Jobs that use Excel are becoming more popular with the rise of technology and online work. Proficiency in this software guarantees a pathway to the highest-paying jobs, even for employees without a degree. Read below to learn about the best jobs that use Excel and how to start a career with this software.
What Is Excel?
Excel is one of the main components of the Microsoft Office suite software. It is a spreadsheet application, similar to Google Sheets, built and published by Microsoft for Windows, Android, macOS, and iOS. This powerful program uses spreadsheets to organize data and numbers with functions and formulas.
For the past three decades, Microsoft Excel has grown in popularity. This is primarily due to its versatility and ease of use. These spreadsheets can map even the most complex data into organized rows and columns. With Excel, you can also make charts and plan presentations.
Is Excel in High Demand?
Yes, Excel is in high demand. According to a report from Statista, around 731,000 companies in the US use Microsoft Office as of June 2021. This number grows even larger when considering companies worldwide. Since so many organizations use Excel and other Microsoft software, hiring managers always look for Excel skills on new resumes.
Types of Excel Jobs
Microsoft Excel is a powerful tool in many professions. Dozens of common tasks can easily be automated with Excel, which makes it an asset for job seekers. You can use this spreadsheet’s user-friendly and straightforward interface for almost anything. The types of jobs below make particular use of Excel.
Analyst Jobs
Analysts compile, interpret, and apply complex data to actionable steps. Since analysts deal with extensive data daily, the slightest hiccup can have consequences. Excel helps analysts organize data and interpret their findings. These experts include data analysts, business analysts, financial analysts, performance analysts, and human resources analysts.
Accounting Jobs
Accounting departments keep up with financial statements, monitor cash flow, submit tax returns, and tender expense reports. Documenting these numbers in an organized manner requires experience with spreadsheets. Adequate knowledge of the Excel formula function will also help accounting professionals to perform calculations within a spreadsheet.
Administrative Jobs
Spreadsheet skills are baseline computer skills that come in handy for administration managers and their assistants. They make the most of basic formulas to prepare reports, manage records, schedule appointments, and organize documents. These routine tasks are fundamental to the smooth operation of businesses.
How to Establish a Career in Excel
There are many diverse job opportunities that require Excel skills. However, you need to do more than just learn Excel to succeed. The steps below will help prepare you to start one of the best jobs that use Excel.
- Identify your career path. Since different types of jobs require spreadsheet knowledge, it is crucial to identify your area of specialty. From this, you can learn if you need to study basic spreadsheets or seek advanced knowledge in Excel.
- Identify your Excel skills. If you do not know spreadsheets already, you can learn through Excel projects or coding bootcamps. However, if you are already proficient, you can work on tailoring your data entry skills to your career choice.
- Consult experts. There’s no better way to understand a concept than by interacting with experts. Online courses and resources are good starting points. You can gain insight from teachers and mentors on establishing your career with Excel.
- Be confident. It might take a while to become an experienced Excel user, but that doesn’t mean you can’t succeed. Be confident in the skills you already possess and start with them. No matter what you do, you will keep learning on the job.
- Gain mastery. Once you know the basics, it is time to become the expert that beginners can consult. You should continue to hone your skills to thrive in the field and get high-paying jobs.
The 15 Best Jobs That Use Excel
Excel is a widely used program used in various career fields. These range from low-skill to high-skill positions that are fundamental to the progress of organizations. Below, we have compiled a list of some of the best jobs that use Excel in 2022.
| Job Title | Average Salary | Job Outlook |
|---|---|---|
| Sales Manager | $132,290 | 7% |
| Quality Analyst | $110,140 | 22% |
| Economist | $108,350 | 13% |
| Construction Manager | $97,180 | 11% |
| Statistician | $93,290 | 33% |
| Management Analyst | $87,660 | 14% |
| Operations Research Analyst | $86,200 | 25% |
| Financial Analyst | $83,660 | 6% |
| Accountant | $73,560 | 7% |
| Purchasing Manager | $72,270 | 6% |
| Cost Estimator | $66,610 | 1% |
| Market Research Analyst | $65,810 | 22% |
| Human Resource Analyst | $63,490 | 10% |
| Administrative Assistant | $40,990 | -7% |
| Office Clerk | $35,330 | -2% |
What Careers Use Excel? An In-Depth List
Sales Manager
Sales managers are leaders in a sales team who set sales goals, manage and mentor teams, and achieve growth by hitting sales targets. Excel helps sales managers collate data into a standard table to give a visual representation of the sales team’s performance. These performance presentations help gauge business goals.
Quality Analyst
Quality analysts guarantee the integrity of products with an organization’s compliance standards by testing their functionality and components. To improve quality assurance, they must measure and interpret data. Excel provides an avenue to analyze the data to understand and decipher any issues.
Economist
Economists study and apply economic concepts to boost profits and create better public policies. Excel is a primary tool in analyzing, reporting, and managing financial data. This spreadsheet program can give professionals hands-on economics experience, applying economic theories and concepts to different projects.
Construction Manager
Construction managers are specialists that employ specialized project management techniques to oversee the stages of a construction project. Since Excel is a helpful tool in budgeting, these professionals use it to create estimates, track production rates, calculate material usage, and track expenses.
Statistician
Statisticians are experts who apply statistical methods to real-life problems. They decide what data to collect and how to manage, analyze, and interpret it. Statisticians use Excel PivotTable and efficiently manipulate rows and columns in statistical analysis. Learning Excel is vital if you want to become a statistician.
Management Analyst
These professionals are management consultants that offer recommendations on improving a company’s efficiency. They advise managers on how an organization can maximize profit and manage its departments. Knowledge of VLOOKUP, HLOOKUP, arrays, and macros are also important Excel skills for a management consultant.
Operations Research Analyst
Operations research analysts are expert problem-solvers. They apply advanced techniques such as the mining, optimization, and interpretation of data to provide solutions and develop new methods for business operations.
Excel provides a user-friendly platform for generating random numbers to perform simulations and repetitive calculations. It also has a DecisionTools Suite that helps carry out the required mathematical models.
Financial Analyst
Financial analysts are professionals that analyze a company’s current and historical financial plan and annual revenues. This analysis helps identify trends that can influence business decisions. Excel helps these experts perform technical calculations with financial functions.
Accountant
Accounting professionals are high-level personnel who prepare and maintain an organization’s financial records and verify their accuracy. Excel supports accounting functions such as budgeting, creating balance sheets, and preparing financial statements. These functions simplify even the most extensive accounting issues.
Purchasing Manager
Purchasing managers procure goods and services for a company’s use or resale. They negotiate contracts to get the highest-quality products for the lowest prices. Competency in Excel is one of the most vital skills for a purchasing director. You can allocate resources, document business progress, and maintain participants’ records with Excel features.
Cost Estimator
Cost estimators analyze data to approximate the resources that a company will need to manufacture a product, provide a service, or complete construction. Excel formulas and functions offer many benefits in cost estimation. You can calculate estimates much faster by entering different line items for costs and multiplying across floors.
Market Research Analyst
Market research analysts are marketing experts that analyze data and survey market conditions to predict potential sales of a product or service. These business experts provide actionable insights for everything from focus group responses to product pricing trends.
Human Resources Analyst
Human resources (HR) analysts collect, compile, structure, and analyze human resources processes. Excel is a convenient tool when creating and automating these metrics and analytical techniques. For example, pivot tables and pivot charts are both good choices for performing automated report writing.
Administrative Assistant
Spreadsheet software is vital to an administrative assistant’s toolbox. Excel databases enable these professionals to enter and store important administrative data. It also helps them facilitate day-to-day tasks such as invoicing and record-keeping. Most job listings for administrative assistants require strong Excel skills.
Office Clerk
Office clerks are administrative professionals who perform various clerical duties such as typing, filing, recording data, and other minor bookkeeping activities. Basic knowledge in SUM/VLOOKUP/INDEX & MATCH is indispensable in automating office tasks. Excel also eases the task of making spreadsheets and organizing data.
"Career Karma entered my life when I needed it most and quickly helped me match with a bootcamp. Two months after graduating, I found my dream job that aligned with my values and goals in life!"
Venus, Software Engineer at Rockbot
Should You Get a Job in Excel?
Yes, you should get a job in Excel if you want to succeed in any industry from finance to administration. Whether you’re a novice or an expert, knowing Excel offers lucrative opportunities. Excel skills will also boost your career confidence. The best Excel bootcamps are your first step to learning this software and starting a new job.
Jobs That Use Excel FAQ
No, you don’t necessarily need a degree to get a job in Excel. Certificates from online courses and Excel bootcamps suffice in many cases.
Yes, you can work with Excel as a freelancer. In fact, it can be a very useful tool for freelancers. Many platforms like Upwork and Fiverr have thousands of opportunities for people who know Excel.
No, you don’t need to know how to code to learn Excel, but it can help. Excel VBA is the coding language that Microsoft developed for Excel, and it can be useful if you want to perform advanced functions.
Yes, you can do many Excel jobs from the comfort of your home. Many companies are willing to recruit remote workers because Excel can be used from any computer.
About us: Career Karma is a platform designed to help job seekers find, research, and connect with job training programs to advance their careers. Learn about the CK publication.
