Microsoft Office is a suite of unique software products that can be used for both business and personal use. These programs offer users several different tools to be productive and communicate with others.
The first version of these programs was launched in 1990. Since then, Microsoft Office has become the industry standard in many large companies. The programs are available in over 30 different languages and can be used on Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems.
The Microsoft Office suite of applications has a host of functions including data management and spreadsheet calculations, creating dynamic presentations with video and music, and email and calendar organization. This guide will help give you a basic understanding of each program within Microsoft Office and how they can be used in your personal and professional life.
What Programs are Available?
The Microsoft Outlook program helps you manage your personal information. It is mostly used for email, but also offers organizational tools for your contacts, your to-do list, and your personal and/or professional calendars. Businesses frequently use this program to keep in communication with their employees. Outlook most recently added a “Teams” function, which allows for workers at the same organization to chat with each other throughout the day.
The Microsoft Word program enables users to type and edit text documents in a virtual space that looks similar to paper. Word is probably the most commonly used software within the Office suite. Students in schools around the world begin to use it at a fairly young age, and it is a fairly standard requirement for many jobs. Word has added additional features over the years that make the program more than just a text editor. You can add images, tables, and other overlays to your text using the toolbar at the top of the page.
The Microsoft Office suite also has a program called PowerPoint that helps create presentations in a relatively simple way. With this program, you can organize your information in a series of slides to digitally share with others; they have several templates to choose from to make your work visually appealing as well. PowerPoint also allows for your slides to be downloaded as PDFs so your teammates can access the information even if they don’t have the Office software.
Microsoft Excel is meant to help users visualize data in a variety of ways. This is a particularly common software in the workplace since the program can organize and process information using a complex system of formulas and algorithms. Excel has applications in nearly every industry. This program is capable of making all sorts of calculations to manipulate and analyze data quickly and in a way that appears appealing to the viewer.
Professional Uses for Microsoft Office
Some of the professional uses for Microsoft Office are fairly obvious. You have probably seen a PowerPoint presentation at school, in the workplace, or both. Microsoft Outlook makes communicating and scheduling appointments with your coworkers incredibly easy. But there are some lesser-known capabilities of these programs that can also be applied in a professional space to simplify your work even more.
Microsoft offers a cloud service called OneDrive, which allows you to store your files without worrying about them being lost or deleted from your computer. It also enables anybody to be able to access the file from anywhere, which makes collaborative working much easier. Many people also choose to use PowerPoint as an addition to their resume; it shows employers your skills with this particular software which may be a requirement for some jobs. Microsoft Outlook also has an add-in called FindTime that you can easily download, which helps you coordinate multiple schedules and find convenient times for meetings that work with everyone’s schedule.
Personal Uses for Microsoft Office
You might think that you wouldn’t be able to make use of Microsoft Office if you have it just for personal use, but there are plenty of helpful reasons to utilize these programs in your daily life. One of the nicest features of Outlook is the ability to access your existing emails without connecting to the internet. The calendar feature also allows you to organize your schedule and keep track of important dates, like birthdays and anniversaries.
Many people also use the Excel spreadsheet program to track personal goals, finances, and keep their home lives organized. It can be used to keep track of groceries and ingredients for meal planning purposes. You can also use Excel to manage your monthly budget; the spreadsheet can make calculations for you so you can feel confident that all your expenses are accounted for.
Take Microsoft Office Classes with Career Centers
If you’re interested in Microsoft Office classes that can help you gain proficiency in one or all of the programs within the Office suite, you can check out Career Centers’ Microsoft Office courses. These courses can be taken either in-person at their campus in New York City or remotely from anywhere in the world. Career Centers strives to maintain small class sizes and also offers a free retake of your course within six months of enrollment.
Career Centers offers individual courses in Excel, PowerPoint, Office, and Outlook. You can also look into Microsoft Office bootcamps, which provides training in all of the programs within the Office suite. In addition to these courses, Career Centers also offers various Microsoft Certification Courses. Some jobs explicitly require a certification, but even if yours doesn’t, adding one to your resume demonstrates your eagerness to learn and advance professionally.