Administrative support entails more than just answering a few phone calls. Administrative duties include everything from making travel arrangements to answering customer inquiries for an organization. Best of all, the job outlook for such a position can be promising for someone looking for consistency in their work, great benefits, and structured work assignments.
When applying for an administrative assistant role, it’s essential to cater your resume to the given opportunity and industry in which you’re applying. In addition, hiring managers and recruiters want to see relevant information when reviewing applications.
This article will detail the steps to create an effective administrative assistant resume to ensure your success at your next job interview.
An administrative assistant, also referred to as an office assistant, can vary depending on the job and company. Generally speaking, though, common duties include:
An administrative assistant might also make travel arrangements for an upper-level employee and help resolve any problems with filing systems.
Administrative assistants need a particular set of skills to succeed in the role. Common requirements include a set number of years of experience, familiarity with digital software like Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, and — depending on the range of responsibilities for a given role — might also include personality evaluations to determine if a candidate will be a good fit for an organization.
Soft skills, including organizational skills, communication skills, problem-solving capabilities, and good time management, are also expected from a candidate applying for an administrative assistant role. Cover letters and application requirements for administrative assistant roles will also vary.
Entry-level office administrative assistant opportunities will require an average of one to two years of prior experience, although this may vary depending on the industry. Common jobs that lead up to this position include internships or fellowships. In addition, it’s not uncommon for professionals to get started on a new career path as administrative assistants. Therefore, an administrative assistant position can be a great way to learn more about a prospective industry that you might consider transitioning to in the near future, such as medicine, law, or real estate.
Contact information on your resume should be easily accessible, as this is what an employer will refer to when contacting you for an interview. Therefore, your contact information should include the best number and email to reach you at, as well as your address, should you choose to provide it.
The best practices for where to place contact information will vary, but it should be near the top of a resume. Make sure to present this information in a legible font. While it might be tempting to use a creative font, it’s often better to use a standard font for administrative assistant resumes, such as Times New Roman or Arial.
Also, choose a font color that’s not too bright and complements the rest of your resume design nicely. Finally, do a quick search to compare your formatting to other professional administrative assistant resume examples.
A professional summary or resume objective aims to inform an employer of your professional goals, how you will add value to their company, and your intent in applying to the given role.
To create an effective professional summary, you’ll need to cater the content to the job description. For example, highlight the skills that set you apart from other candidates for an administrative assistant role. It’s also helpful to quantify your accomplishments where possible. Also, make sure to use plenty of action verbs and keywords in this section. These include but aren’t limited to:
Finally, consider referring back to the job description when developing this section of your resume. Referring to the job description will ensure the information is as relevant as possible.
Try using a free online administrative assistant resume sample to familiarize yourself with the typical wording and phrases used for this type of resume.
The best practices for presenting your work experience for an administrative assistant role entail being as specific as possible when providing details of your past experiences.
You’ll want to include past experiences in which you used administrative skills that are highly transferable. When applying for a job, you mustn’t include past work history irrelevant to the role. Consider including a separate skills section highlighting your most transferable capabilities for the new role.
Make sure to include as much detail as possible when describing your responsibilities in past roles, such as the industries you worked in, the size of teams you collaborated with, and the different departments you supported. Try not to overstuff your resume with too much fluff, though.
A good way to prevent this is to use bullet points to refine the language for each task you describe for previous roles. Then, compile this information consecutively according to the start and end date. Also, remember to emphasize accomplishments or other achievements most relevant to the administrative assistant position.
Present your education information in an easy-to-scan section. Consider implementing this practice while formatting your entire resume. It’s likely most important to include only basic educational information for a job role such as this. For example, you don’t need to submit a copy of your high school diploma with your application. If you’ve attended college or university, you can even omit to mention your high school education. Instead, include the name of your educational institution, your program of study, and your dates of enrollment and graduation. Likewise, a professional resume should focus on previous experience as opposed to educational history.
Should you have specific credentials or certifications in computer skills or other relevant capabilities, you might want to convey this information in a separate section. For example, if you have a Google Workspace Certification, this is a wonderful way to showcase your familiarity with digital tools like Google Documents and Sheets.
Before submitting your application, review your administrative assistant resume. The importance of reviewing and editing your resume cannot be overstated. Ensure that your resume serves as the best reflection of your methods and capabilities. Showing strong attention to detail is exceptionally valuable for an administrative assistant role, so any typos or errors might show otherwise. Additionally, make sure your resume content and formatting are acceptable for applicant tracking systems.
Double-check all the information in your resume writing and organize it for easy reading. Also, consider getting others to review your resume for feedback on how it reads. Most importantly, ensure your resume is tweaked to cater to the chosen job and industry.
It’s also often helpful to compare your administrative assistant resume to other professionals working in the same industry. Refer to LinkedIn to collaborate with other like-minded professionals in your industry. There are also many online resources for engaging with individuals in similar roles and free resume templates if you’re starting your resume from scratch. When reviewing your resume, it’s always best to get a second opinion or another pair of eyes. After all, two heads are better than one!
Are you ready to put your administrative assistant resume in front of hiring managers? Joblist compiles the most promising job opportunities to simplify your job search. Take our job quiz to get on the right track, or visit our blog page for helpful resources like this article. Get started on your professional future as an administrative assistant today!
