Administrative Assistant Resume

Administrative Assistant Resume

Administrative assistant role may not sound as exciting as CEO or bring less money that top Wall Street financiers shovel, but it is crucially important for smooth flow of any business, requires experience and skills and brings decent money and feeling of fulfillment. It may sound funny at first but actually it is an administrative assistant who ensures that everyone gets everything needed for work, travels are organized carefully, files and minutes are taken care of and unexpected technical problems get solved fast or do not arise at all.

Thus an assistant position is not a secretarial one, it is closer to managerial one and involves more responsibility, work and also chances to get promoted to a higher career step. So if you want to become one of a cohort of busy but efficient administrative assistants and you feel you qualify – get yourself a good resume and get noticed by recruiters at once.

Administrative assistant key tasks and responsibilities

The job description for an assistant with administrative responsibilities may vary from firm to firm as industry-specific but it will essentially focus on the following list of tasks, if in differing wording:

  • administrative work with documentation and information (including writing letters and emails, sorting mail, providing copies, scans, faxes, call transcripts, and spoken messages to employees);
  • scripting, taking notes and writing minutes (it involves good writing skills and use of devices used for audio recording as well as perfect skills in Microsoft Office or Apple iWork or LibreOffice, for that case);
  • managing office supply and running job-related errands for other staff;
  • organizational work spanning from calendar management to event planning and travel planning and support;
  • helping with accounting information management;
  • assisting in communication and coordination among employees, departments and affiliates (if required);
  • contacting with clients (if reception cannot direct them to proper department at once);
  • solving various administrative problems ‘on the go’.

It may sound intimidating, but every work has its pressures and challenges. Yet if you have experience in this area, possess excellent abilities in time management and are good at prioritizing tasks – then it is a job for you.

Look carefully at this list and consider what of these tasks were your duties and responsibilities at a previous job, then draft your future experience section. It is one the of pillars of a truly professional resume, so read on to learn more about good resume format and its content.

Administrative assistant resume format

Good resume samples for administrative assistant positions tend to be briefer and more focused than they used to be. They show off both information about an applicant and his/her skills in prioritizing and writing successful briefs. So take it as your first work task – create your business image as you would create a memo or analyze a case, carefully and up to the point.

Resume format for this job is more or less typical, with the details depending on what information you want to boost and what you would prefer to go in the background.

The top of your resume is dedicated to the most important information that tells hiring managers who you are, how to contact you and what good you can bring to their organization. This is a header, so to say.

Next come two equally important sections: skills and experiences. There are two possible layouts: you list skills or your ‘strengths’ prior to experience. Or you can list them in parallel mode. To do so, employ ‘Columns’ feature or Booklet feature. The last way is easier to read and it puts your main advantages forward simultaneously. But you cannot show many years of experience, write about skills first and put experience below. It will shift the attention and help you look more professional.

After showing off your experience turn to your education. It will go at the lower part of the page. There also belong courses, certificates, language proficiency lists, hobbies, and other information that you deem relevant.

So, in a generalized form you should write on a paper sheet:

  • Name and contact information (phone and email preferably; street address is not required today). You may include photo, but it should be neutral in emotions and professionally looking.
  • Resume summary statement. It is your core skills, experience and objective in 2-3 sentences. For example: Technologically experienced and outcome-oriented executive assistant. Accumulated 4 years of experience of supporting and assisting in executive tasks through planning, time management and problem solving. Extensively savvy in social media and documentation handling.
  • Experience and/or skills section. List you job-related and personal traits that contribute to your success at this job. List your jobs from latest to earliest, mention key tasks, be brief in that.
  • Education (also in reverted order), courses, trainings, internships, and so on.

This is basically it, but as in any other serious work there are secrets in excellent resume templates that will help you stand out even through this humble paper medium.

Key facts, nuances and useful tips to use in resume

Remember that administrative assistants can work in a variety of fields including education, legal, quality control, marketing, sales, R&D, so mind that you may need these specific skills to fit in snugly. If you have any particular skill in a given field, mention it obligatory.

Skills are today divided into soft skills and hard kills, so divide them in resume correspondingly. Soft skills are personal traits that ensure smooth interpersonal transactions, and today leadership is particularly in fashion. So mention it if you feel you have it. Other skills of this kind are empathy, responsibility, keeping clear focus, flexibility, positive attitude, team work skills and so on. Hard skills are related to tech and your direct tasks, so mention software you can use, tasks you can handle, etc.

In experience section use bullet points to list tasks you performed, do not dive in details, just list key aspects. Recruiters decide if you fit into their team in the course of mere 6 seconds, so conciseness, clarity and highly readable layout of the text are your best friends.

Let us help you with it

The Bureau Of Labor statistics shows the average salary for administrative support people linger somewhere around $36,000, with prospects of bonuses and pay raise. It is moderate but decent income for a starter that will support you while you will build your career towards higher positions. So if you want this job and feel that you are too modest or reserved to write an administrative assistant resume that shines bright, let us do it for you. We will create your business profile that will reflect your strong points and present your experience in the best light. Just provide us with all information needed to be included and receive a truly professional and convincing document that will make you a highly desirable employee for any company.