5 basic excel skills for beginners

When it comes to Excel skills, there isn’t much middle ground.

You have people who absolutely love it and will sing the praises of spreadsheets all day. And, then you have the people who absolutely detest it.

Admittedly, I used to fall into that latter group. I’d open a new Excel workbook with the best of intentions. But, after 20-odd minutes of trying to get one decimal point to appear properly in its cell, I’d throw my hands up once again and claim Microsoft Excel just wasn’t for me.

Then, my life experienced a major plot twist: I joined an advanced excel training and since then I have made tremendous progress.

I’ve been able to put my hatred aside and recognize that learning Excel can actually be an incredibly powerful tool for combing through information and finding exactly what you need provided you know how to use it correctly.

Yes, as a beginner you can be an advanced excel guru!

But first here are 5 basic excel skills every beginner should know.

1. Data recording

Basic Excel users must know how to navigate and record data. This includes moving data from documents and transferring the information into Excel. One must also know how to develop financial strategies and budgets.

Also, users can develop schedules by taking original documents and rebuilding the schedules in Excel.

2. Formulas

There are some formulas you need to know for basic Excel skills:

Sum: This function provides you with the sum of the values you’ve selected. You can use numbers, cell references, arrays, and other values accepted in spreadsheets.

Average: The average function provides you with the average of the values you inputted.

Max/Min: These functions are valuable because they provide you with the maximum and minimum values in the range of cells you’ve selected.

Count: This function provides you with the number of cells that contain numbers.

3. Master the Shortcuts

You can save precious time by learning some keyboard shortcuts. You are probably already familiar with using the functions of Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V to copy and paste.

Other useful shortcuts that can come in handy include Ctrl+Z, to undo the last action, Ctrl+PgUp to switch between worksheet tabs, Ctrl+A for selecting the entire worksheet, Ctrl+F to find items, and Ctrl+K to insert hyperlinks.

4. Data organization

Knowing how to sort through pre-existing data allows you to determine which data is relevant and which is not. Use your data organization and filtering skills to find the logic behind your data.

Do this by organizing data in ascending or descending order, alphabetical order, or using other organizational techniques.

5. Pivot tables

Pivot tables are used when you must summarize large amounts of data. Pivot tables allow you to reorder data so it’s better organized. By using pivot tables, you can transform data so that it’s more manageable and understandable.

Want to learn Excel in more depth? Enroll in an advanced Excel Course today!