How to Apply for Administrative Assistant Jobs in Singapore: A Complete Guide
Scroll through Singapore’s major job boards, and chances are you’ll come across listings for administrative assistant jobs. Sometimes, they’re referred to as office administration, office support, administrative support or data entry jobs.
These roles are in-demand from nearly every industry in Singapore, from financial services to retail.
Administrative assistants are essential to every company.
Imagine your office life without them. Your meetings won’t get organised. No corporate bonding events will be planned.
Your payrolls and paperwork probably won’t even be processed!
There’s high demand for administrative assistants in Singapore – hundreds of applicants apply for these roles.
So if you want to become an administrative assistant, how do you stand out?
Before you click on that ‘Apply’ button, run through this guide to learn everything you need to know about being an administrative assistant in Singapore.
We’ll walk you through the entire job application process – from reviewing your skill sets, to crafting your CV, and finally the job portals you can send your application to.
- What do Administrative Assistants Do?
- How to Write an Outstanding Administrative Assistant CV: 4 Strategies
- Administrative Assistant Resume Sample
- Applying for Administrative Assistant Jobs in Singapore
- Conclusion
What do Administrative Assistants Do?
Administrative assistants keep the company running like a well-oiled machine every single day.
They handle routine duties and tasks for other professionals, ranging from department employees to senior management and even CEOs, to ensure that employees can perform their job functions smoothly.
They can work on a wide range of tasks, ranging from planning and executing company events, supporting payroll functions and data entry, coordinating and liaising with company vendors, organising meetings, and so on!
So, successful administrative assistants are often multi-skilled professionals who can think on their feet, and work with a diverse range of clients and colleagues. They’re also highly resourceful.
Administrative assistants are adept at solving problems and picking up new skills quickly to meet the ever evolving needs of their company and colleagues.
Administrative Assistants’ Main Duties
Administrative assistants have a wide range of job scopes. Administrative tasks can vary greatly dependent on the role, and they actually often have a wider array of tasks than their seniors.
They include:
- Organising files and creating filing systems
- Creating correspondences: faxes, emails, memos and forms
- Preparing reports and documents
- Managing bosses’ and employees’ calendars
- Scheduling appointments
- Sorting mail
- Preparing invoices
- Greeting visitors
- Answering telephone calls
- Planning corporate events
- Making travel arrangements
- Preparing itineraries
- Maintaining inventory of supplies
- Writing meeting minutes
- Managing accounts and providing bookkeeping
- Performing data entry
- Handle databases and confidential information
Whew! That looks like a lot doesn’t it? This is why it’s important for an admin assistant to be good at multi-tasking.
How Much does an Administrative Assistant Make?
According to Payscale, the average salary of an administrative assistant in Singapore is S$24,066. An administrative assistant in Singapore makes S$8.25 an hour.
How to Write An Outstanding Administrative Assistant CV: 4 Strategies to Stand Out
Executive Summary
Captivate the recruiter with a concise executive summary that establishes your competitive advantage – your career narrative should highlight your prior experience and skills you’re proficient in, related to the job.
Do also include some of your best work Achievements, backed up by numbers!
Sample Executive Summary for an Administrative Assistant Resume
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Executive Summary
Significant Achievements
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In the sample above, this administrative assistant has clearly stated her experience in procurement and events planning. The numbers show just how strong her experience and skills in these domains are!
Include these Key Skills
Administrative assistants are expected to be multi-skilled, so do try to demonstrate that you have these skill sets (if you possess them – be honest!) in your resume.
Key Skills of Administrative Assistants include:
- Interpersonal skills
- Excellent Written and Verbal Communication Skills
- Vendor-client Management
- Reporting Skills
- Business and Administrative Writing Skills
- Presentation Skills
- Organizational and Planning Skills
- Typing Skills
- Problem Solving
- Resourcefulness
- Attention to Detail
- Meticulousness
- Time Management Skills
Technical Skills
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Powerpoint and Microsoft Outlook)
- Knowledge of Office Management Procedures and Workflows
Achievements
Your achievements set you apart from the competition. While the work duties of administrative assistants generally lean towards organising workflows and supporting functions, that doesn’t mean you can’t add in achievements to your resume.
You can demonstrate how you’ve gone above and beyond to deliver extra value to the companies you’ve worked for.
Sample Achievements for an Administrative Assistant Resume include…
- You saved your company money
| Saved >SGD10K per month by negotiating long-term supply contracts with 3 key vendors. |
- You organized a large event (led a large project)
| Instrumental in organising CryptoFest, Singapore’s first cryptocurrency festival involving >20 countries, 100 vendors and >10K participants. Acted as main point of contact for all vendors, ensuring smooth event operations. |
- You increased the department or company’s productivity
| Saved up to 20 man-hours per month by developing internal end-to-end procurement management system that halved department’s procurement workflow. |
- You got promoted
| Promoted to Administrative Supervisor within 1 year of joining company. |
Administrative Assistant CV Sample
You’ve read through the tips above.
Now, how do all these come together in your CV?
Our ResumeWriter team has put together this complete Administrative Assistant Resume Sample for you!
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ResumeWriter Tip: We have 50+ Downloadable Resume Samples and Templates for many other job scopes and industries in Singapore. Explore them all here. |
Applying for Administrative Assistant Jobs in Singapore
Now that you’ve enhanced your CV, it’s time to apply for administrative assistant jobs!
There are many administrative assistant job openings in Singapore across different job portals. We’ve listed some of the top job sites here to make your search easier:
Of course, there are plenty of other job sites you can find administrative assistant job openings on that can help you maximise your job hunting opportunities.
Conclusion
Administrative assistant roles are hugely popular among job seekers, and as they play an essential support function to any company, administrative assistants are always in demand.
Submit an outstanding resume (and cover letter too!) by following our strategies and tips. You may soon find yourself starting a new administrative assistant role in no time!
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Outside of his professional pursuits, he enjoys road cycling, diving deep into biographies, and devouring copious amounts of dumplings.
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