Sample Administrative Assistant Skills Resume

The position you are getting into is an interesting, challenging, and highly demanded one. To become an administrative assistant, you need to create the perfect skills resume that convinces the hiring manager that you are the perfect fit.

That is where we can help you. We have analyzed hundreds of administrative assistant job descriptions to come up with the perfect resume format that helps you land more job interviews.

Try our resume builder to create an amazing resume for your next Administrative Assistant job.

The average annual pay for an administrative assistant job is $40,000 based on 45,000+ salary profiles (Payscale.com).

It is a rewarding career leading to becoming an executive assistant to the CEO or an HR and administration manager in the next 5 years.

If you can develop the education qualifications together with experience, you could even later progress to become a general manager or a top-level executive position in the long run. The position leads to unlimited potential to grow as it involves direct interactions with the management of the company.

As there is no hard and fast rule as to what the qualifications of an administrative assistant should be, applicants from different backgrounds apply for the jobs. To stand out from the crowd, and to get more calls for interviews, you can follow our guided approach to creating your resume.

How to make an Administrative Assistant Resume

You should write your administrative assistant resume in the same organized way as the rest of your administrative duties at work. Here are a few general guidelines and tips for success:

• A one page resume is ideal
• Follow a standard structure and layout throughout
• Pick out the important keywords in the job description
• Keep your writing brief and to the point
• Prioritize your strengths

A recruiter spends less than 10 seconds on average on resumes of administrative assistants as they often get hundreds.

Most organizations now use the applicant tracking system to shortlist resumes in the initial stages. This system tracks the keywords and checks the alignment with the job description.

A clean layout and an organized structure would make your life easy when writing.

The layout of the Administrative Assistant Resume

Plan your resume layout first. Then it is a matter of organizing your experience and expertise. Create a resume for your next administrative assistant position using the following format.

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

The structure of the Administrative Assistant Resume

There are three main structures for writing your resume: they are the functional, reverse chronological, and hybrid. For an administrative assistant where the latest experience and expertise matter the most, we recommend the reverse chronological approach.

In reverse chronological order, we list down the most recent information first.

This structure gives hiring managers quick access to the latest information about you.

Start with the Header of the Administrative Assistant Resume

You do not have to spend most of your valuable time on this section. However, make sure you write the most up to date information in your contact section to hear back from the recruiters.

Example of a good header / Example of a bad header for Administrative Assistant

CORRECT

Tania Williams

Administrative assistant

taniawilliams@gmail.com

+1 254 63 82 29

https://www.linkedin.com/in/taniaw

INCORRECT

Administrative assistant

Tania Williams

tanialol@gmail.com

+1 217 53 22 68

101, main street, apt 123,

Washington DC

USA

We have highlighted few important facts you should consider while writing your resume heading,

• Start the resume with your name. Not with the position you hold
• Use an appropriate email address. However, do not use your current office email
• Your residential address is not necessary for the resume header
• Consider putting the link to your LinkedIn account so that they can search further about you. Make sure you keep LinkedIn updated
• If you maintain a career blog, you may link that

Is a photo required in the Administrative Assistant Resume?

For the safe side, do not include a photograph in the resume. Some organizations consider it discrimination against the candidates. For instance, 80% of US based companies strictly don’t shortlist resumes with candidate’s photos.

Professional summary for Administrative Assistant

If you are an experienced candidate, write an intriguing Profile Summary. If you are applying for an entry level position or you are in a career change, you may write a Resume Objective Summary highlighting your passion and enthusiasm towards the position.

You can use this sample to write your own profile summary. See if you can identify the difference between the CORRECT and INCORRECT summaries.

INCORRECT

An administrative assistant with 5+ years of industry experience in administrative functions in a tech company, looking for an opportunity in a senior position

CORRECT

An administrative assistant with strong communication skills with 5+ years of experience in legal and construction excited to join LUCY LLC to become a key player in their dynamic work environment. In my previous position, being the main administrative assistant, managed schedules and travel plans for the CEO while overseeing the general administration functions

Consider the following while writing your summary section,

• Limit it to two sentences
• Tell what you have done
• Tell what you can do
• Prove your points with numbers whenever possible
• Pick the keywords from the job description

Work Experience in the Administrative Assistant Resume

By writing an impressive work experience section, you increase your chances of getting more interviews.

You will learn how to write your experience section to make your resume stand out among the top 5% of applications

Describe your work experiences on your Administrative Assistant Resume

Follow these general guidelines when writing the work experience section,

• Describe your biggest achievements using numbers to gain credibility
• List your experiences in reverse chronological order to showcase your latest experience first
• Comply with the job description

Examples of professional experiences for Administrative Assistant junior

INCORRECT

Aug 2019 to Present

ACL Company

Procurement of daily stationery requirement

Managed client inquiries at the front desk

Provided administrative support

Typing and editing documents

Data entry

Answering phone calls

CORRECT

Aug 2019 to Present

ACL Company

Carried out monthly procurement of stationery for all store locations and managed an annual budget of $100,000

Managed client inquiries and helped increase customer satisfaction by 15%

Carried out the tender process for office equipment purchase of $200,000

Supported operations in the finance and marketing departments by providing administrative support

Created, edited, and proofread proposals sent for corporate clients

Managed the client database and updated CRM weekly

The experience section is important even if you do not have experience. If you have little or no experience as an admin assistant, write about your project experience while studying or write about the experience you have using MS Office applications and other relevant tools.

Examples of work experience for Senior Administrative Assistant.

INCORRECT

Aug 2016 to Present

Alum Contractors

Recruitment of new staff

Assisted with legal correspondence

Managed travel arrangements

Client invoice handling

Involved in other administrative duties

Increased efficiency in office work

CORRECT

Aug 2016 to Present

Alum Contractors

Carried out the recruitment drive to hire 50+ new employees for all departments within 3 months

Dealt with the attorneys and helped contract clients with the legal requirements

Planned and managed an annual travel budget of $1 million for the executives

Trained staff in the finance department for ERP entry of invoices

Introduced an internal communication platform and managed the transition to reduce the email communication lead time by 25%

Spend 70% of your resume writing time optimizing this section. As a senior administrative assistant, having a solid experience section is the only way to stand out from the rest.

Education in the Administrative Assistant Sample Resume

Education qualifications for an administration assistant are not rigidly defined. However, a few organizations might even ask for a bachelor’s degree as the minimum requirement which they would state in the job advertisement.

Any academic qualification related to HR, administration, or management would be considered relevant for most of the jobs in the market.

Should you start with education or work experience in Admin Assistant Resume?

If you are applying for a senior admin assistant position, you should prioritize your experience section in the resume. However, if you do not have much experience or your greatest strength is education, you could give it the priority.

How to properly list your education in an Administrative Assistant Resume?

Use a consistent format when presenting your educational credentials.

Our recommendations are in the following bullet points:

State your degree type and the major

Eg: Bachelor's degree in human resource management

Indicate the year of graduation and the year of commencement

The university or institution and its location

Eg: Columbia University, NY

Achievements, honors, or awards (if any)

Explain what you learned, if relevant

If your grade point average is above 3.0, you can also mention that

Example of the education section of an Administrative Assistant

Skills to put in the Resume for an Administrative Assistant

The resume skills section is not a critical deciding factor for recruiters. However, if you write it wrong, you could get your resume rejected.

The main mistake applicants make writing this section is to load it up with a general set of skills. We recommend using a mix of soft, hard and, IT skills based on the hiring managers requirement.

What are the main skills sought for in an Administrative Assistant Resume

The following are the relevant skills recruiters generally look for in an administrative assistant resume.

Soft Skills: Hard to measure (generic)

• Verbal communication and phone etiquettes
• Strong written communication skills with email etiquettes
• Time management
• Listening skill
• Emotional intelligence
• Complete tasks with precision
• Teamwork and delegation when needed
• Detail oriented
• Problem-solving
• Attention to detail
• Organizational skills
• Flexibility
• Business intelligence

Hard Skills and IT skills: Easy to measure (specific)

• Fast and accurate typing (words/minute)
• Calendar management (Calandly, Google calendar)
• Basic technical skills such as setting up projectors, photocopying, scanning, and managing media files
• Database management
• MS Office (Excel, Outlook, Powerpoint, Sharepoint)
• Call handling

Administrative assistant skills list for a junior

A junior administrative assistant would mostly be involved in operational tasks. Those are the skills an administrative assistant junior should focus on writing. However, it is vital to refer to the job description here. The recruiters state the skills they are particularly looking for.

A mix of soft, hard and IT skills is recommended.

• Strong verbal and written communication
• Flexibility
• Emotional intelligence
• Time management
• Setting up projectors, photocopying, scanning and, managing media files
• Microsoft Office (Excel, Outlook, Powerpoint, Sharepoint)
• Calendar management (Calandly, Google calendar)

Administrative assistant skills list for a senior

A senior administrative assistant would typically be involved in managerial tasks. As above mentioned, refer to the job description to get an idea of the skills the recruiter is specifically looking for. Use those keywords.

• Teamwork and delegation when needed
• Strong written and verbal communication
• Problem-solving
• Business intelligence
• Database management
• Calendar management and scheduling tools
• MS Office (Excel, Outlook, Powerpoint, Sharepoint)
• Call handling

Additional Headings for your Administrative Assistant Resume

Additional headings are a great way to give a pleasant surprise to the hiring managers.

Utilize this section to showcase something extraordinary that distinguishes you from the rest of the applicants.

Computer skills and certifications in an Administrative Assistant Resume

An industry specific skill certificate is the best thing to include in this section. It instantly makes you an expert in the subject and acts as a catalyst in the shortlisting process.

CAP (Certified Administrative Professional) is one of the TOP certifications awarded by the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP). To earn the credential, you must meet the requirements for education and experience set forth by the institution.

However, there are many administrative certifications offered by local universities and institutions.

You can also include a certification you completed or reading for in communication or IT. Advanced certification courses in MS Office, cloud computing, database management, ERPs are all relevant IT skills for administrative assistants.

Interests in an Administrative Assistant Resume

We do not recommend listing your interests in most cases. A generic set of interests would kill the formality of your resume.

However, if there is any skill mentioned in the job description that aligns with your interests, consider including them.

Languages in an Administrative Assistant Resume

Having fluency in a few relevant languages could come in handy for an administrative assistant in an international organization as they deal with multicultural staff and clients in other countries.

Mention the level of fluency for each language when listing the languages. Using our pre-designed resume templates, now you could easily state your fluency.

Summary: Key Points for Writing a Perfect Administrative Assistant Resume

• Name and contact information should appear at the top of your resume
• A summary highlights your greatest accomplishments, experience, and skills in a 2-3 sentence statement
• List down your experience in reverse chronological order
• If your education is stronger than your experience, list education before experience
• Put together a mix of soft, hard, and IT skills
• Create a pleasant surprise for the hiring manager by adding additional sections such as Certifications, Interests, and Languages

Write a Cover Letter That Goes With Your Administrative Assistant Resume

Though every organization does not ask for cover letters, you could use one to your advantage in situations where you are applying for a position in a specific company of your interest, you are in a career change, or you are applying as a fresh graduate.

Make it your sales pitch to state your passion and the input you can give to the position. You should be concise and to the point as to why they should hire you.

Frequently Asked Questions for an Administrative Assistant Resume

What are the top 3 administrative assistant resume skills?

• Strong verbal and written communication
• Time management
• Microsoft Applications (Excel, Outlook, Powerpoint, Sharepoint)

How do you write administrative skills on a resume?

Include a mix of soft, hard and IT skills in your skills section. If you are an experienced assistant, you should focus on writing more managerial skills and if you are a junior, your focus should be on writing more operational skills.

What are good skills for an administrative assistant?

• Teamwork and delegation
• Strong written and verbal communication
• Time management
• Problem solving
• Business intelligence
• Database management and ERP
• Calendar management and scheduling tools
• Advanced Microsoft Excel
• Call handling

What is your greatest strength as an Administrative Assistant?

You can state your strong communication skill, time management or your IT skills as the greatest strengths. However, to give a more tailored answer, you should refer to the job advertisement and see what skills the recruiter expects.