What exactly are "Strong Excel and IT skills" ?

[Hiijinx]

Despite being a gamer and PC enthusiast since my preteens - I have never actually worked in any sort of IT role and something which has always put me off is the "Strong Excel/IT skills desirable" part in job ads.

What exactly is required? I can build PC's, troubleshoot most issues solo, have photoshop/3d modelling skills, good typing ability and know my way around a network but do not find any real need to use excel or the like so would probably seem quite dim if asked to use it.

A daft question really but has anyone else found themselves in this situation?

 

[Liquid_Entity]

I've been on about 4 excel courses over my lifetime and I still can't do some basics stuff. Just doesn't go in my brain when I use it.

 

[dowie]

Well the IT skills probably just indicate that you're fairly computer literate. I guess depending on the role maybe they want a new starter to be able to read some internal docs and teach themselves to use the internal systems - maybe you have to use things like jira, siebel, salesforce etc... Doesn't matter if you've not used them before so long as you're self sufficient in making sure you can use them.

As for excel, lots of people use it in various roles - if they specifically ask for strong skills then I'd expect you need to know a bit more than the typical worker just using the odd spreadsheet day to day.

 

[Surfer]

More than likely you will have to do a few excel reports, graphs etc. Not difficult at all. Blag it, you're an excel master really.

 

[HangTime]

Desirable doesn't mean essential and it usually just means they want someone who is reasonably competent using a computer and office applications i.e. not a complete novice.

As far as Excel goes, it is hard to think of many applications that have such a userbase with wildly differing levels of knowledge and expertise. An 'Excel guru' in one organisation could easily be below par in some departments at another organisation. If someone asked me to rate myself at Excel it would be a hard question to answer. The good news is it is so widely used that providing you grasp the basic concepts and are reasonably good with technology / framing google searches, you can probably find most of what you need to know online.

 

[datalol-jack]

Do you run for cover when you see a computer? No, good. The Excel part just means up to and including Pivot Tables. 9/10 times you won't even touch macros, or even create the core workbooks for the organisation. If they want something beyond proficient use to manage data, say, you automating tasks, it'll be explicitly stated; 'strong' is a catch-all term written by someone who doesn't know what they want, but they know they use X day-to-day in the office (also see: 'excellent'; 'proficient'; 'skilled'; 'fluent'; ad infinitum.)

 

[sports_brah]

I'd say strong excel skills would cover the usual pivot tables/vlookups, not being afraid to explore functions to improve stuff as is needed. Obviously stuff like if statements is taken for red, being able to streamline existing work and new work. VBA would be a must as well, even if basic, at least being able to use it in basic context.

Depending on the role maybe using it in the context of databases as well?

 

[james.miller]

It varies wildly mainly i think because excel has such a broad range of uses. One job might require heavy use of VBA, another extensive statistical analysis but no VBA, another no real knowledge of either but the ability to pull data from external sources and manipulate using the data model could be a requirement.

To be honest, most people consider basic pivot table use to be advanced. So get that under your belt and you'll probably be fine

 

[Bickaxe]

I have an interview on Tuesday which will involve demonstrating my Excel skills. Not used it for almost 2 years and when I have, its been OpenOffice which has its differences.
I've used its basic functions at most as thats all I ever needed. The only magic words I have ever put in were SUM and ROUNDUP.

Spent an hour learning a bit more earlier with my missus (who can do it in her sleep) and went from 'What's a pivot table?' (never heard of one before today) to 'I've created a pivot table' within 10 minutes.

Was surprised how easy it is once you get started and the rest comes with experience.

 

[dowie]

One job might require heavy use of VBA, another extensive statistical analysis but no VBA

Extensive statistical analysis in excel? yuck...

I think context matters really - see the difference between sports_brah's answer and the three above him

if someone has specified strong excel skills in say a finance related job where nearly everyone uses excel in some form or other then you'd best know your stuff

 

[james.miller]

Extensive statistical analysis in excel? yuck...

You might not like it but Excel gets used for it.

I see no end of problems causes by 'simple' things such as links to other workbooks which no longer existed, just for example. Our finance dept. are the worst for that. Finding those problems and fixing them to me is basic stuff, but from what I've seen it's beyond what most people would consider to be 'skilled' - even our 'advanced' excel training available to staff here only really gets in to the basics of pivot table use. It's all about context as you said.

 

[swillsy]

If you can open Excel and have access to Google then I would blag it and say yes to anything.

 

[Freefaller]

Think about what a business typically wants via an office suite - can you do the typical things?

i.e. a good quality presentation
A well formatted report
Sensible use of excel tools to provide data to the organisation/department

If you can do all that without blinking an eye then for most non IT specific or non technical applications, that would generally just mean good IT literacy.

If you're going to be a business analyst, or a lean/six sigma practitioner then you'll need more advanced knowledge of exploiting Excel's functionality (or use different tools such as minitab).

Some people expect you to be able to connect an address database to word to create templates/mailshots or whatever. Others, do it manually. It's more related to the role really rather than individual specific IT skills.

 

[dowie]

You might not like it but Excel gets used for it.

I see no end of problems causes by 'simple' things such as links to other workbooks which no longer existed, just for example. Our finance dept. are the worst for that. Finding those problems and fixing them to me is basic stuff, but from what I've seen it's beyond what most people would consider to be 'skilled' - even our 'advanced' excel training available to staff here only really gets in to the basics of pivot table use. It's all about context as you said.

indeed, in the finance industry you'd find say spreadsheets with C++ dlls containing pricing models etc.. whereas the finance and HR dept of some random company you'll find some middle aged women who have worked with spreadsheets for years and don't know how to even make use of sort

it is still pretty yuck to use excel for stats beyond basic descriptive statistics

 

[Artery]

Excel is pretty easy to get to grips with, plus you have google for anything you're struggling with. In an interview I'd just blag it and say you're a master at Excel as I know some companies love it when you say you're good on Excel and know how to do macros etc. Only thing is I wouldn't let the office know you can use Excel as once people know you're a whiz then everyone will be coming to you for help.

 

[Buffman]

indeed, in the finance industry you'd find say spreadsheets with C++ dlls containing pricing models etc.. whereas the finance and HR dept of some random company you'll find some middle aged women who have worked with spreadsheets for years and don't know how to even make use of sort

it is still pretty yuck to use excel for stats beyond basic descriptive statistics

sounds like this is the case. For most entry level jobs I expect the latter applies, and if you're quite PC savvy you can easily pick up the rest.

 

[dowie]

Indeed - in fact it is an area that you can both pick up very quickly and be 'visibly productive' in as a result. I think that is not to be underestimated especially when either new to the workforce or starting a new role - being seen to be good and being productive are good things. Another poster above mentioned keeping quiet, I think the opposite advice is better - if you turn up at a new place and become the go to guy who can help other people's problems then you'll both make friends quickly and get a good rep in general. Sure you'll put in a bit of work for others that has no immediate/direct benefit to yourself but done well, if it is just a bit of effort on your part and it establishes you as a competent, well liked person then that has intangible long term benefits for you in that organisation.

Anyway I'd recommend any books written by this guy:

http://spreadsheetpage.com