Administrative Assistant Resume Sample

A career as an administrative assistant, while not glamorous, is an option with steady growth and opportunities for advancement. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects administrative employment to grow by over 15% through 2022. In addition, with enough experience administrative assistants can move up to higher paying jobs like office managers and executive assistants.

If you are looking to impress the hiring manager and snag an interview then follow these resume tips below.

1. Writing an Administrative Assistant Resume Objective

An effective resume objective should not be generic. It should be short, sweet, and take no time in explaining why you should be hired for the specific position. It should begin by stating your years of experience and the main duties you performed during this time.

Remember a great resume will be tailored to fit the job being applied for, so when listing these duties try to hit on the required responsibilities of that job.

Next, tell the hiring manager your unique qualities that will help the company be successful. For an administrative assistant, having an adaptable personality is a good trait to have as you are the first impression for new visitors/clients to the office.

Lastly, end your career objective with your educational degrees, certifications, and language proficiency. While being bilingual is not usually required for administrative assistants, it may be a nice bonus for companies that work with international clients.

2. Professional Experience Section: Be Selective

When writing your professional experience section, it’s important to note that you should not list out your day to day responsibilities. (listing too much non-critical information is one way many resumes end up in the trash.)

Be selective when choosing which responsibilities to add and list only those that meet the requirements stated in the job you are applying for. This will save the hiring manager time and garner interest for an initial interview.

Also, try to start your bullet points with action verbs for resumes to liven up your professional experience section. Stay away from run-of-the-mill phrases like “responsible for,” or “worked on.” Instead use verbs that will catch the hiring manager’s eye like “maintained,” “coordinated,” and “increased.”

One last final point on your professional experience, make an effort to add a few quantifiable points. For example, the applicant above adds:

• Increased office efficiency by introducing Wrike project management software to the company, thereby reducing labor costs by 5%.
• Maintain and update up to 15 budget spreadsheets for all projects, reconciling any errors.

These points help to instill confidence in the hiring manger that you can perform the required functions of the position.

3. Stand out the from the Competition with an Additional Skills Section

The key to an effective additional resume skills section is to fill it with skills that are required or relevant to the position. For instance, adding words per minute (WPM) to a truck driver’s resume won’t do much good as most of their job is done behind the wheel and not a computer.

However, adding WPM to an administrative assistant resume, as the applicant above does, will strengthen it. The additional skills section for an administrative assistant resume should also add skill in Microsoft Office.

More often than not, knowledge of Microsoft Office is required for administrative assistant positions. It’s also important to note that the applicant above does not list each Microsoft Office application as a single point, but instead combines them. The space on your resume is precious, so don’t waste it. Combine like points to save space.

If you are a senior level applicant you may want to try adding a qualifications summary at the top of your resume to clearly and immediately communicate your skillset.

4. Highlight Important Points with Adjectives

Emphasize the important points in your resume by highlighting them with adjectives. We’ve compiled some of the best adjectives for administrative positions below:

Attentive	Dedicated	Motivated	Resourceful
Concerted	Diligent	Orderly	Structured
Committed	Focused	Personable	Systematic
Consistent	Meticulous	Professional	Thorough

 

Check out our comprehensive list of resume adjectives and in-depth guide for more details.

If you have any questions of comments on writing an administrative assistant resume, feel free to comment below. If you are curious about how to order your resume, then check out our comprehensive resume format guide.

Remember — to land the job, you’ll also need to write a cover letter. To save time, use our professional cover letter builder that selects a template for you based on your experience and life situation.