How to learn Excel online?
It happens all too often that candidates ask us during a job interview to skip IT tests like Excel and PowerPoint. They indicate that they never needed these programs in their career. Unfortunately for jobs in administration, finance, HR or accounting this knowledge is usually necessary.
Fortunately there are plenty of free opportunities to brush up your Excel knowledge. We advise our candidates to study this to increase their chances on the job market.
The most obvious courses are
Office 365 Training Center: Excel Help Center. Microsoft's proprietary learning portal is a fountain of information, nicely broken down into different training modules; one for each MS Office program. It's a goldmine for the self-taught person who is somewhat less at home with Excel and who yearns for simple tutorials, templates and quick-start manuals. It is a reference point for anyone who wants to start with Excel or wants to refresh their memory.
YouTube. Video lovers, we haven't forgotten you. For those who prefer to watch video tutorials, we gladly recommend a number of YouTube channels. You can find tutorials of all durations and of any difficulty level. These channels should get you started easily: Chandoo, Excellsfun, Mr.Excel and Excel Campus.
Google: free PDF e-books. Or, of course, you can simply enter 'free Excel course .pdf' into Google. You'll find that you can download a lot of free ebooks that explain the basics of Excel.
Alternatives
You can also teach yourself Excel through the PC Skills Portal of Actiris. This is an online environment that offers you (free) access to study materials on the programs of MS Office. The platform is available in Dutch, French and English.
The only drawback is that you have to live in the Brussels Capital Region and be registered with Actiris as a job-seeker.
If you live in Flanders and you are registered as a jobseeker, you can follow the online workshop of the VDAB where you can decide where to focus your attention according to your needs and interests. The entire course takes about fifty hours to complete.
LeForem offers a free online course for people registered with them and living in Wallonia. The complete course takes about thirty hours.
Which modules do I focus on?
That depends. For some jobs it is sufficient to be able to convert data into clear graphs or to interpret numbers, tables or graphs. However, in other HR departments but also in Finance departments the knowledge of formulas is becoming increasingly important.
Especially in Finance, a broader knowledge is expected of you, such as working with database analyses, pivot tables and macros.
In addition, efficient use of time is of great importance, because time is money for every company. We therefore recommend that you focus on shortcuts and Excel formulas, which can save you a lot of time.
The Excel tests at Axis mainly focus on time pressure and accuracy.
Conclusion: There are many free Excel courses within reach that you can teach yourself in no time.
Because the current job market is asking for professionals with knowledge of Excel, it is best to start today. Indeed: Just do it and immediately increase your chances on the job market. Good Luck!
