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Subject Expert
Is VBA coding a core function of the role or a “would be a useful skill”? In either case, don’t try to BS that you know anything. If the former, you should probably withdraw your candidacy, spend a year learning to code, and then try again when the job opens again. If the latter, say you don’t know anything about it but are motivated and eager to learn.
Visual Basic for Applications is the programming language used to create ‘user defined functions’ in Microsoft Office products.
Basically, it is a language that allows you to create your own functions. Want to add a button to an excel sheet that executed a very specific data transformation? VBA is the way to instruct Excel to do that.
It is most often used to automate repetitive tasks. Some companies have their own VBA functions (referred to as ‘macros’) that are a key part of their process. For example you might save 3 spreadsheets in a folder and open a 4th sheet with a macro (VBA script) in it. The macro might, for example, instruct excel to open the other excel files in the same folder, copy and paste the data, and then carry a set of specific tasks to create one combined excel file.
Manually this might take someone hours but as long as the data are always in the same format, the macro can do it faster.
Mentor
It definitely would take some time to learn it. Although it will be familiar if you have any other coding experience.
Given that you are unfamiliar with VBA, I’m inclined to believe you also do not have other advanced analytical skills.
By all means, learn a new skill but know that this one will take time and practice. Do not sign up for a job that requires a skill you do not have. It will be miserable for everyone involved, as you will either quickly be fired or long road to be managed out (which means a painful job path).
I’ve worked with someone junior hired into same team who lied about SQL knowledge and it was bad for all involved.
Sadly I do not lie in interviews. I should though, but I was honest about my experience. I’m very excited about the role and just wanted to get a head start on preparing for the next round interviews. Thanks for the advice ladies and gents!
You can start by recording what you’re doing in a spreadsheet (there’s a button for that) and then look at the code that is generated.