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I think it has to do with how did I use these tools and knowledge to add value to the company, not necessarily an aggregate listing. One of the things I did as an excel power user was I made our company's cash management spreadsheet because they were tracking things weekly only and not very efficiently. I created a model for them that would then tie into a piece on the statement of cashflows, saving them about ten-fifteen hours a month on that section. Nowhere on my resume have I ever had a computer skills section, but rather highlighted the advanced skills I had and how it brought value to the company.
^^ This. Its one thing to just list skills, anyone can do that. But that doesn't really say anything. The key here is how you communicate your proficiency in a resume. And this is typically done by summarizing the accomplishments relative to the skill.
I would quantify what you made for the employer because frankly it shows what you did. Check out some companies and see what specifically they have as it might be proprietary.
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if Office is required, then I would give more detail. Keep it brief, but if you are able to use it, mention Sharepoint, OneNote and InfoPath. Yes, everyone uses Access, Word, Excel and most Visio, but if they happen to be a Sharepoint fan you are leaving off a big piece. here for example (2,000 employees) everyone is expected to use it, and we are sending people to the user conference in Las Vegas in March. Also add any other skills such as Adobe Acrobat Pro, Autocad, SQL, Tableau or Jaspersoft.
But if you give examples of where your advanced skills created value and accomplishments, then your resume would stand out.
Typing numbers or sentences in Word or Excel is not a computer skill.
Advanced skills such as template development, pivot tables, conditional formatting, etc. are all real skills that add value. Definitely agree that you should focus on the added value of these skills.
I have a "computer skills" section on my resume that I find to be very lame:
Microsoft Excel Worked with statistical formulas in quantitative finance, utilized pivot tables and spreadsheets to assist with audit data organization, and performed and documented the majority of audit work within excel spreadsheets. · Microsoft Access Utilized queries and macros to find duplicates in client databases, utilized basic Access functions in various projects at the undergraduate and graduate level
· Microsoft Visio Created flowcharts for asset enrollment and valuation processes
· Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook
When I look at job postings, everyone talks about how you need to be proficient with Microsoft Office, but I feel like that's almost common place now and feel that all this detail is too much. Does anyone have any advice on beefing this section up, or do you think what I have is fine?
Tighten it up. You want to mention the specific programs you are an advanced user of and give as short of an example (not a story, just something like "including X & Y") as possible which just serves to illustrate what you mean by advanced and prove you're serious.
Save the stories for your previous experience section, and discuss what you did for the business/client/project, not how you used Microsoft office in the process.
Think about it this way -- you want to demonstrate your technical abilities as succinctly as possible and then move on to your core value proposition/story on why you would be a good candidate for any given position. Time spent reading unnecessary words in "computer skills" is time not spent in areas that are more important in selling you.
With that said, if the hiring post asks for specific computer skills, and you have those skills, then parrot that back to them.
Stress the kinds of things you produced with the Office suite of tools. And--very important--when you go over your resume, pull out some examples and say "here's examples of what I produced". Don't send them with resume or cover letter, but have them ready and let the interviewer know that you have them. Gives you a little something more to talk about during the interview.
Bad advice. Reason it is bad, is you only get one chance to make an impression on your abilities.
When you don't put it in an application, you will be competing against those that do show their qualifications. The one that gives it to them up front, when Office knowledge is a big part of the qualifications, is the one that gets the interview.
There may be 500 and even more applications in some areas of the country, and the ones that get the interview are the ones that show why they are qualified. The others are never interviewed.
oldtrader is right. I don't think there's any real *A HA* moments in an interview. If they want surprises they'd ask for them. I wouldn't display a portfolio like that. Now if you want to put a linkedin profile link and THAT shows more then maybe tha would work. The last thing any employer needs is more papers to look at. Not all work can really be illustrated on paper anyway.
I just saw the best power point presentation in my life the other day. It had animations that I would assume would be flash. Maybe this is version 2013. Regardless simply printing it out would not do it justice.
I would also say that there can be a big difference in programs. If you make fliers with publisher for say some small organization that might be OK but if you worked for a major company and use that over Indesign that might raise some eyebrows. Then again I've seen some old applications still ask for Lotus 123 and WordPerfect!
I extremely careful about claiming computer literacy as accessing programs is a lot different than sharing,
exchanging with others, and being on the same page as your company developer.
When I look at job postings, everyone talks about how you need to be proficient with Microsoft Office, but I feel like that's almost common place now and feel that all this detail is too much. Does anyone have any advice on beefing this section up, or do you think what I have is fine?
It depends on the job. It’s a pain in the neck, be resumes should be tailored for each use. If you’re applying to an investment bank that needs someone to create complex pivot tables, I would include it. However, another company might have no need for such skills. I would say you’re an advanced user of MS Office.
Most people greatly exaggerate their software skills, especially for common titles like Office. HR directors know this and will as for specific skills if required for a job. An exception would be if you’re putting your resume on a searchable site like Monster. In that case, having a “pivot tables” come up in a keyword search would work to your advantage.
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