The hidden features of Microsoft’s Office 365 applications

Microsoft’s Office 365 is one of the most widely used software suites in the world but there are a number of hidden features and tips and tricks many users are probably not aware of.

There are many functions users can take advantage of including built-in features, smart connected features and touchscreen features as well.

Office 365 includes Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote which are now available on a subscription basis for home and personal use.

RESUME ASSISTANT – WORD

The Resume Assistant is a hidden gem within Word and is a great tool for updating your CV.

What people don’t know is it can also offer a helping hand on what type of information you should include.

Resume Assistant actually showcases examples of how real people in your field have outlined their work experience and skills as identified by LinkedIn.

And it even goes a step further and offers up job opportunities that might interest you through LinkedIn.

After you’ve finished editing your resume, you can click on these links to learn more or actually apply for the job.

You don’t actually need a LinkedIn account to use Resume Assistant but you can sign in or sign up for an account.

To start Resume Assistant go to Review > Resume Assistant and type in the role you’re interested in.

It also shows you the pertinent skills that should be included as well as ideas on how to customise your resume even further.

INKING IN OFFICE
When editing a document in Word, users can take advantage of pen gestures in Ink Editor.

Now you can delete, select or highlight text as well as insert new text and join words and split words.

Using your digital pen, you are able to ink bulleted lists which Ink Editor will transfer into formatted text.

You can also write groups of words or draw shapes like you would with a flowchart and Microsoft will use AI to transform your work into text and snapped shapes.

Users can also take advantage of the inbuilt AI to understand the context of your text and provide design recommendations for Smart Art and icons.

It’s also now possible to include 3D embedded animations in Word and PowerPoint.

To convert your writing to text simply select Draw, choose a pen and write your text. Then click the toolbox and select Text.

DICTATION

Office 365 now includes dictation – an accessibility feature that is a handy tool for anyone who would prefer to talk rather than type and for those who want to capture some ideas hands-free.

Users need to download an extension to enable Dictation with Office 365. It will work with the Windows version. Unfortunately Mac Office 365 users cannot access this functionality.

All you need to do is speak clearly and conversationally and insert the punctuation just by saying the name of the punctuation mark you require.

POWERPOINT QUICKSTARTER

Anyone who has ever prepared a presentation will know just how hard it can be to get started.

But that just got a whole lot easier thanks to PowerPoint QuickStarter.

You can build an outline to help you get started researching a subject of your choosing.

From this QuickStarter gathers information and presents you with a list of subjects related to your topic to help you get started with your presentation.

But not only does this feature suggest ideas for your talk but it can also help you with design ideas as well.

Microsoft’s intelligent design engine, PowerPoint Designer, is now smarter than ever and can take you from a blank slide to impressive content in minutes.

Even just having a block of text on a slide is enough for Designer to interpret the words through natural language processing and convert blocks of text into recommended icons and more readable diagram formats.

PowerPoint Designer can also suggest nicely designed slides to help you complete your presentation.

Office 365 Home is priced at $129 a year and provides you and your family all the premium Office applications for up to 6 users.

Office 365 personal is $99 a year and offers all the applications for just one user.

Included with these packs is 1TB storage space on OneDrive and additional Skype features which allow users to make 60 minutes’ worth of calls to mobile phones and land lines.