Excel is a complex tool that has a lot of features and provides a lot of benefits for businesses.
Some features are easy to learn, however, others can be very complex and difficult to master.
There are many people that claim to be an expert using Excel, but quite often they fall short and may not have the necessary experience or skills you really need to undertake your project.
So how do you make sure the person you are considering is an Excel Specialist and an expert in using this software.
Experience
Excel has many uses and typically, the more experience someone has in using it, the better. You want to make sure that the person you are considering has a lot of day-to-day experience using Excel.
The learning process for Excel takes time.
If you are looking for an Excel Specialist, you need to be checking if candidates that have a minimum of 3 to 4 years of experience. Excel is not a tool that you can master overnight, it takes time and dedication.
Ideally, you are looking for someone that has 5 or more years of practical, hands-on experience with Excel.
Certifications
Having Excel certifications is always a good indicator of someone’s theoretical knowledge. If the specialist you are considering has Excel certifications, then it is a positive sign that they should know what they are talking about.
However, do not rely solely on certifications. Once again, there are many people who have Excel certifications but do not have the necessary day-to-day, practical skills or “real-life” experience to be called an Excel Specialist.
Skills
Having years of experience and/or certifications is a good first step to filter out the bad apples. However, in the end, when choosing an Excel Specialist it comes to – does this person have the necessary, practical skills to do the job you need them to do?
A good way to test a person’s skills is by giving them a task to complete using Excel. Watching them complete a task you set and whether they do it in an efficient manner and to your satisfaction will give you a good indication as to whether they will be a good fit for the project you have in mind.
Now obviously, depending on the project you require to be done, the exact set of skills required by the Excel specialist may be different.
If you require someone to do data analysis, then you may want to make sure that they know how to use Pivot Tables, Vlookup (Xlookup in the latest version of Excel), and Index/Match functions. If you need someone to create and automate reports then you may want to make sure they know advanced charting, Conditional Formatting, and VBA programming.
Irrespective of the project you require your Excel specialist to do, you will want to make sure that the person you are considering is at the very least fluent in the following Excel elements:
1. Charting
Whatever your line of business, you will at some point need to create charts to summarise your data. This is one of the most basic tasks people use in Excel.
A good way to test someone’s charting skills is to give them a data set and ask them to generate a few different charts.
This may at first seem relatively simple, however, there are some really complex things you can do with charts in Excel.
The Excel specialist you are looking for needs to know how to do things like switch chart axes, create dynamic charts that update automatically when new data is added and use make use of different chart types to best visually represent the results of your data analysis.
2. Pivot tables
Pivot tables are a powerful Excel feature that allows users to summarize large data sets. Utilising pivot tables, you can group data into categories, filter data to include/exclude categories, and even build charts with the Pivotcharts feature
Pivot tables make it easy to get a quick overview of your data, turning large data sets into information that can then be used to help make decisions or track trends.
3. VBA code/Macros
VBA code (or macros) is a way to automate tasks in Excel. Simply put, an Excel macro is a small bit of code that will undertake a task or set of tasks when it is triggered. They can be simple, like inserting a new row into a set of data, or at the other end very complex, like connecting to large databases, extracting data, performing some analysis, and then generating a report – all at the click of a single button.
Macros can save you a lot of time, and they are one of the things that makes Excel such a powerful tool.
When choosing an Excel specialist, you will want to make sure they have experience with macros and VBA programming.
VBA Programming can be very complex and is not something that can be mastered quickly. Not every advanced Excel user will have developed this skill.
4. VLOOKUP / XLOOKUP / INDEX-MATCH
Once you start developing spreadsheets in Excel, the VLOOKUP / XLOOKUP (in the latest version of Excel) / INDEX-MATCH functions are ones that you will use in nearly ALL of the spreadsheets you create. They are very powerful functions that make Excel such a useful and powerful tool.
If you want to test an Excel specialist’s knowledge, then give them a task that involves using one of these functions. If your specialist can quickly and easily undertake the task, then they know their stuff.
5. Array formulas
Array formulas can do a lot of complex calculations on multiple cells at the same time. This can be very helpful when you need to get a quick overview of your data, or when you need to track trends.
Creating these formulas is not an easy task and you really have to know your way around Excel to be able to do it. This is not something you can learn overnight, it takes time and practice.
6. Advanced conditional formatting
Advanced conditional formatting is a way to format cells based on certain conditions. This can help you visualize your data, and it can make it easy to spot trends.
The same rule applies as for previous examples – results of conditional formatting are super easy to track but it is not that easy to set it up.
How do you choose an Excel Specialist?
When looking for an Excel specialist you will find many a person that claim themselves as experts. After all, having some skills in Excel is common considering that it is estimated that 16% of the world’s population use Excel.
To ensure you choose a specialist with the most applicable advanced Excel skills, you will need to test them. This test can be anything from analyzing data to creating a report. Start with screening questions that could be Yes/No, Multiple Choice, and/or open-ended questions. These can be used to narrow down your list of specialists.
When designing tests it is important to give enough time to complete the tasks you set. You should also make sure that you are available to answer any questions that might arise.
Testing is one way to go. An alternative is to speak with your Excel specialist and ask them how they would go about solving certain problems, or which features/functions they would use to complete certain tasks. This will give you a good idea of their level of knowledge, and it will also give you an opportunity to see how they think.
Always keep in mind that there is no one right way to do things in Microsoft Excel. As the old saying goes “there is more than one way to skin a cat”. Don’t be too concerned if your Excel specialist does things differently than you would.
The important thing to remember is that they get the project done and that they are able to explain their thought process.
Remember, different projects require different Excel skills and you do not need to be an Excel specialist yourself to choose the right person for your project.
Using a combination of knowledge-based and practical skills tests, you can be confident that the Excel Specialist you select will have the skills and practical know-how to undertake your project.
ExcelSuperSite is the Excel Specialist you Need!
So where do you go to find an Excel Specialist?
Look no further as the staff here at ExcelSuperSite are the Excel specialists you have been looking for.
Click here for a 100% obligation-free discussion with one of our specialists to determine your needs and wants and how we can best help you.
