A compelling administrative assistant resume guide keeps your career running smoothly by helping you get a great job! A boring recitation of all the plates you juggle won’t do it. You need a resume that shows how you keep the boss and all the staff happy daily.
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How can a resume for an administrative assistant do all that? Through organization, action and a dynamic message!
As an administrative assistant, you uphold the image of the business, especially if you’re in a customer-facing industry. The hiring manager’s first impression of you will be through your resume and if it’s not professional, neat, and organized, they’ll move on. Create a first impression that makes them smile and you’re one step closer to the interview.
Resume guide for an administrative assistant resume
Let Resume.io organize you for success. We have guides and resume examples for more than 500 professions, and our resume builder smooths the path to creating an eye-catching resume.
In this guide, we’ll discuss all the considerations to preparing a winning administrative assistant resume, including how to:
- How to write an administrative assistant resume
- Choosing the right resume format for an administrative assistant
- How to add your contact information
- Using summaries
- Adding your administrative assistant experience
- Listing your education and certifications
- Picking the right resume design/layout
- What the administrative assistant market looks like and what salary you can expect
How to write an administrative assistant resume
Before you begin compiling your resume for an administrative assistant position, you need to know what sections to include. Your resume should contain the following elements:
- The resume header
- The resume summary (aka profile or personal statement)
- The employment history section
- The resume skills section
- The education section
Your resume sells your candidacy, giving your prospective employer a compelling case for hiring you. The range of industries in which you can work as an administrative assistant means you can find an environment you enjoy and gain industry-specific knowledge.
To do that, gather as much information as you can about the company and industry so you can customize your resume to match the employer's needs.
Apply this framework to present your career story:
- Relate accomplishments, not responsibilities. Did you manage the conference room so it was never double booked? Keep everyone’s schedule organized? Reduce customer wait time at the desk? More details are better.
- Customize each resume to target the specifics of the job.
- Ensure your design portrays a professional but friendly image.
- When you apply online, use keywords and phrases that will help you rank high enough to pass through the ATS filter.
Overcome the ATS
What are Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and why are they so important? These are algorithm-based systems that sometimes reject resumes before they ever get into the hands of a hiring manager. ATS software hunts for keywords related to skills that employers prioritize in future employees.
Since employers receive an average of 250 resumes for each job opening (according to Glassdoor), they often do not have the time to read each one. Instead, they rely on ATS software to do the resume sorting for them. Target the keywords in job descriptions and use them in your administrative assistant resume.
For example, a job at a school calls for:
- Microsoft Office expertise
- Knowledge of educational privacy protocols
- Rapport with elementary school children
- Excellent phone manner
Your summary could read:
“Dedicated administrative assistant with 5+ years experience as the face of an elementary school. Expertise in Microsoft Office suite. Adept at calming upset elementary school children and answering phones with a friendly greeting. Strict adherence to privacy protocols and discretion in all school matters.”
Choosing the right resume format for an administrative assistant
In most cases, the best choice for an administrative assistant resume is reverse chronological order, in which you list your employment history from your most recent position on the back. This resume format is easiest for recruiters, who know where to look for the desired information.
If you are writing a resume for an administrative assistant with no experience or are looking to change careers, consider using a functional format, which gives more leeway to emphasize skills over work history.
Include your contact information
The header of your resume serves as a design element, but its most important function is to present your contact information legibly and professionally.
Here’s what to include:
- Full name and title. List your first and last name and the title of the job you want.
- Professional email address. Use an email format based on your name, such as [email protected].
- Phone number. Add a number where you can be readily contacted, with a professional voicemail greeting.
- Location. Your city and state are enough.
- LinkedIn. If your LinkedIn profile is updated and related to the job you seek, include it.
Don’t include:
- Date of birth: Not necessary and could potentially lead to age discrimination.
- Personal details: Marital status, social security number, passport number, etc.
Dana Moore
Administrative assistant
469-233-2121
677 Sycamore Lane
Dallas, TX 75201, 469-233-2121
Make use of a summary
Your resume summary, also known as a profile, is especially important because you need to show off your personality. Here is where you make yourself sound great. But, why a summary? Because you don’t have much time to impress and you want to distinguish your resume from the start.
A resume summary should highlight your soft skills while injecting a bit of professional personality. The rest of your resume will be focused on your experience, education and skills, with little room for creativity. Here, you have a chance to make yourself known and get human resources to take a longer look at your resume.
Three out of four senior managers said the responsibilities of their office support workers has increased in the past five years, according to an OfficeTeam survey.
Since you may be the first person with whom visitors to your office interact, it is in your best interest to feature your personality on your administrative assistant resume. Are you cheerful, calm, eager to help, a problem-solver? Highlight those qualities in your resume summary. Include your past professional achievements in this section as well.
Whether you are just entering the workforce or are a seasoned professional, administrative assistant positions are a great launching pad for learning new skills and advancing. The OfficeTeam survey also found that 64% of bosses believe the path to career advancement for administrative assistants is better than it was five years ago.
Employers and recruiters want to know how you will enhance the office environment with your skills, knowledge of the field, and personality, so show them in your administrative assistant resume summary.
Looking for more examples of summaries? Check out our:
You can find adaptable administrative assistant resume examples summaries below:
Motivated and flexible entry-level administrative assistant with certificate in Microsoft Office. Proficient in data collection and entry and scheduling. Highly organized, able to communicate with diverse personalities. Quick learner with a proactive approach to problem-solving, eager to contribute to your office with a smile.
Administrative assistant with 4 years experience managing 25-person law office. Adept at managing calendars, coordinating meetings, and handling correspondence with efficiency and professionalism. Streamlined intake process to reduce client wait time by 5%. Excellent interpersonal skills that foster positive working relationships with colleagues and clients.
C-Suite administrative assistant with a wealth of experience optimizing office workflows, implementing efficient processes, and training junior staff. Revamped executive travel processes, resulting in 18% decrease in booking errors. Led transition to new project management software, increasing project completion efficiency by 20%.
Outline your administrative assistant work experience: organize your career
Craft a skill-focused experience section that shows off your value. Your first step is to think about each job you held, whether it be full time or an after-school position. Instead of writing a job description, think in terms of accomplishments and skills.
Analyze the description of the job you want. Describe career successes that illustrate the skills the employer is looking for by using action verbs. Think about how you used those skills to the organization’s advantage. For example: How did you use those skills to streamline office processes? On your administrative assistant resume, link as many of those skills to your previous years of experience.
If job descriptions seem too vague or too wordy, here’s a way you can cut through the mess. Try using a word cloud program such as Wordle or WordArt. Paste the job description into it. The more often a word is used, the more important it is to the employer. Follow the pattern to implant keywords into your resume.
Avoid generic bullet items such as the ones below:
- “Answered phones.”
- “Greeting customers.”
- “Set meeting schedules.”
- “Input and checked data.”
Here are some goals of a well-written work history section:
- “Acted as first line of response for all client and customer interactions.”
- “Reconciled data to ensure accurate input.”
- “Managed scheduling software to ensure smooth transitions between managers’ meetings.”
- “Booked all travel, driving down costs by 10% without sacrificing quality.”
Resume sample: employment history
Take a look at the administrative assistant employment history resume sample below:
Administrative Support Assistant at Space Corporation, Dallas
2010 - Present
- Served as a direct assistant to Production Supervisor, supporting all aspects of production and office management.
- Trusted to analyze and interpret data, and handle all shipments, deliveries, and material orders.
- Known as the “go-to person” for all departments including Quality Control, Accounting, and Management.
- Worked to alleviate executive overload by handling all customer interactions for company including walk-ins, email, phone, and fax interactions.
- Coordinated and scheduled all company meetings, appointments, interviews, and inspections.
- Problem solved for each department to maintain timely completion of parts and meet strict deadlines.
- Worked to ensure quality service and addressed and resolved all customer issues.
Administrative Assistant at A&C Machine, Austin
2007 - 2010
- Reported to Operations Manager and assisted shop and office personnel.
- Performed a range of administrative duties from maintaining production schedules to purchasing supplies and hiring vendors.
- Implemented problem solving skills to work through employee, customer, and managerial staff issues and challenges.
- Directed workflow, acting as intermediary between all departments by arranging conference calls, scheduling meetings, composing correspondence, and managing calendars.
- Supported an efficient production system in a fast paced environment by accurately processing all new orders, and delegating tasks as each order required.
Office Assistant at Gary Manufacturing, Austin
2005 - 2007
- Served as an assistant to all administrative personnel and acted as a first point of contact for visitors and customers.
- Managed telephone and email communication systems and maintained office supplies ordering office supplies with accuracy.
- Decreased supply costs by properly managing inventory, obtaining quotes, and purchasing appropriately priced products.
- Recognized for assisting customer inquiries immediately.
How to write an administrative assistant resume with no experience
The bar for entry is a high school diploma, so an administrative assistant job is a good choice for an entry-level worker, whether it’s a permanent career or a stepping stone to something greater. You can still write a compelling resume for an administrative assistant with no experience.
One great feature of this career is that your skills in one area can translate into a job in another. These are called transferable skills. What do administrative assistants do? That can vary from job to job, but some responsibilities include entering and maintaining data, editing documents (memos, letters, reports), answering phones, scheduling events, and sorting mail.
You may have done some of these at a part-time job or in school. That experience is relevant. You can also focus on soft skills such as communication or your education, both of which demonstrate the foundation it takes to enter the workforce.
Include the relevant key skills that make you a great administrative assistant
An administrative assistant’s responsibilities can vary widely depending on the environment, but you want to impress employers by focusing your resume on the qualities employers really want.
We’ve already mentioned word clouds. They are very valuable when trying to decide which skills to list. They also give you a leg up in passing the gatekeeper, the ATS. Your skills section should be specific to the job you seek.
Hard skills are quantifiable skills necessary to do your job. They are usually things you can learn by taking a class, such as bookkeeping, editing or word processing. Soft skills are often referred to as “ people skills.”
Here’s what the skills box looks like in our administrative assistant resume template.
- Administrative Support Skills
- Inventory Control Skills
- Scheduling Skills
- Event Planning
- Dictation Skills
- Editing and Proofreading Skills
Consider moving this section up, especially if your experience section is thin. More than 40% of recruiters like to see the skill set at the top of a resume, according to Careerbuilder. Try not to repeat skills you have already mentioned in your experience section—you don't have a lot of space, so use it to your advantage by adding new information.
- Be specific; name computer programs you know
- List skills mentioned in the job description
- Add details for any skills that are not self-explanatory.
- Use generic terms such as word processing software
- List skills unrelated to the job you seek
- Abbreviate or use acronyms
- Waste space listing irrelevant skills
Detail your education & relevant administrative assistant certifications
The education resume section bears more weight for career starters, but no matter where you are, you can use it to your advantage.
A high school diploma is your entry point into this career, but you may have taken classes that boost your candidacy above others.
Consider taking a class to increase your skills. Community colleges offer many career classes and certificates that can enhance your resume.
Here are some examples of information that can be added to this resume section:
- Training and certification. Training classes and seminars from previous jobs. Awards, honors, scholarships or certificates you have earned.
- Education. High school career classes related to your target industry. Did you graduate with a stellar grade point average? Adding it will show your determination, organization and ability to rise to the top.
- Professional development: Computer classes or specific computer software skills that will give you the edge in administrative duties, such as knowledge of Google or Microsoft Suite ( Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook email).
Associate of Business Administration, Acton School of Business, Austin
2008 - 2010
High School Diploma, Edward Johnson High School, Austin
September 2004 - May 2008
Pick the right resume layout and design for an administrative assistant
For administrative assistants, clear communication is one of the most important skills, and the design of your resume needs to reflect that. Unprofessional formatting leaves employers with a poor example of your ability and the impression that you’re not cut out for the job.
No matter the industry, aim for a professional look with clean lines, organized sections and an easy-to-read font. Avoid all but a splash of accent color.
Resume.io’s templates cover a range of fields. Check out our professional examples for formal industries, our basic options when simplicity is key, and our creative samples or modern resume templates for more forward-thinking positions.
No matter how good spellcheck is, it won’t catch everything. Carefully proofread your administrative assistant resume, or have a friend or colleague do it. Some of the key skills of an administrative assistant are basic English spelling and grammar. Make sure you show yours off.
With Resume.io’s collection of templates, you don’t have to be a designer or a formatting expert to have a great-looking resume.
Choose from among the many resume template samples. Think about your strengths and choose a layout that best highlights them. Then use the builder to customize your resume template.
Administrative assistant text-only resume example
Profile
Proficient Administrative Assistant with over 7 years of office experience, specializing in administrative work, problem solving, planning, and optimal assistance. Known for increasing productivity and relieving workload of managerial staff. Proven efficiency with an ability to quickly learn and navigate any computer software program, or office filing system.
Employment history
Administrative Support Assistant at Space Corporation, Dallas
2010 - Present
- Served as a direct assistant to Production Supervisor, supporting all aspects of production and office management.
- Trusted to analyze and interpret data, and handle all shipments, deliveries, and material orders.
- Known as the “go-to person” for all departments including Quality Control, Accounting, and Management.
- Worked to alleviate executive overload by handling all customer interactions for company including walk-ins, email, phone, and fax interactions.
- Coordinated and scheduled all company meetings, appointments, interviews, and inspections.
- Problem solved for each department to maintain timely completion of parts and meet strict deadlines.
- Worked to ensure quality service and addressed and resolved all customer issues.
Administrative Assistant at A&C Machine, Austin
2007 - 2010
- Reported to Operations Manager and assisted shop and office personnel.
- Performed a range of administrative duties from maintaining production schedules to purchasing supplies and hiring vendors.
- Implemented problem solving skills to work through employee, customer, and managerial staff issues and challenges.
- Directed workflow, acting as intermediary between all departments by arranging conference calls, scheduling meetings, composing correspondence, and managing calendars.
- Supported an efficient production system in a fast paced environment by accurately processing all new orders, and delegating tasks as each order required.
Office Assistant at Gary Manufacturing, Austin
2005 - 2007
- Served as an assistant to all administrative personnel and acted as a first point of contact for visitors and customers.
- Managed telephone and email communication systems and maintained office supplies ordering office supplies with accuracy.
- Decreased supply costs by properly managing inventory, obtaining quotes, and purchasing appropriately priced products.
- Recognized for assisting customer inquiries immediately.
Skills
- Administrative Support Skills
- Inventory Control Skills
- Scheduling Skills
- Event Planning
- Dictation Skills
- Editing and Proofreading Skills
Education
Associate of Business Administration, Acton School of Business, Austin
2008 - 2010
High School Diploma, Edward Johnson High School, Austin
September 2004 - May 2008
What type of salary can you expect as an administrative assistant
Because the administrative assistant field has a low educational bar for entry, you can’t expect to start out making much more than minimum wage.
The typical salary range is $35,159-$70,391.
Key takeaways for building an administrative assistant resume
Administrative assistant jobs vary greatly depending on the environment and field, so take that into account as you customize each resume.
Your summary gives employers their first impression of who you are and what you bring to the table. Use the experience section to highlight your accomplishments instead of describing your jobs.
Use the online resume builder to design a visually appealing, uncluttered, and easy-to-read resume.
