The MicroTrain Blog

Each time I do a class in Microsoft Office, students ask, why remember or use keyboard shortcuts where in fact it is easier to use the mouse, click the command you want, it does it. I agree with that.

But, remember, many years back, there is no mouse, it’s only keyboard. Do you wonder why if at times your mouse goes goofy then you call up MIS, tech support, whatever you call them at work, they don’t prioritize you. They won’t, we won’t! You know why?

Because we know, you can manage using your keyboard. Keep in mind as a technical support guy; we receive calls for troubleshooting simple to complex ones the whole day. Whenever your problem is doable in other ways, we won’t hear you. We will deal with someone having virus problem or not able to send file needed by the boss. Your problem is less important to us though we will definitely get back to you once we find the time.

Therefore, knowing the keyboard shortcuts are very important especially in a Microsoft Office product like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access to name a few. Knowing a few combinations mean you can work with all of the products in the suite. So why not become a master of keyboard shortcuts.
Let’s try some of the most popular ones.

CTRL + A>> it selects all, everything you’ve got in your document. It doesn’t matter if text, image or both.

CTRL + C >> it copies whatever you highlighted or selected and waiting for you to paste it somewhere.

CTRL + X>> it cuts whatever you highlighted or selected and waiting for you to paste it in a new spot.

CTRL + V>> it allows you to paste the copied or cut items you have selected or highlighted.

CTRL + Z>> it does the undo of previous action. You can do this many times to undo previous actions in sequence.

CTRL + Y>> it does the redo of previous action. Same as undo, you can do this many times and it repeats actions you’ve done previously in sequence.

In PowerPoint where most of the items are in bullets or numbers, we can use the TAB key to indent the selected item. But how do you outdent using keyboard shortcut? You do SHIFT + TAB. Try it, it’s cool! It also works with SMART ART bullets and numbers. TAB means demote the level, SHIFT + TAB means promote it. Amazing huh!

How about exiting your Office Application without the use of the mouse? How do you do that? This one is not a giveaway. Try to right mouse click on an open application at the task bar. Your task bar is where you START button is located. Whenever you do this, you have a pad of commands in the list and one in there is CLOSE which also the same as exit or close your current file. You will see across the word “CLOSE” a keyboard shortcut combination. Try that combination and see whether it does it, or closes down your application.

Bottom line, keyboard shortcuts are very powerful, the same way with how much you love and think mouse clicking is. In the end, what’s important is able to survive if the mouse goes wacky and no replacement is available or no tech guy at hand to assist you. It may mean going back a few hours in Flintstone’s age but eventually, it’s an added learning to be back in the Jetson’s era, right?

For the keyboard shortcuts complete list, please go to http://office.microsoft.com and in the search box, type keyboard shortcuts, you can even do this for each Office product, just find it from the left menu of that website.

Goodluck exploring it. Have fun!

Surely you've all heard the definition of crazy, right? Doing the same thing over and over again and hoping to get a different result? Every time you put a raw egg in the microwave, it explodes,but you hope this time it won't? That's crazy!

I'd like to expand that definition a little farther. Crazy could be defined as doing the same thing over and over again and hoping for a different result or doing the same thing everyone else does and hoping to stand out. 

Have you read the rules on how to get a job that everyone else has? Have you read the same books on how to write your resume (including the same set of "action words" you're supposed to put in that resume)? Have you paid money for a cover letter writer (or software package) that writes the same cover letter as everyone else? Do you print your resume on resume paper like everyone else? Do you wear the same suite, tie and dress to the interview as everyone else? 

Then guess what: you will not stand out.

Standing out means taking a stand, owning something (like in your last job, how you took ownership of that sales channel or that manufacturing process or networking standard) and treating it like you would treat your own child. You know who does that? No many other people. 

Standing out means being yourself, in the way that being yourself helps sales or support or greases the wheels between departments, making sure that people didn't feel like a number, but like someone you cared about.

Standing out means taking whatever work you do and turning it into art, from the way to bundle network cables to the way to cold call a lead to the way you design your resume, because they all represent you as a person.

Stand out. Stop being crazy. Stop following the lemmings and hope that this leads you to a job. Be you. Find the artist in you and show the world how great you can be.

Start now.