Excel and ppt courses/certificates to display competency in interviews?
Hi All,
I've almost been asked about my excel and ppt skills in all the super days that I have attended and my answer has been something like this:
"I've used Excel for many assignments and projects in my finance classes, additionally, I have completed TTS' on-campus program where I learned about a lot of the shortcuts used in the industry for speed and efficiency. Though I'm don't consider myself an expert, being someone who enjoys working with numbers makes Excel very enjoyable and I don't see myself having too much trouble getting up to speed with other analysts. As for ppt, I have not had the same amount of experience with it as Excel. Though I have made many presentations on ppt, I am aware that there is no universal method of decking and the expectations change industry by industry. Despite this, I will try my absolute best to get up to speed with the firms' needs."
I feel like I've been getting dinged for this answer and can improve my chances by having some sort of evidence that I have some sort of experience. Do you guys recommend any programs or courses that might be helpful?
And ofc, please feel free to provide feedback on my response :)
Much Appreciated.
Your answer is pretty fluffy; 10% is you saying you can use Excel and the rest is you trying to make the answer longer.
For every non technical question, just answer the question straight up and provide an example to show you know what you're talking about. Say you know how to use Excel and are familiar with shortcuts etc, then provide a reasonably detailed example of a time when you worked under pressure to complete an assignment using Excel. If you haven't done that yet, take a real example and stretch it, but make sure you know what you're talking about.
Yeah shorten your comment to "I completed the TTS course and have extensive experience using excel for everything from basic record-keeping to more complex modeling" or some variation.
These are check the box questions we don't want to hear a sermon.
Above comments took care of your first question.
However, programs/courses recommended to get you more comfortable with Excel/PPT would be as follows.
BIWS Powerpoint Pro. - $197 investment
Wall Street Prep - Excel Crash course ~$30-35
Wall Street Prep - Basic package (useful for 3 statement modeling, etc..) ~$199 investment
Start off with excel course since it's pocket change and work your way up through the PPT pro. Depending on your Grade (sophomore, junior, etc..) would save the basic package maybe until either before your SA or if you just are an excel nerd, try it out whenever.
Cheers!
If they ask about your Excel skills, respond with" Yeah, I'm proficient. I can build a 3 statement model" - get the skills to do this.
If they don't ask about Excel skills, respond by inserting yourself awkwardly towards the end with these exact words "I'll have you know I'm a freak in the sheets and I spread more than just comps" - 60% of the time it works all the time
Seriously no need to waste money on those Excel programs.
Best way to learn is to do with Excel/PPT
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