The tools and skills every analyst should have

You should use the resources provided by Wall Street Oasis. Namely, the excel modelling skills.

Also, read the WSJ everyday and discuss the most interesting articles with friends, professors, or coworkers.

You should be confident in the skills you have, which you represented on your resume to get the job, and do your best to learn the rest when you start.

I'd put PowerPoint at the top of the list. You'll probably be producing 100+ slide decks. To be more specific, becoming good at PPT involves more than knowing the shortcuts -- it includes storyboarding/storylining, using the right diagrams/visuals, writing good headlines/copy, etc. This is a good book on creating consulting decks - http://learnppt.com/ebook.php

For Excel, I've found it very useful to know some basic Excel VBA. This really helps in automating, because there's a lot that pivot tables and formulas either can't do or do too inefficiently (i.e. will crash your Excel).

Read the FT also.

Accuracy is the most important aspect. Be able to read annual reports and other financial data effortlessly. Know what traps to look for in that can often be found in the "notes" section - off balance sheet commitments, restructuring, etc.

Efficiency! The truth is quicker you can get stuff done, the quicker you can put in front of clients/managers, and the quicker you can get feedback, and the quicker you can refine and build on your mistakes. Best way to build efficiency is by learning how to work the tools you have.

For excel, pivot tables are fine, but on a scale of 1 -5 i would rate those skills as noob level (although i tried the powerpivot extension which you have to download. Thats more useful but since most people won't have the extension downloaded, it is really for your personal use). learn hotkeys, someone mentioned INDEX MATCH, thats a life savior. if you can learn how to mix that up with ARRAY formulas, VBA scripts, and table formatting you can do magic in excel.

powerpoint is a little trickier because even if you learn all the tools and shortcuts, theres a decent amount of creativity that goes into it. e.g. you can learn to use a brush and paint and canvas, but doesnt mean you can make good decks. this is where efficiency helps because the more feedback you can get the better your decks will be. i look at some of my work from 3 years ago and i would be embarrassed to present it now. I posted some tips here: http://writingintransit.wordpress.com/2013/03/20/the-delicate-art-of-ma…

If you are specializing in a certain area, it obviously helps to read up on that industry/function. WSJ, Economist, FT are all good general resources but most industries have specialized publications - pick those up.

finally i would say dont be afraid to ask questions and be wrong, especially internally (in front of clients be mindful of who you are talking to. e.g. dont walk in to a strategy session and ask whats SWOT). if you dont understand something, ask for clarification or an explanation. I have found most people are happy to keep talking anyway so they tend not to mind answering INTELLIGENT questions. but be respectful of peoples time. if you have 10 questions, compile a list and set up a meeting rather than bugging the person every 2 minutes.