).]
• Approximate Match (TRUE) or Exact Match (FALSE): Use FALSE to ensure you pull in only exact value matches. If you use TRUE, the function will pull in approximate matches.

In the example below, Sheet 1 and Sheet 2 contain lists describing different information about the same people, and the common thread between the two is their email addresses. Let’s say we want to combine both datasets so that all the house information from Sheet 2 translates over to Sheet 1.

So when we type in the formula =VLOOKUP(C2,Sheet2!A:B,2,FALSE), we bring all the house data into Sheet 1.

Keep in mind that VLOOKUP will only pull back values from the second sheet that are to the right of the column containing your identical data. This can lead to some limitations, which is why some people prefer to use the INDEX and MATCH functions instead.

13. Use INDEX and MATCH formulas to pull data from horizontal columns.

Like VLOOKUP, the INDEX and MATCH functions pull in data from another dataset into one central location. Here are the main differences:

• VLOOKUP is a much simpler formula. If you’re working with large data sets that would require thousands of lookups, using the INDEX and MATCH function will significantly decrease load time in Excel.
• The INDEX and MATCH formulas work right-to-left, whereas VLOOKUP formulas only work as a left-to-right lookup. In other words, if you need to do a lookup that has a lookup column to the right of the results column, then you’d have to rearrange those columns in order to do a VLOOKUP. This can be tedious with large datasets and/or lead to errors.

So if I want to combine information in Sheet 1 and Sheet 2 onto Sheet 1, but the column values in Sheets 1 and 2 aren’t the same, then to do a VLOOKUP, I would need to switch around my columns. In this case, I’d choose to do an INDEX and MATCH instead.

Let’s look at an example. Let’s say Sheet 1 contains a list of people’s names and their Hogwarts email addresses, and Sheet 2 contains a list of people’s email addresses and the Patronus that each student has. (For the non-Harry Potter fans out there, every witch or wizard has an animal guardian called a «Patronus» associated with him or her.) The information that lives in both sheets is the column containing email addresses, but this email address column is in different column numbers on each sheet. I’d use the INDEX and MATCH formulas instead of VLOOKUP so I wouldn’t have to switch any columns around.

So what’s the formula, then? The formula is actually the MATCH formula nested inside the INDEX formula. You’ll see I differentiated the MATCH formula using a different color here.

The formula: =INDEX(table array, MATCH formula)

This becomes: =INDEX(table array, MATCH (lookup_value, lookup_array))

The formula with variables from our example below: =INDEX(Sheet2!A:A,(MATCH(Sheet1!C:C,Sheet2!C:C,0)))

Here are the variables:

• Table Array: The range of columns on Sheet 2 containing the new data you want to bring over to Sheet 1. In our example, «A» means Column A, which contains the «Patronus» information for each person.
• Lookup Value: This is the column in Sheet 1 that contains identical values in both spreadsheets. In the example that follows, this means the «email» column on Sheet 1, which is Column C. So: Sheet1!C:C.
• Lookup Array: This is the column in Sheet 2 that contains identical values in both spreadsheets. In the example that follows, this refers to the «email» column on Sheet 2, which happens to also be Column C. So: Sheet2!C:C.

Once you have your variables straight, type in the INDEX and MATCH formulas in the top-most cell of the blank Patronus column on Sheet 1, where you want the combined information to live.

14. Use the COUNTIF function to make Excel count words or numbers in any range of cells.

Instead of manually counting how often a certain value or number appears, let Excel do the work for you. With the COUNTIF function, Excel can count the number of times a word or number appears in any range of cells.

For example, let’s say I want to count the number of times the word «Gryffindor» appears in my data set.

The formula: =COUNTIF(range, criteria)

The formula with variables from our example below: =COUNTIF(D:D,»Gryffindor»)

In this formula, there are several variables:

• Range: The range that we want the formula to cover. In this case, since we’re only focusing on one column, we use «D:D» to indicate that the first and last column are both D. If I were looking at columns C and D, I would use «C:D.»
• Criteria: Whatever number or piece of text you want Excel to count. Only use quotation marks if you want the result to be text instead of a number. In our example, the criteria is «Gryffindor.»

Simply typing in the COUNTIF formula in any cell and pressing «Enter» will show me how many times the word «Gryffindor» appears in the dataset.

15. Combine cells using &.

Databases tend to split out data to make it as exact as possible. For example, instead of having a column that shows a person’s full name, a database might have the data as a first name and then a last name in separate columns. Or, it may have a person’s location separated by city, state, and zip code. In Excel, you can combine cells with different data into one cell by using the «&» sign in your function.

The formula with variables from our example below: =A2&» «&B2

Let’s go through the formula together using an example. Pretend we want to combine first names and last names into full names in a single column. To do this, we’d first put our cursor in the blank cell where we want the full name to appear. Next, we’d highlight one cell that contains a first name, type in an «&» sign, and then highlight a cell with the corresponding last name.

But you’re not finished — if all you type in is =A2&B2, then there will not be a space between the person’s first name and last name. To add that necessary space, use the function =A2&» «&B2. The quotation marks around the space tell Excel to put a space in between the first and last name.

To make this true for multiple rows, simply drag the corner of that first cell downward as shown in the example.

16. Add checkboxes.

If you’re using an Excel sheet to track customer data and want to oversee something that isn’t quantifiable, you could insert checkboxes into a column.

For example, if you’re using an Excel sheet to manage your sales prospects and want to track whether you called them in the last quarter, you could have a «Called this quarter?» column and check off the cells in it when you’ve called the respective client.

Here’s how to do it.

Highlight a cell you’d like to add checkboxes to in your spreadsheet. Then, click DEVELOPER. Then, under FORM CONTROLS, click the checkbox or the selection circle highlighted in the image below.

Once the box appears in the cell, copy it, highlight the cells you also want it to appear in, and then paste it.

17. Hyperlink a cell to a website.

If you’re using your sheet to track social media or website metrics, it can be helpful to have a reference column with the links each row is tracking. If you add a URL directly into Excel, it should automatically be clickable. But, if you have to hyperlink words, such as a page title or the headline of a post you’re tracking, here’s how.

Highlight the words you want to hyperlink, then press Shift K. From there a box will pop up allowing you to place the hyperlink URL. Copy and paste the URL into this box and hit or click Enter.

If the key shortcut isn’t working for any reason, you can also do this manually by highlighting the cell and clicking Insert > Hyperlink.

18. Add drop-down menus.

Sometimes, you’ll be using your spreadsheet to track processes or other qualitative things. Rather than writing words into your sheet repetitively, such as «Yes», «No», «Customer Stage», «Sales Lead», or «Prospect», you can use dropdown menus to quickly mark descriptive things about your contacts or whatever you’re tracking.

Here’s how to add drop-downs to your cells.

Highlight the cells you want the drop-downs to be in, then click the Data menu in the top navigation and press Validation.

From there, you’ll see a Data Validation Settings box open. Look at the Allow options, then click Lists and select Drop-down List. Check the In-Cell dropdown button, then press OK.

19. Use the format painter. 

As you’ve probably noticed, Excel has a lot of features to make crunching numbers and analyzing your data quick and easy. But if you ever spent some time formatting a sheet to your liking, you know it can get a bit tedious.

Don’t waste time repeating the same formatting commands over and over again. Use the format painter to easily copy the formatting from one area of the worksheet to another. To do so, choose the cell you’d like to replicate, then select the format painter option (paintbrush icon) from the top toolbar.

Excel Keyboard Shortcuts 

Creating reports in Excel is time-consuming enough. How can we spend less time navigating, formatting, and selecting items in our spreadsheet? Glad you asked. There are a ton of Excel shortcuts out there, including some of our favorites listed below.

Create a New Workbook

PC: Ctrl-N | Mac: Command-N

Select Entire Row

PC: Shift-Space | Mac: Shift-Space

Select Entire Column

PC: Ctrl-Space | Mac: Control-Space

Select Rest of Column

PC: Ctrl-Shift-Down/Up | Mac: Command-Shift-Down/Up

Select Rest of Row

PC: Ctrl-Shift-Right/Left | Mac: Command-Shift-Right/Left

Add Hyperlink

PC: Ctrl-K | Mac: Command-K

Open Format Cells Window

PC: Ctrl-1 | Mac: Command-1

Autosum Selected Cells

PC: Alt-= | Mac: Command-Shift-T

Other Excel Help Resources

• How to Make a Chart or Graph in Excel [With Video Tutorial]
• Design Tips to Create Beautiful Excel Charts and Graphs
• Totally Free Microsoft Excel Templates That Make Marketing Easier
• How to Learn Excel Online: Free and Paid Resources for Excel Training

Use Excel to Automate Processes in Your Team

Even if you’re not an accountant, you can still use Excel to automate tasks and processes in your team. With the tips and tricks we shared in this post, you’ll be sure to use Excel to its fullest extent and get the most out of the software to grow your business.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in August 2017 but has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Despite the rapid advances in technology, Microsoft Excel skills are still one of the most valued skills in the workplace. Having Excel skills, and demonstrating them effectively on your resume, can help you stand out from other job candidates.

(By the way, check out our free Excel course if you want to further boost your Excel skills!)

Be specific

Specify your knowledge of Microsoft Excel rather than broadly referring to the Microsoft Office Suite. Don’t say you have “advanced Excel skills” as that will mean different things to different people. Expand your abilities by including a few examples of the advanced functions you can use.

Your examples should be important to the position and not basic or common functions. For example, you might say “Advanced in MS Excel including PivotTables, VLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH, and Data Tables”.

When you specify your Excel skills, it is best to list this under the Additional section of your resume.

Want expert help putting together your resume? Check out our resume review service and get a polished, professional resume for only $99.

Include any Excel courses you’ve taken

Make sure to highlight any knowledge you have gained. This includes courses in college or any online courses.

For instance, if you took our Advanced Microsoft Excel course, you might say, “Completed Wisdify’s Advanced Microsoft Excel course which included learning advanced functions like INDEX/MATCH, PivotTables, and nested IF statements.”

When you list these courses, you can either put them under the “Education” section of your resume or under the “Additional” section. Whichever way you choose, the main line would say something like “Microsoft Excel and Financial Modeling Courses:” You’d then list the various courses as bullet points.

Give examples of what you have achieved

Show you’re adept at using Excel by providing examples of what you’ve accomplished with it. If you automated the data collection for a college research project or created financial models during an internship, add these to your resume. These examples will show employers that you aren’t a casual user. List examples of how you dominated Excel under the actual work experience section.

As an example, you might say, “Built 3-statement financial models in Excel which incorporated advanced features such as sensitivity tables and scenario analyses.” This shows that you are not a novice user.

Bonus: Download our free resume template that’s already set up and ready to go!

Be honest

Don’t put that you’re advanced in Excel when you’ve only used basic functions. Interviewers may ask you follow-up questions and you don’t want to be caught off guard. Employers will even test a candidate’s Excel capabilities if the role requires heavy Excel use.

I have interviewed many candidates who claimed to be “advanced” in Excel. My first question to them is always, “So, do you know how to use INDEX/MATCH?” That question gave a lot of panicked expressions. Being honest and detailed about your knowledge of Excel will help you avoid that situation.

Taking the time to spell out your knowledge of Excel is well worth the effort and time. These simple additions to your resume can help you stand out and put you ahead of the curve.

These days no matter on which profile you are working, from accountant to data analyst, HR to product manager, having Excel skills have huge benefits.

When we talk about Excel skills, we can further categorize them in 3 levels:

• Basic Excel Skills
• Intermediate Excel Skills
• Advanced Excel Skills

And in this tutorial, we will be covering all these three levels in detail, one by one, so let’s get started.

Below you have the top ten basic Excel skills to learn by anyone who is just starting out with Excel needs to learn.

1. Saving and Opening a Workbook

Saving and opening an Excel workbook is just like as you do in any other application.

When you click on the file tab it shows you the option to save the file.

And when you click on the save button it opens the save as dialog box from where you can specify the location and you can also select the file format to use.

Basically, Excel has different file extensions that you can use for saving a workbook. You can use the above steps if you are saving a file for the first time and if you have a file that is already saved in the system, you just need to press Control + S to save the changes.

In the same way, if you want to open a file that is saved on your system you can go to the FILE tab and click on the open.

It shows you the open dialog box from where you can locate the file and open it.

2. Managing Worksheets

Every workbook consists of worksheets where you can add your data and analyze it and once you open an Excel workbook you can see there are tabs at the bottom of the window.

To insert a new worksheet simply click on the plus button or you can also use the shortcut key Shift + F11.

And if you want to delete a worksheet just right-click on the worksheet tab and then select the delete option or you can also use the shortcut key Alt ➜ H ➜ D ➜ S.

But there’s one thing that you need to take care that once you delete a worksheet you can’t get it back.

3. Formatting Cells

In Excel, you have a bunch of options on the home tab for formatting.

1. The font group gives you the option to format the font by making it bold, italic, and underline. You can change the font size, and color of the font and cell color.
2. From the alignment group, you can define the alignment of the text, add indent, merge-unmerge cells, and wrap the text.
3. And from the number group, you can apply accounting format, text format, number format with or without comma style, etc.

Apart from the above options, you can also open the format cell options by right-clicking on a cell and selecting the format option or you can also use the shortcut key Control + 1.

4. Printing

When you go to the File tab, you can find there is a print button that further includes all the printing options that you can use for printing data from a worksheet.

You can also use the shortcut key Control + P to open the print option and once you open it you can see the following options there:

1. Print Area
2. Range of Pages to Print
3. Collision
4. Page Orientation
5. Page Type
6. Margins
7. Scaling

5. Excel Functions (Basic)

The biggest power of Excel is its functions that you can use to perform a lot of calculations below you have a list of the top ten Basic Excel Functions:

1. SUM: With this function, you can sum values from multiple cells, or you can also input values directly into the function.
2. COUNT: This function returns the count of numeric values in a cell. You can refer to the cells where you have values or simply insert the values into them.
3. AVERAGE: It returns the average of numeric values. You can refer to the cells where you have the values or simply insert them into the function.
4. TIME: It returns a valid time serial number as per Excel’s time format. You need to specify hours, minutes, and seconds.
5. DATE: It returns a valid date (date serial number) as per Excel’s time format by using the day, month, and year specified.
6. LEFT: It extracts specific characters from a cell/string starting from the left (start). You need to specify the text and number of characters to extract.
7. RIGHT: It extracts specific characters from a string starting from the right (last). You need to specify the text and number of characters to extract.
8. VLOOKUP: It looks up a value in a column and can return that value or a value from the corresponding columns using the same row number.
9. IF: IF function (tests a condition) returns a value when the specific condition is TRUE and returns another value if that condition is FALSE.
10. NOW: It returns the current date and time (using your system’s settings) in the cell where you insert it.

And here are the Top 100 Excel Functions for you to learn more.

1. String (Text) Functions
2. Date Functions
3. Time Functions
4. Logical Functions
5. Math Functions
6. Statistical Functions
7. Lookup Functions
8. Information Functions
9. Financial Functions

6. Charts

Once you start working on data probably you need to present it to someone, and a chart is one of the best ways to this.

In Excel, you have a whole list of charts that you can create. Once you go to the Insert tab, and in the charts group you can find all the charts which are available to use.

But to create a chart in Excel you need to have data in the right format, and then you need to select the right type of chart (make sure to check out this guide on chart types). For example, below you have 12 months of data for the sales quantity.

You can create a column chart to present this monthly data.

But you can also use a line chart if you want to show the trend for the 12 months.

But below you have product-wise data.

And in this case, the perfect chart would be a pie chart where you can present the quantity share of these products.

You can also use the recommended charts button to let Excel recommend a chart type according to the data you have.

You just need to select the data and click on the recommended chart button.

You can customize a chart in different ways. Once you select the chart you will have Chart Design and Format tabs where you have all the options for customization.

7. Sorting Data

Excel gives you a powerful option to sort data. To open the sort option, you need to go to the Data Tab and then click on the Sort button.

Now here you have 3 things to define:

1. Sort by: The column to use as the base of sorting.
2. Sort on: In the sort drop-down, you have 4 different options to sort values on. You can use cell value, cell color, font color, and conditional formatting.
3. Order: The order of sorting or a custom order.

You can also use more than one level of sorting. If you want to add a new level simply click on the Add Level and then define all the three things that we have discussed above.

Related: Sort By Date, Date and Time & Reverse Date Sort

8. Find and Replace Option

Just like any other application, Excel has its own find and replace option. The shortcut key to open the find is Control +F and to find and replace it is Control + R.

In the “Find what” input bar, enter the value that you want to find, and in the “Replace with” enter the value with which you want to replace.

Now if you want to replace or find all the values, use the replace all or find all buttons, otherwise, you can use the “Find Next” and “Replace” buttons for a single value.

And once you click on the options button, you’ll see that there are some advanced options that you can use.

1. Perform case-sensitive find and replace.
2. Find and replace in the entire workbook.
3. Find and replace using the cell format.
4. And you can also find values from comments and notes.

9. Paste Special Option

The paste special option gives you complete control over how you want to paste values in a cell.

To open the page special option, you need to go to the Home tab and then click on the dropdown “Paste” and click on the paste special (You can also open the page special from the right-click menu).

In the paste special dialog box, you have multiple options that you can use.

Let’s say, you have a cell where you have a formula, but you only want to copy and paste the value from that cell. In this case, simply copy that cell and use the “Values” option from the paste special options on the destination cell.

Or if you want to copy and paste the format from one cell to another you can use the “Formats” option.

Related: Format Painter | Transpose

10. Keyboard Shortcuts

From Excel 2007 to Excel 2019, you can locate a keyboard shortcut by pressing the ALT key. On pressing it, it shows the shortcut keys for the options which are there on the ribbon, just like below.

And from here you can download (Excel Shortcuts Cheat Sheet) which covers the top eighty two keyboard shortcuts for Excel.

Now once you master the basic stuff the next thing you need to understand is the Intermediate Excel Skills. Basically, these skills include options and methods to manage and work data in an efficient way.

11. Go To Special

The GO TO SPECIAL option helps you navigate to a specific cell or a range of cells within the worksheet. To open it you need to go to the Home Tab ➜ Editing ➜ Find and Select ➜ Go To special.

As you can see it has different options that you can use and select the different kinds of cells.

For example, if you want to select all the cells which are blank, you need to select the blank and click OK, and it will instantly select all the blank cells.

In the same way, if you want to select cells that have formulas and return numbers, you need to select formulas and then tick-mark numbers, and then click OK.

12. Pivot Table

Pivot Tables are one of the best ways to analyze data. You can create a summary table out of a large data set. To create a pivot table, follow the below steps:

• First, go to the Insert Tab and click on the pivot table button.

• You’ll have a dialog box to specify the source data, but as you have already selected the data it takes the range automatically.

• Once you click OK, you will have a sidebar just like below where you can define the rows, columns, and values for the pivot table that you can simply drag and drop. And now, add “Age” to the rows, “Education” to the column, and “First Name” to the values.

Once you define all, you’ll have a pivot chart like the one below.

More on Pivot Tables

• Rank in a Pivot Table
• Update Pivot Table Range Automatically
• Pivot Table Calculated Field
• Grouping Dates in Pivot Table
• Link multiple Pivot Tables to One Slicer
• Add a Date Timeline to the Current Pivot Table
• Refresh All Pivot Tables
• Running total in Pivot Table

13. Named Range

Named Range is about giving a name to a cell or range of cells. In Excel, every cell has its address which is a combination of row and column.

Related: Excel R1C1 Style

But with the named range you can give that cell or the range of cells a specific name (Generic) and then you can use that name to refer to it.

Let’s say you have a tax percentage in cell A1 and now instead of using the reference, you can give a name to it and then use that name in every calculation.

• To create a named range, you need to go to the Formula Tab ➜ Define Names ➜ Define name.

• Now in the define name dialogue box, you need to define the following things:

1. Name of the range.
2. Scope to use that range in the entire workbook or just in the worksheet.
3. Comment if you want to add any.
4. And then the address of the cell or the range.

Now once you click OK, Excel will assign that name to cell A1 and you can use that in formulas to refer to cell A1.

In the same way, you can also create a named range for the range of cells and then you can refer to it in the formulas.

14. Drop Down Lists

A drop-down list is basically a predefined list of values that can help you quickly enter the data in a cell. To create a dropdown list, you need to go to the Data Tab ➜ Data Tools ➜ Data Validation ➜ Data Validation.

Now in the data validation dialog box, you need to select the list from the allow, and then in the source you need to refer to the range from where you want to take values (You can also insert values directly into the source input box).

In the end, click OK

Now when you go back to the cell, you’ll have a dropdown list from which you can select the value to insert into the cell.

More on Drop Down Lists

• Dependent Drop-Down List
• Dynamic Drop-Down List

15. Conditional Formatting

The basic idea of conditional formatting is to use conditions and formulas for formatting and the best part is there are more than 20 options that you can apply with a single click.

Let’s say you want to highlight all the duplicate values from a range of cells, you just need to go to the Home Tab ➜ Conditional Formatting ➜ Highlight Rules ➜ Duplicate Values.

And you also have data bars, color skills, and icons to apply.

Make sure to explore all the options and check out this guide if you want to learn to use formulas in conditional formatting.  

16. Excel Table

Excel table converts normal data into a structured table where you can sort, filter, and analyze data easily.

To convert your normal data into an Excel table all you need to do is use the keyboard shortcut key Control + T or you can also go to the Insert tab ➜ Table.

Excel tables by Microsoft | Rename an Excel Table | Excel Slicer

17. Idea Button

If you’re using Office 365 you can have access to the new Idea Button introduced by Microsoft that can help you to analyze your data in an easy way by recommending the possible ways to create:

• Pivot Tables
• Trendline Charts
• Frequency Distribution Chart

You simply need to select the data and then click on the idea button which is on the home tab.

It takes a few seconds to analyze the data and then show you a list of possible outcomes.

18. Using Sparklines

Sparklines are tiny charts you can insert into a cell, based on a range of data.

To insert a sparkline you need to go to the Insert Tab ➜ Sparklines.

There are 3 types of sparklines that you can insert into a cell.

• Line
• Column
• Win-Loss

When you click on the sparkling button it shows you a dialog box where you need to select the data range and the destination range of the sparkling.

Apart from this, you have options to customize a sparkline by changing its color, adding markers, and much more from the sparkline tab.

19. Text to Column

With the text-to-column option, you can split a single column into multiple columns using a separator. It’s one of the best ways to clean and transform your data.

Look at the below table where you have a column with names and between first name and last name there is a space.

You can split this column into two different columns (first name and last name) using text to column by using space as a separator.

• First, go to the Data Tab and click on the Text to Column.

• Now, from the dialog box select delimiter and click next.

• After that, tick-mark the space. As you can see it has separated values from the column using the space.

•  In the end, click next and then finish.

The moment you click the finish, it converts that one column of full names into two different columns (first and last name).

20. Quick Analysis Tool

As the name suggests the Quick Analysis Tool allows you to analyze the data with one or two clicks. What I’m trying to say is, it has some of the selected options that can help you to analyze and present the data.

Below you have student data with their score the moment you select it you get a small icon at the bottom of the screen which is the button for the quick analysis tool.

Now when you click on it, it shows you a few tabs from which you can select options. Now let’s explore each tab one by one.

• Formatting: This tab allows you to add conditional formatting to the selected table, like, as data bars, color scale, icon sets, and other conditional formatting rules.

• Charts: This tab shows you some of the recommended charts which you can insert with the selected data or you can also click on more charts to select a specific chart.

• Total: From this tab, you can quickly add some of the basic formulas, like average count, running total, and many more.

• Table: From this tab, you can insert a pivot table with the selected data, and you can also apply an Excel table to it.

• Sparklines: This tab allows you to add sparklines which are basically tiny charts that you can create within a cell.

Advanced Excel Skills

Advanced Excel skills are more about solving complex problems and making you efficient to do all the work done in Excel, and below you have top advanced Excel skills that you need to master.

21. Advanced Excel Formulas

An ADVANCED EXCEL FORMULA (Excel Formulas List) means combining different functions to calculate a specific value that is not possible to calculate otherwise. Below is a list of some of the most important ones:

22. Advanced Excel Charts

As you have already seen that you can create most of the charts in Excel with a few clicks, but apart from all those charts you can also create some advanced charts.

Advanced Excel Charts are for a specific purpose and need you to spend a few minutes learning how to create and how they presented data. Below you have a list (tutorials) for some of the Advanced charts that you can learn to create in Excel.

23. Visual Basic for Applications

VBA is an object-oriented programming language for Microsoft office applications, and you can use it in Excel to write VBA codes to automate the activities that you normally perform manually.

24. Power Query

If you work with data, I’m sure you face this situation where you need to clean and transform data before you use it.

Now the thing is cleaning data and transforming data is a tedious process and you need to spend a big chunk of your time on it every day. But with the power query, you can do this entire process of cleaning and transform with a few clicks.

Power query basically works as an ETL where you can extract data from different sources, transform it, and then load it back to the worksheet. Check out this complete tutorial on Power Query and do not forget to learn to combine multiple Excel files.

25. Power Pivot

Power Pivot is basically a data modeling technique that you can use to import data of millions of rows, from multiple sources, and then perform calculations (DAX).

To get started with Power Pivot:

• Introduction to Power Pivot
• Power Pivot – Overview and Learning

Learn More

• Excel Tips and Tricks
• Excel Watch Window
• Excel Formula Bar