Administrative Assistant CV [Full Sample]

Here’s a full Administrative Assistant resume sample, which we wrote for a client recently.

Writing an Administrative Assistant Resume

Follow the steps of our resume writing guide and you’ll have a killer CV in no time!

1. Resume Header

Ensure your header clearly states your Name, Email Address and Contact Number. There is no need to put your home address or identification number.

2.Breaking Down the Administrative Assistant Resume Sample

Here’s what an Executive Summary shouldn’t look like:

WRONG
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
  • Administrative Assistant with 8 years’ experience supporting C-level executives.
  • Provides support to senior professionals, good at juggling tasks.
  • Works in fast-paced startup environments, handles heavy workloads.
  • Good at organizing, managing tasks, and staying detail-oriented as well as have strong communication and problem-solving skills.
  • Hardworking, quick learner, works well in a team under pressure.
RESUMEWRITER   |   ASIA

Now look at Samantha’s:


RIGHT
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
  • Proactive Administrative Assistant with more than 8 years of progressively responsible experience supporting multiple C-level professionals.
  • Well-versed in providing administrative and secretarial support to senior executives and stakeholders. Strong organizational skills and an ability to manage multiple competing priorities and projects with attention to detail.
  • Performs well with a variety of disciplines while remaining effective in a high-volume start-up environments with demanding workloads.
  • Maintain excellent written and oral communication skills, problem resolution abilities, and a high level of confidentiality. Hardworking, fast learner, and team player able to work under pressure and tight deadlines.

The second one, right? But what makes it better?


It demonstrates:


  • It gives a good helicopter view of the candidate. Quantifying the current role where possible also helps to give scale to the current responsibilities.)
  • It is a tailored Executive Summary adapted directly from the Job Description. This tells recruiters Samantha has customised her resume according to their exact Job Description, instead of just mass-sending an identical resume to all open Administrative Assistant roles. This reflects initiative, meticulousness and a keen desire for the role.

In contrast, the first Executive Summary is poorly-written.


It doesn’t tell recruiters anything about the candidate. It also makes non-quantifiable claims such as “detail-oriented” or “hardworking.”


When writing your own resume, avoid writing a generic Executive Summary! Your resume features your own career – make it all about yourself and your strengths!


Writing an effective yet succinct Executive Summary is equally challenging. Don’t fret – we’re here to help you! Just send us your Resume for a free review – we’ll look through it and share our feedback – all at no cost!


3.Key Skills to include in an Administrative Assistant Resume

Your Executive Summary might hook us, but we recruiters also want to see the specific skills you can bring to the table.

This section is your chance to list skills you are proficient in! Be mindful to include exact keywords used in the job description. This increases the chances of getting your Resume past ATS scanners (CV scanning software).

ResumeWriter Tip: Scan the job application and add the exact key phrases used in the description, into your resume.

Examples of Administrative Assistant Key Skills:

  • Communication Skills
  • Project & Database Management
  • Time Management
  • Problem Solving Skills
  • Organisational Ability
  • Business Writing

Ensure the keywords here mirror those used in the job ad. The first round of vetting is often done by a software scanner.

4.Work Experiences in Administrative Assistant

Work Experiences

WRONG
  • Worked with a small team to do admin for the VP, to execute procedures and meet deadlines.
  • Organizes office lunches and makes presentations for meetings – both in and out of the office. Also plans events and books travel.
  • Does basic admin tasks like answering calls, scheduling, setting up meetings, arranging travel, typing, and tidying the office.
RESUMEWRITER   |   ASIA

Here’s how we improved his resume’s Work Experiences.


RIGHT
  • Collaborate with team of 3 to provide executive-level administrative support to the Vice President with demonstrated ability to improvise procedures and meet demanding deadlines.
  • Plan and coordinate corporate luncheons and develop presentations for related on- and off-site meetings; organize details of special events, travel arrangements, corporate agendas and itineraries.
  • Handle administrative matters including screening calls, managing calendars, planning meetings, making travel arrangements, composing documents and organizing offices for efficiency.
  • Process monthly expense reports reflecting supporting documents and budget code indexes.
  • Interact professionally with all levels of staff and maintain the highest level of confidentiality; known for tact and diplomacy in handling sensitive issues.
RESUMEWRITER   |   ASIA

    The second Work Experience example is clear. Each bulletpoint specifies each task and responsibility.

    In contrast, the former example appears simplistic and unprofessional. Making the candidate sound unreliable especially without detail explanations on their role.

    Specific traits are explicitly identified for the second example. This makes it easier for us to identify if the candidate has the required skills for the role.

5. Key Achievements

RIGHT
Achievements
  • Collaborated with other departments in company to centralize customer database, hence reducing information retrieval time by 27%.
  • Trained 9 newly hired staff members and provided exceptional support to managers and co-workers which increased overall efficiency by 30%.
  • Developed new filing and organizational practices, saving the company $3,000 per year in contracted labour expenses.
RESUMEWRITER   |   ASIA

Cite quantifiable metrics to support your achievements.

Include career achievements to make your CV memorable.

If you have questions about your Resume, or would like a second opinion, don’t hesitate to reach out! Just send us your CV, and we’ll get back to you!

About the Administrative Assistant Role

Administrative assistants and other office support professionals are often the unsung heroes of companies across all industries.

They often have to manage many moving parts and deal with challenging situations at the same time. They are indispensable in keeping the office running efficiently and smoothly, and support a variety of business functions.

Today, administrative assistants are also expected to adopt more technologies in their work, beyond the traditional Microsoft Office Suite. Some firms might expect Administrative Assistants to be familiar with Accounting software like QuickBooks and Xero, or HR software such as Qualtrics. Therefore, if you have prior experience in these, don’t forget to include them into your resume when applying for admin assistant jobs!

Key Pointers Hiring Managers Look For In Administrative Assistant Resumes

  • Your background in ensuring smooth operations within the company and performing various administrative functions and office management tasks.
  • Your contributions to process improvement and optimisation, as well as productivity improvement (if any) – these will give you a huge advantage over your competition. It’s also a great opportunity to insert metrics into your resume, which we strongly advocate.
  • Your eye for detail and ability to assist senior executives, directors, and managers and perform secretarial duties
  • Bonus points if you possess basic accounting capabilities and/or are able to support data and research functions.
  • Talk about your responsibilities that can showcase your communication and organizational abilities, quantifying your achievements where possible.
  • Include any changes you have introduced into daily administrative procedures (e.g. developing new filing practices which in turn helped reduce company expenses)

Tips on Resume Formats

  • Neat and professional templates are key. Don’t use fancy pictures or layouts that are hard to read.
  • Proofread your CV! Spelling and grammatical errors are huge no-nos. Employers would be very reluctant to hire someone who makes simple spelling errors. It says a lot about that candidate’s professionalism and attention to detail. You can use apps like Grammarly, or ask a friend to proofread your CV for you.
  • Use a suitable, professional font. Keep the flowery and artistic fonts for an ad; there are fonts which help you stand out without making you look unprofessional.
  • Watch the fluff! When writing CVs, there is a natural tendency to ‘inflate’ our responsibilities and achievements a little. While this is acceptable in moderation, it looks really bad if overdone. Know when to stop!
  • Keep it short! Most CVs can easily fit within a page or two. If you’re going over that, chances are you’re including too many irrelevant points. Employers and hiring managers are busy people – they are unlikely to read all 5 or 6 pages of a long CV!

Administrative Assistant Job Opportunities

  • Join LinkedIn groups or follow companies you wish to work for to keep abreast with new job openings.
  • Alternatively, you can reach out to these headhunters in Singapore to learn about any vacancies they may be trying to fill out.

Job Hunting Tips from our Resident Headhunter

Before You Go… Common Questions Answered

What should I put on my resume for administrative assistant?

Like any resume, it’s important to include the most important sections – a solid Resume Objective (or Executive Summary), followed by a rundown of your experience and qualifications.

How do you describe administrative tasks on a resume?

It’s a good idea for you to describe specific tasks that you’ve competed in previous roles to give the hiring manager an idea of what you do. This could be events that you’ve set up, or skills that you’ve learned at your last employer.

What are good admin skills?

There are a lot of skills that are considered to be good for admin assistants. Most commonly mentioned are being competent with Microsoft Office, communication skills and database management. Newer positions may be expected to take on some social media management too.

Be sure to download this resume sample, which uses our tested-and-proven resume writing techniques, as a guide for your own CV. Best part is, this sample is available for free 🙂

And before you start sending out applications, send us your resume for a free CV feedback analysis from our team. We’ll review your CV in detail, share personalised feedback on its strengths and weaknesses, and show you how you can improve it.

 
Harry Suresh