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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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Matthew has been working in international recruitment since 2008. He helps job seekers from all walks of life to pursue their career goals, and to prepare for their interviews. He is the founder of InterviewPenguin.com website.
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‘Proficient in Excel’. That’s something we’ve all seen at least once when looking through job adverts.
It doesn’t really matter whether you’re aiming for a position in finance, marketing, or education. It also doesn’t matter if the organization you’re applying for is a multinational corporation or a small NGO.
In fact, being proficient in Microsoft Excel is sometimes listed as a more straightforward alternative to being tech-savvy.
But how can you tell whether you’re really ‘proficient’ in Excel or just average? Does this even matter that much to recruiters?
And most of all – how do you prove your Excel proficiency on your resume? Let’s find out!
What are Excel skills and why are they wanted on your resume
Excel is considered important by recruiters because it allows users to organize data, identify trends, and most importantly – draw priceless conclusions.
It’s not as intuitive as its sibling MS Word, for instance, and requires some time to master. That’s exactly why applicants with strong Excel skills are preferred over others, even if they have less experience.
There are two types of Excel skills — basic and advanced. Basic skills include stuff like being able to add and subtract numbers in different cells, change cell styles, and insert graphs. Advanced Excel skills, on the other hand, include using functions and formulas, creating pivot tables, and knowing how to make your own conditional formatting rules.
And usually, recruiters add ‘Excel skills’ or ‘Proficient Excel user’ to job requirements for two main reasons.
Firstly, to separate strong candidates from weaker candidates. As mentioned above, many recruiters believe Excel to be a complicated software that requires discipline and a strong work ethic to master.
Secondly, to point applicants to the fact that the job will most probably require them to use MS Excel in some form or another.
It’s also worth remembering that an increasing number of recruiters have started using applicant tracking systems (ATS) that screen resumes for certain keywords.
That being said, if knowledge of Excel is mentioned as a job requirement, make sure to list it explicitly in different sections of your resume.
Let’s now look at some examples of specific Excel skills worth adding to your resume!
Examples of excel skills for your resume
Instead of just plainly listing ‘Excel’ or ‘Microsoft Excel’ in your skills section, we advise you to try something less common that will help you stand out. You can list these skills in any part of your resume:
Ms Excel Fundamental Skill Set:
- Task automation using macros and VBA
- Creating dynamic reports with PivotTables
- Building formulas
- Cell formatting
- Managing large datasets with functions: IF, SUM, INDEX, MATCH, VLOOKUP
- Task automation
- Manipulate date, time, text, and arrays
- Building charts and graphs
- Pivot tables and reporting
- Data recording
- VLOOKUP and XLOOKUP
- INDEX MATCH
- Advanced conditional formatting
- Data simulations
- Data validation
- Charts and graphs creation
Pro tip
MS Excel is one of the most asked for skills in business today. Almost any job application that requires computer skills has “MS Excel” listed.
Power phrases for your MS Excel skills on resume
- Used MS Excel to organize company data and budget reports into detailed pivot tables
- Monitored office inventory by tracking stock items with advanced skills in MS Excel
- Automated manual MS Excel tasks using macros which lead to a 12% boost in productivity
You should also aim to give specific examples of situations when your Excel skills have helped you excel in your previous job (pun intended).
Another great option is to mention the courses you’ve taken to strengthen your MS Excel skills. This will show recruiters that you’re inquisitive and passionate about improvement.
How to demonstrate Excel skills on your resume
- List any courses you’ve taken to improve your Excel skills.
- Share more about how you’ve used Excel to optimize different processes.
- Highlight your Excel skills in your resume summary.
- Mention some achievements related to your Excel skills.
- Discuss how having strong Excel skills has helped you do well in your previous job.
Example 1: Show excel skills in the experience section
Date period
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Built complex Excel models to forecast client growth
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Identified important trends to suggest working solutions
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Worked with PM team to create Gantt-charts and optimize internal processes
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Used Pivot Tables to create quarterly reports
RIGHT
Look at the experience section of this business consultant. They’ve done a great job at illustrating how they use Excel in their daily tasks by mentioning specific tools and functions.
They’ve also implied that they can work both individually and as part of a team, which increases their chance of landing an interview.
Wondering how to describe your work experience? Check out this article!
Example 2: Demonstrate excel skills in the resume summary section
A disciplined yet empathetic Human Resources Manager with 12 years of experience. Able to turn every entry-level candidate into a professional. Proficient in using MS Excel for all stages of the hiring process — assessment, hiring, onboarding, and performance monitoring.
RIGHT
Your resume summary should be no longer than 2-3 sentences and should contain at least some relevant keywords.
In addition to providing insight into what their strengths are, this HR manager has also made it clear that they’re an Excel master.
They have done this by linking MS Excel with specific tasks and responsibilities. This gives context and depth to their whole resume.
Example 3: Show your Excel skills in your achievements sections
Collected and updated old data to optimize future costs using Excel
Used a mix of creativity, design thinking, and Excel to come up with a new and more engaging way of presenting financial data to clients and partners. This increased their satisfaction by 76% on average.
In 2008, I created my first start-up that used Excel to analyze flight prices and suggest what the optimal price for certain destinations was. Later sold this model to Google.
RIGHT
In case there are certain accomplishments you’d like to highlight, you can add an ‘Achievements’ or a ‘Most Proud of’ section to your resume.
Try to mention only things that are linked to your Excel skills or are relevant to the job you’re applying for.
For instance, this Enhancv user has used the achievements section to point out how their Excel skills have helped them succeed throughout the years.
Read this: Why Resume Accomplishments Get You Hired
Example 4: Use a separate skills’ section
Going for a separate technology section increases your chances of landing an interview for one main reason – it’s the perfect place to add keywords and pass ATS.
Here’s one example of using it to emphasize your Excel skills:
Advanced Conditional Formatting
Visual Basic Application (VBA)
RIGHT
Looking for other technical skills worth adding to your resume? Click here!
Should I show or say what level my Excel skills are?
We advise you to not mention the level of your Excel skills explicitly.
Rather, prove your expertise by elaborating on your experience, your accomplishments, and the courses you’ve taken.
This means much more than simply stating ‘Proficient in Excel’. It also gives recruiters an idea of what to expect when working with you.
Last, but not least, different people have different understandings of what ‘proficient’ means. For basic users, it might mean sorting data in a specific way. For experts, it might mean analyzing tens of thousands of numbers and drawing a single conclusion.
Looking for a fun and easy way to build your resume? Check out our free-to-use resume builder!
Should I categorize my excel skills?
Categorizing your Excel skills helps for an organized resume. That’s why we encourage you to have at least some form of category.
This will also help you show you’re well aware of all things Excel could be used for. And isn’t this what you want?
Excel skills: key takeaways for your resume
- Use all sections of your resume: Simply stating ‘Excel’ in your skills section won’t do you any favor
- Link your skills to your achievements: Showing that your knowledge in Excel has helped you smash your goals in the past is always a good idea
- Mention courses and certifications: Use the courses or certifications section to show you’re passionate about strengthening your Excel skills
Looking for more tips on crafting a job-winning resume? Check out this guide!
About this report:
Data reflects analysis made on over 1M resume profiles and examples over the last 2 years from Enhancv.com.
While those skills are most commonly met on resumes, you should only use them as inspiration and customize your resume for the given job.
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#1
Hi there,
Which one is correct and common to say? Which one is wrong?
1. I am experienced in Excel.
2. I am experienced in working with excel.
3. I am experienced at excel.
4. I am experienced at working with excel.
4. I have experience in working with excel.
I appreciate any replies.
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#2
Which one is correct and common to say? Which one is wrong?
1. I am experienced in Excel.
2. I am experienced in working with excel.
3. I am experienced at excel.
4. I am experienced at working with excel.
4. I have experience in working with excel.
I would capitalize Excel in all of the above. #3 is not terribly awful,but I just wouldn’t say it. #1 conveys a deeper experience than #4. «To be experienced» implies a higher level of expertise than «I have experience.» That experience may be limited.
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#3
Hello, ride7359
I’m not questioner, but thank you for your explanation.
However, how can I make sentence with «To be experienced»?
«I am to be experienced in Excel.» ?
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#4
To be is just the unconjugated verb with the adjective experienced . I am, you are, he is, etc. + experienced.
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#5
Ah!!! Now I understand it. Thank you very much!
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#6
Thank you ride7359 for your helpful reply.
Interviewers commonly ask “How would you describe your Excel ability” or “How much experience do you have in Excel?” Taking a quick informal survey, I found most people answered, generically “intermediate”. This makes sense, no one wants to claim to be a beginner, but no one wants to claim to be advanced and be asked questions to verify. You won’t stand out using this approach.
Instead, we suggest the following response:
1. Qualify your response by indicating that while you think you’re good at Excel, that you want to become much better.
It really depends on who you compare me to. Compared to my classmates I think I’m very advanced, but being a student there’s only so much experience with Excel I can have. I’m happy with where I’m at, but I know I have much to learn.
2. Name drop some Excel features.
I know vlookups, PivotTables, text functions, and I have a little experience with macros.
3. Mention areas that you are working to improve.
Recently, I’ve really been concentrating on keyboard shortcuts and not using the mouse. I’ve seen people work ridiculously fast with just the keyboard and want to get to that level.
4. Going along with item #3, mention how you’re working to improve.
I’ve actually been working through this Excel Tutorial <Insert Name here> and I’ve really been learning a lot.
Rememeber Spreadsheet Boot Camp has a free Efficiency Trainer that you can download. Try referencing that!
I’ve really been concentrating recently on keyboard shortcuts and not using the mouse. You can work so much faster that way. I’ve been going through an “Efficiency Trainer” by Spreadsheet Boot Camp to help learn the techniques I need.
From my own experience, I’ve noticed interns with weak Excel skills be “cast aside” and not given work or attention during their internship. Training them takes too much effort. So you can bet employers want to weed out potential hires without strong Excel skills. Not because Excel skills = competence, but because if you have weak Excel skills you’re going to waste other people’s time while they bring you up to speed. So, go out and learn Excel!
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.