Five (5) Excel Interview Mistakes

Going into an interview at any stage of your career is a challenge. Sure, you can improve and develop to thrive in them, but interviews will always require preparation and readiness.

Knowing what to do is widely known and preached, but what not to do is just as important. We’ll go over five (5) key Excel mistakes that are continuously done during interviews all over the globe.

We have a video on this discussion if you’d like to follow along that way: Click Here for Video

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1. Not Knowing the Shortcuts

   There is a chance that the interviewer will be watching you complete the Excel test/task that is used to judge your Excel skills. Completing the tasks successfully is important, but how you complete the tasks is just as essential. Because of this, we recommend that you understand the key built-in shortcuts within Excel.

   Although there are dozens of shortcuts within the program, we recommend knowing the ones below as a minimum.

   • Copy: CTRL-C (This will allow you to copy a cell)

   • Paste: CTRL-P (This will allow you to paste a cell)

   • Select Data: CTRL-Shift-Arrow (This will allow you to quickly select data instead of manually highlighting it)

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2. Bad Presentation / Not Formatting

It’s easy for you to explain that you have strong organizational and presentation skills. Prove it during your Excel task(s). Make sure to format and structure the data in an orderly fashion.

See the difference?

The first table has sloppy formatting, the column width is too small, the header color isn’t necessarily pleasing, and the numbers aren’t optimally formatted. Make sure you format the data accordingly before starting a task, it will make a strong impression on the interviewer.

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3. Manual Calculations

Yes, an Excel user can complete simple tasks without using formulas. A user can count cells individually, or can simply add numbers manually on the side of the worksheet.

However, the beauty of Excel is that it makes us more productive and improves overall efficiency. An interviewer does not want to see a user waste their time with manual calculations.

The interviewer will expect to see formulas being used… bringing us into the fourth common Excel Mistake…

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4. Not knowing the Basic Formulas

An Excel user should be effective and dynamic. Show the interviewer what you can bring to the table, and how you are capable of improving the company’s antiquated processes.

We recommend knowing the following basic formulas: VLOOKUP, CountIF, SumIF, and Pivot Tables (although this is technically a function within Excel, not a formula).

Click our tutorials below to help familiarize yourself with the various formulas within Excel!

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5. Not Formatting your Data as a Table

We have a complete discussion on this topic, CLICK HERE for that post, but here’s a quick recap:

Whether you are working with a dozen rows, or a complete database, make sure to format the data as a Table!

You can complete this by highlighting the data (extra points for using the shortcut as explained earlier), and clicking the ‘Insert’ tab, and then clicking the ‘Table’ option.

Not only will this make your data look cleaner, but it will also make your life easier. Working with data in a table is more reliable, flexible, and simply more efficient. The interviewer will definitely take note of this.

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Yes, interviewing can be a bit nerve-wracking. It’s easy to tell you to be calm and composed, but it isn’t always that easy. However, if you practice for the interview, you will be more confident and ready to take it on. You will never be perfect, but you can definitely be prepared. Take a deep breath and know that you have done everything in your power to succeed.