Learning Excel is what I call a tie-breaker that can absolutely help you get more interviews and possibly help you land a job at a job interview.

But you need to do the work.  When you’re finished reading this blog post, The World’s Shortest Excel Book can help you significantly improve your Excel skills in 2 days.

Use Microsoft Excel on your Resume to Get an Interview

Everyone who sees your resume has an opinion about it.  So here’s my opinion.

Add a bullet list of skills near the top of your resume.  Feature Excel in that bullet list.  Human resources recruiters rarely spend much time reading your entire resume (if at all).  But what you feature at the top of your resume in bullet format is seen.

Adding Microsoft Excel to your bullet list of skills on a resume might look like the table shown below.  Only when you do it on your resume make sure each bullet is only one line long.  Build this table somewhere above all of your job history.

Medical Claims Billing	Advanced Excel Proficiency	Customer Relations
Knowledge of EMR Systems	Quantitative Analysis	Problem Resolution
Software Adaptable	Managerial Reports	Team Player

Having Microsoft Excel on your resume doesn’t guarantee a job interview.  But it could help.  Just imagine that the potential employer needs someone with good Excel skills.  Two people apply for the job and they have identical skill sets, well done resumes, but one person lists “advanced Excel proficiency” while the other candidate.  Remember, the employer wants someone with good Excel skills.

Who do you think will get the call for an interview?  That’s right.  The person with Excel skills will get the call for the interview.

Use Your Knowledge of Excel to Get the Job at Your Interview

If you claim you know Microsoft Excel very well and go to a job interview, you better be prepared to demonstrate you know Excel.

1. Some employers will give you an Excel quiz or test.  Are you ready for that?  You could be if you purchase The World’s Shortest Excel group, join my user’s group, and study Excel.
2. You are obviously applying for a specific job at that company.  Study the company’s business and recent articles.  When you come to the interview, tell them how your Excel skills and knowledge could be useful in your new job.
3. Be ready to describe an Excel technique during the interview.  It doesn’t happen often but an interviewer might actually know Excel well.  Come ready to describe a powerful Excel tool like pivot tables, VLOOKUP, or how you can “inherit” someone’s old spreadsheet and understand it in minutes.  Come prepared. to that interview.

Microsoft Excel is a Tie Breaker in Getting Hired

Once again, if you and your identical twin show up for the same job, if the employer needs an Excel person and you know Excel, you win.  Microsoft Excel is a tie breaker skill.  The more tie breaker skills you possess, the better your chance at getting hired.

Of course, if you lie about your knowledge of Microsoft Excel, you’ll end up wasting both your time and the interviewer’s time.  Perhaps you should take my Excel quiz to unofficially assess your Microsoft Excel skills.

Learn Microsoft Excel and Get Hired

If you’re reading this blog post and have read this far, you already have decided that learning Microsoft Excel is good for your career and your chances at a new job.

If you’re committed to excelling with Excel at your next job interview, purchase my ebook The World’s Shortest Excel Book and join my Excel forum to learn Excel.

Thanks for visiting Your Excel Coach today.  You are only 2 days away from significantly improving your Excel skills.  With The World’s Shortest Excel Book, I can improve your Excel skills significantly in just 2 days (or your money back).