A Compelling Administrative Assistant Resume

From communicating with people from all the departments, filing & record keeping, to organizing teams as well as the boss’s schedule; an administrative assistant does it all. In other words, an admin assistant is a hero without a cape for a company that is responsible for ensuring that everything runs smoothly.

Their work saves so many hours on the manager’s schedule to carry out other more productive activities instead. However, even after playing such a vital role in the industry, things aren’t too grand for aspiring candidates in terms of the job market.

Have a look at some of the statistics related to the job profile to grasp the current scenario:

• According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports, there is going to be an estimated decline in administrative assistant jobs by 9% from 2019-2029.
• The median salary of an administrative assistant and secretary is around $40000 in May 2021.

You can easily guess how tough it is to secure a position as an administrative assistant from the above facts. And this makes it even more important to create an engaging administrative assistant resume and land a job in this field.

It's essential to create a resume that stands out and showcases your talents, experience, and credentials given the fierce competition in the job market.

This comprehensive administrative assistant resume guide will help ensure your resume showcases your relevant experiences, accomplishments, and talents and improve your chances of getting an interview invitation.

For your assistance, we have a selection of resume examples to write your resume.

Senior administrative assistant resume Sample:

Tips & Guidelines For Writing An Administrative Assistant Resume

To land a position in this very competitive industry, you must create a strong administrative assistant resume. A well-written resume may draw attention to your qualifications and accomplishments, highlight your talents and expertise, and help you obtain the position of your dreams.

Here are some general guidelines presented to help you create an engaging administrative assistant resume.

• First of all, include an engaging administrative assistant resume summary that emphasizes your administrative assistant skills and experiences.
• Use a clean, professional structure with separate headings and bullet points to make it simple to read.
• Maintain a concentrated focus on your most relevant experiences and skills in your Resume. Keep your paragraphs short and avoid adding unnecessary details.
• Create a unique resume for each job you apply for, highlighting any relevant experience and abilities.
• Use the keywords related to the job description to enable the application tracking system (ATS) to identify your resume.
• Summarize your accomplishments in detail. If you can, provide numbers.
• Use professional font and format.
• Try to fit all the relevant information into one or two pages.

Personalized tips for administrative assistant resume:

• Showcase your organizational skills by summarizing your experience with maintaining calendars, making appointments, and keeping track of vital papers.
• Highlight your communication skills by providing experiences of how you have effectively interacted with clients, coworkers, and bosses in the past.
• Mention your experience with software like Microsoft Office and Google Suite. Emphasize your proficiency with these programs or any other programs related to your job profile.
• Include any related certifications or coursework such as Certified Administrative Professional or Microsoft Office Specialist.
• Provide examples of the capability of managing a team.

Best Layout And Structure For Administrative Assistant Resume

• Header with name and contact information
• Professional Summary
• Work experience
• Education
• Skills
• Additional sections

A resume's formatting should be simple. Your employment experience, education, qualifications, and administrative skills must all be displayed in unique areas of the resume.

Follow these guidelines to optimize your resume:

• Choose a formal font like Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri, or Calibri.
• Use bullet points to make the content simpler to read.
• The document must be formatted consistently throughout.
• Create separate headers to differentiate sections.
• Ensure the resume information does not exceed two pages.

Chronological, functional, and mixed resume formats are the three different forms of resumes.

The chronological method is appropriate for people who have a long history of employment in their industry since it highlights your professional growth.

The structure emphasizes your skills and competencies over your previous career. Those who have just switched careers or have limited work experience must adopt this framework.

The hybrid structure includes both chronological and practical components. It allows for a focus on both significant accomplishments and relevant work experience.

The best administrative assistant resume format is the reverse-chronological format as it focuses on the professional experiences of the candidate and allows hiring managers to quickly see your relevant experience and achievements.

How To Write The Title And Contact Information?

Name and contact details are included in the header section. This is where the hiring manager will first focus their attention.

The following information should be included:

• Full Name
• Job Title
• Contact Number
• Email Address
• LinkedIn profile link

At the top of the page, your name should be vividly displayed, followed by your contact information (phone number, email address, and link to your LinkedIn profile).

Don't forget to:

• Include your entire name.
• Your current position is always to be mentioned.
• A contact number must be provided in the accepted format for your country of residence.
• Always use an email address for business purposes.
• Remember to include your LinkedIn profile.

Here’s an example to understand better:

Good Example

Jenny Lee
jenny.lee@example.com
715-628-7455
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jennylee

Bad Example

Resume
123 Main Street
King Cross Roads
jennycosplayer@example.com

In conclusion, the header of your administrative assistant resume has to be very clear and brief. It should include your name, contact information, and a reference to your online professional profile.

Make sure your name is visible and easy to see in your header and stay away from using confusing or unnecessary information.

A photo is often not required or recommended to include in the administrative assistant's resume. The qualifications, skills, and experience of the applicant should be emphasized in the resume.

Including a photo of yourself on your resume might influence biased opinions and can be the reason for discrimination. No photo must be added unless it is a requirement and mentioned for giving.

How To Write A Strong Professional Summary For An Administrative Assistant Resume?

This section is written right after the header section with the title and contact details. This section gives a brief introduction of yourself to the hiring managers and creates an impression on them.

Hence, it is essential to write a resume summary highlighting your achievements, skills, and relevant experience.

Good Example

“An experienced administrative assistant with more than six years of experience in the workplace. Goal-oriented and tech-savvy. Experienced with administrative work, problem-solving, planning, and assistance. Microsoft Office and database management expertise.”

The above resume summary provides a detailed overview of the candidate. It focuses on skills, achievements as well as knowledge of administrative responsibilities undertaken by the candidate.

Bad Example

"Administrative assistant with experience in managing clerical tasks. Skilled in Microsoft Office and calendar management. Looking for a job in a supportive work environment."

It is extremely clear how lacking the incorrect resume summary is. The bad example is also not customized and neither are keywords optimized.

Most likely, such resumes are not selected by the Applicant Tracking systems. And obviously, these resumes will fail to grab the hiring manager's attention.

Describing Your Professional Experience as an Administrative Assistant

This is the focus of your resume. More importance is given to the candidates that have relevant experience. The majority of your resume will be focused on this section.

Follow the below guidelines to list down your professional experience:

• Organizing your experience chronologically will be best, starting with your most recent job.
• List down the name of the organization, your job title in that firm, and the length of time you have worked there.
• Include all the relevant keywords to the job you are applying for.
• Use strong verbs to describe your job responsibilities and make the statements brief.
• Emphasize how you can be the best candidate for the job.
• If possible, use numbers or statistics to display the impact of your administrative duties and responsibilities.
• Utilize bullet points to highlight improved results and relevant skills.

What To Write When You Don’t Have Experience?

If you are freshly graduated or have little to no experience, you can still create an impression on the hiring managers. The following guidelines will help you achieve that:

Provide any relevant coursework or internships you have completed in the section about your professional experience. Be sure to highlight any qualifications or duties that are relevant to the position of administrative assistant.

Even include volunteering or extracurricular activity that is related to the administrative assistant position. This may involve undertaking tasks like event preparation, administrative assistance, or customer service.

Even if you don't have any prior administrative experience working directly with administrative assistants, you can still be qualified based on your applicable abilities. For example, skills in data entry, customer service, and scheduling in the section about your professional experience.

Demonstrating Your Educational Background As An Administrative Assistant

Educational credentials that are relevant to your sector must be displayed in the education section. It is recommended that you mention your degree, your institution or university, and the year you earned it.

Here are two examples of writing educational background:

Good Example

Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration
London University, 2018
GPA: 3.8/4

Bad Example

Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration, 2018

From the above two examples, you get a clear picture of the information needed to include. Also, you see the proper formatting of this section comparing both examples.

Good Example

Diploma in Administrative Assistant Program
Completed coursework in Microsoft Office Suite, Business Communications, and Office Procedures
DEF College,2019
GPA: 3.7/4

Bad Example

Diploma in Administrative Assistant Program. DEF College

Administrative Assistant Resume Skills Section

The hiring manager is provided with a summary of the candidate's vital skills and competencies in this section.

• The ability to multitask and be well organized is required for administrative assistants.
• Administrative assistants must be able to manage their work and follow deadlines.
• Customers or clients are frequently interacted with and by administrative assistants, therefore having great customer service abilities is important.
• The ability to identify problems and seek solutions quickly is vital for administrative assistants.
• Administrative assistants must have excellent verbal and written communication skills to interact effectively with coworkers, clients, and customers.
• Admin assistants need to have a strong sense of detail and the skill to identify errors or mistakes in paperwork, timetables, and other resources.
• For administrative assistant employment, proficiency with the Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and other software products is often necessary.
• An office assistant can operate in a fast-paced environment and adjust to shifting conditions.
• To accomplish shared objectives, administrative assistants must be capable of working alongside coworkers and members of other departments.

Important Hard Skills For Administrative Assistant:

• Microsoft Office Suite Efficiency (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
• Excellent data entry and typing abilities
• Great organizational and time management abilities
• Office equipment knowledge (e.g., printers, copiers, scanners)
• Knowledge of scheduling and calendar management
• Expertise in project management tools (e.g., Trello, Asana)
• Understanding of fundamental accounting principles and bookkeeping
• Customer service and client interactions experience

Important Soft Skills For Administrative Assistant:

• Outstanding communication abilities
• Excellent problem-solving skills
• Detail-oriented and precise
• The skill to perform both alone and collaboratively
• Optimism and a strong work ethic
• Adaptability and adaptability
• Interpersonal skills and empathy

These administrative skills are really important and can help you be successful in your job.

While crafting your skills section, be sure to include skills that are pertinent to the administrative assistant role and the specific job you are applying for.

Additional Sections to Boost Your Resume

Weightage can be added to a resume when an additional section is added apart from the common sections like Resume Summary, Skills, Schooling, and Work Experience.

You can include the following sections:

Use this section to highlight your professional development and experience if you have any applicable certificates, such as a Certified Administrative Professional (CAP) certification.

Adding a section for awards and accomplishments will allow you to demonstrate your accomplishment achieved in previous jobs.

If you have contributed your efforts to any important organizations or causes, this might show that you are committed to becoming a member of the community and enhancing your resume.

Including this area can demonstrate your passion for your career and relationships if you are a member of any important professional organization, such as the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP).

Languages

For an administrative assistant, knowing other languages can be a huge advantage.

If you are bilingual or multilingual, including a section on language skills could be useful in showcasing your ability for interpersonal communication.

To effectively showcase language proficiency on a resume, use the following techniques:

• Create a section in which you can list the languages you speak and your competency level in detail.
• Overstating how knowledgeable you are might harm your credibility.
• Use a reputable measure, such as the European Framework of Reference for Languages, to accurately reflect your level of proficiency (CEFR).
• If the language is relevant to the position you seek, highlight it on your Resume.

Summarizing:

• Implement a clean, professional design.
• Start with a compelling header that contains your name and contact information.
• Create an engaging summary statement that highlights valuable skills and achievements.
• Describe your professional experience chronologically, highlighting particular accomplishments and responsibilities.
• Add proper education and training, as well as certificates and achievements.
• List hard skills such as software and computer knowledge.
• Soft skills such as communication, organization, and time management are essential.
• If relevant, provide extra categories such as certificates, awards, volunteer work, language skills, and professional affiliations.
• Customize the Resume to the job description and business culture.
• Where possible, use strong action verbs and quantify successes.
• Before submitting, proofread thoroughly and get comments from a reliable source

How Important is Adding A Cover Letter To Your Resume?

A cover letter is an essential component since the work of an administrative assistant requires a high degree of professionalism, communication skills, and attention to detail, and the cover letter allows you to showcase these skills.

A well-written cover letter would show your passion for the job, showcase your relevant skills and experience, and give insight into your personality and work style. It can also help you stand out from the crowd by emphasizing your unique qualifications and proving why you are the ideal match for the job.

With our resume templates, you can design a unique cover letter that will catch the attention of hiring managers and set you apart from the competition.

FAQs

What does an administrative assistant do?

An administrative assistant undertakes multiple roles in an organization. They are responsible for making arrangements and scheduling an event, maintaining reports and filing systems, etc.

Moreover, they need to be excellent in oral and written communication skills as they are to communicate and work with multiple departments of the company. An administrative assistant should also know about MS Office programs or similar tools.

What is considered the strength of an administrative assistant?

For administrative assistants, their communication skills and time management abilities are considered the greatest strength.

They are required to communicate with people from almost all the departments as well as their clients either by verbal or written communication. An administrative assistant is also responsible for managing the arrangements and schedules for the company, exercising their managerial skills.

Henceforth, a candidate always has to possess these skills to work as an administrative assistant.