The role of an administrative assistant is huge. It is an indispensable assistant to a boss, who can make the office run like clockwork, every day and anytime.
What is the most significant challenge of being an administrative assistant? Though sometimes, this job may put too much pressure on you, that’s not the hardest part. In fact, the biggest challenge is to actually land a job.
To start a career, you need a perfect administrative assistant job description resume. Writing one and ensuring it will engage the recruiter and help you get more interviews can be pretty tough. But not if you know exactly what to do.
In this article, we collected the best pieces of advice from experts with vast experience in the resume writing business. From this guide, you will get:
- Instructions for writing memorable resumes administrative assistant
- Dozens of killer administrative assistant resume examples
- And more!
How To Write an Administrative Assistant Resume
If you want to get employed fast, you need to have the best administrative assistant resume! To help you take your job search to the next level, we have prepared a step-by-step guide on how to craft a flawless sample resume for administrative assistants:
- Read the job description and highlight the most important points, such as key requirements, duties, as well as skills and qualities the employers are looking for in candidates.
- Identify relevant resume keywords (you can collect these keywords from the job description or find them on the web) and include them in your resume. This will make it easy to notice by an applicant tracking system (ATS) and, thus, boost your chances to land a job.
- Write your main sections. Start with creating a header with a contact info section. Then describe your professional experience, identify core skills, and list your education.
- Add extra sections that will make you look like a perfect candidate for the job.
Pro Tip: If you are still not sure how to write a resume, don’t hesitate to ask our career advice expert for help. At SkillHub, anyone can get professional help with resume writing and rest assured of the best result.
Choose the Best Format for an Administrative Assistant Resume
To get started with your resume administrative assistant, you need to pick the right layout first. Hiring managers have hundreds of applications on their desks. Every applicant has something to offer, but only a few get noticed. Thus, if you fail to grab the recruiter’s attention right away, you’ll never land an interview. First, recruiters always quickly scan applications to find candidates that match the job best. That’s the main reason why the formatting of your resume matters so much.
A perfect administrative resume format should spotlight your biggest accomplishments, skills, and experiences. Our experts recommend you stick to the reverse-chronological format that puts your most recent accomplishments first. It is the most professional and effective format.
As for the template, the ideal sample resume administrative assistant template is simple, clean, easy to scan, and well-organized. It should be clearly structured with headings and have plenty of white space.
Write an Administrative Assistant Resume Summary or Summary Objective
Before you move on to the writing itself, you need to create an opening paragraph for your resume. It is something like an introduction and we recommend to start your administrative assistant resume with either a summary or objective. A summary is like your elevator pitch. It is a summary of qualifications for executive assistant. Who should use it? It’ll work best for experienced assistants. An objective suits assistants who have less experience, for example, recent grads or career-changers.
Administrative assistant resume summary example:
C-level administrative assistant with a BA in accounting and over 6 years of experience in a large company. Managed and streamlined the schedules of 5+ executives, meanwhile handling everyday administrative tasks.
Administrative assistant resume objective example:
College graduate with a degree in Communications. Possess email management, communication, and travel planning skills. I am looking to occupy a job as an administrative assistant to leverage obtained skills at [company] and excel in this position.
Depending on your level of qualification, you can choose any of the above-mentioned introductions. Whatever you choose, make it catchy.
Describe Your Administrative Assistant Experience
One thing that interests potential employers most is your administrative experience. Many job seekers believe that simply listing their past work experience is enough. But that’s not quite true.
To make your admin assistant resume stand out and show you as a perfect employee, follow these tips when writing your experience section:
- Avoid mentioning routine or non-important daily tasks (unless they’re in the job offer).
- Make an emphasis on your achievements, not duties.
- When possible, quantify your accomplishments with numbers.
- Avoid cliches and use action verbs instead.
- Apply the PAR (problem-action-result) method to show how companies can benefit if they employ you.
Administrative assistant resume sample experience entry:
Executive Administrative Assistant
Company, Years.
- Coordinated all domestic and international travel for corporate executives, and managed a $350,000 budget for this purpose
- Provided on-site training to 5 new administrative assistants
- Saved the company $5,000/year by rearranging a deal with office supplies vendor
Put Your Education on Resume for Administrative Assistant
Although experience and skills play the biggest role in the success of your job application, this doesn’t mean that the education section is insignificant. The best administrative assistant resumes use everything you have to the benefit, and education isn’t an exception. So, you have to ensure that your education section is not underwhelming.
To make your education look good on the resume administrative assistant you need to list it the right way. Start by specifying the name of the school, its location, and the years of study. Then, you need to indicate what degree you obtained and what you majored in.
Here is an example:
State University of New York, New York
2009-2013
BA in Communications
This is the basic info. Additionally, your resume for administrative assistant jobs can include some add-ons like:
- GPA (only if it’s nearly perfect)
- Honors and awards
- Relevant coursework
- Favorite subjects
- Extracurricular activities, etc.
Put Skills on an Administrative Assistant Resume
Before you apply for a job, you have to ensure that your administrative assistant resume skills section is brilliant. A great administrative assistant is reliable, responsible, and can cope with almost any task. And the best administrative resume examples should indicate just that. To craft a winning resume, you need to highlight your best administrative skills and, at the same time, align them with the job description.
Here is a comprehensive administrative assistant skills list to help you find some ideas for this section:
- MS Office suite
- Appointment setting
- Problem-solving
- Research skills
- Communication
- Customer service
- Calendar management
- Attention to detail
- Time management
- Phone etiquette
- Travel planning
- Transcription
- Faxing
- Bookkeeping
- Email management
- Receiving visitors
- Writing letters and emails
- Order processing
- Data entry
- Filling systems
- Foreign languages
- SalesForce
- Billing
- Inventory management
- Training new employees
- Recording minutes of the meeting
Additionally, you should complement your resume with some soft skills for administrative assistant.
Add Contact Info to Your Resume
One element invariably included in all resumes examples for administrative assistant is a contact info section. In order to recruit you, employers and hiring managers will need to have your relevant and accurate contact details.
That’s clear. But how to include contact info in your administrative assistant resume? Here are a few handy tips:
- Place it close to the top of the page.
- Add a full name, phone number, and email address.
- Make sure your email address looks professional.
- Add your physical address.
- Include relevant links (e.g. to your professional website, blog, or LinkedIn profile)
- Carefully check the data for accuracy.
Add Other Sections to Your Effective Resume
Additional sections play a huge role in every assistants resume. This position covers so many various duties and everyday tasks that, often, skills and experience sections alone are just not enough to show yourself in the best light. And that’s when additional sections come in handy.
Most of our resume examples for administrative assistant jobs have at least one extra section to them.
Here are a few ideas for extra sessions that will help you impress the hiring manager and win the job:
- Languages (this is one of the most common choices for a sample of administrative assistant resume, as speaking multiple languages is a huge competitive advantage for such a job)
- Certifications
- Awards and achievements
- Hobbies and interests
Pro Tip: Before adding any extra sections, always check the administrative assistant duties for resume first. If you can align your add-ons with the job description, you’ll get the best results.
Use Key Action Verbs
To make your administrative assistant resume shine, you should get rid of all boring, cliche phrases like “responsible for.” Not only do they not contribute to making your resume noticed by recruiting firms, but they also don’t help you become visible to an ATS system.
In the list below, we’ve gathered the best action resume keywords that will help you succeed:
- Administered
- Coordinated
- Arranged
- Accelerated
- Executed
- Built
- Achieved
- Aided
- Decreased
- Generated
- Assisted
- Headed
- Answered
- Created
- Devised
- Boosted
- Guided
- Gained
- Oversaw
- Implemented
- Handled
- Cooperated
- Enhanced
- Developed
- Contributed
- Organized
- Expedited
- Formed
- Simplified
- Provided
- Supported
- Optimized
- Maximized
- Increased
- Spearheaded
- Launched
- Pioneered
- Operated
- Planned
- Initiated
Office Assistant Resume Sample
So, now you know how to write a resume for an administrative assistant job, is office assistant any different? Resumes for both positions will follow the same structure and include the same sections. However, just like any other job, an office assistant job has certain peculiarities that have to be kept in mind while writing a resume. To get things right, we recommend you check out some office assistant resume examples and follow a few tips we are about to share with you.
What do employers value the most in the office assistants? First come personal traits like dependability, responsiveness, responsibility, and outgoingness. These traits are an absolute must-have for every office assistant. You may not necessarily list them explicitly in your resume for office assistant, but you need to ensure that your resume lets recruiters and employers know that you are just that kind of person.
Secondly, an office assistant resume should communicate a wide range of hard skills. These include:
- Typing (at least 90 WPM)
- Familiarity with POS systems
- Office equipment maintenance
- Filing
- Records maintenance
- Office supplies management
Apart from this, there is a long list of soft skills required for this job. You should blend some of the most vital ones like customer service, communication, and others into your skills list.
Executive Assistant Resume Sample
Unlike an administrative assistant, an executive assistant is a slightly different role. Although it may cover the same responsibilities and duties, the main focus of these two positions is different. While administrative assistants can perform daily tasks for the entire department, an executive assistant typically focuses on assisting only certain people and positions. This is one of the key things to keep in mind when writing an executive assistant resume.
How to write such a resume? First of all, you have to check out not only the job description but also a few good executive assistant resume samples before you start writing. This will help you identify which of your skills match the employers’ needs and will help find the perfect layout for your resume.
The best way to start your resume is by writing a catchy summary of qualifications for executive assistant. A resume objective will be less effective in this case as your goal is to prove that you are a proficient, skilled, and experienced candidate.
In the skills section, place the biggest emphasis on hard skills. But, also highlight your interpersonal skills. The rest of the sections will be pretty much the same as for an administrative assistant resume.
Senior Administrative Assistant Resume Sample
A senior administrative assistant position implies pretty much the same duties as an entry-level job. This can include inventory management, appointment setting, email management, and completing a range of other administrative tasks. However, a senior role implies a higher level of responsibility and, thus, has higher demands to potential candidates.
To write a high-quality senior administrative assistant resume, you will need to prepare the following sections:
- Contact information
- Work experience
- Education
- Relevant skills
Additional sections can also be provided as long as they add value to your administrative assistant resume and highlight your valuable skills and personal traits.
Here are a few more tips for writing a senior-level resume:
- Begin your resume with a summary of qualifications for administrative assistant.
- Make a bigger emphasis on past experiences. At the same time, you can pay less attention to the education section. If you have lots of experience, simply mention the basic information, without any extras.
- Highlight your strong organizational and communication skills. Also, be sure to mention an ability to train new staff, this will be a significant benefit.
- Make a list of the main soft and hard skills required by the job and prove them in your experience section.