Multitasking is the name of the game if you are an administrative professional, but you don’t need one more thing on your plate alone. As you begin your job search, you need an administrative resume that grabs the attention of hiring managers, but without adding a heavy load to the array of tasks you already have.
What does it take to create a resume that elevates you from the pack of administrative applicants? Start by relying on the experts. Resume.io offers a full range of resources for any job seeker, as we provide resume guides and resume examplesfor 300+ professions, backed up by an easy-to-use resume builder.
This resume guide, along with the corresponding resume example will cover the following topics:
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What do administrative professionals do?
How to write an administrative resume (tips and tricks)
The best format for an administrative resume
Advice on each section of your resume (summary, work history, education, skills)
Professional resume layout and design hints.
What do administrative professionals do?
Administrative professionals keep their organizations running with their efficiency and ability to juggle multiple tasks and personalities. They may be asked to perform any task that needs attention. The umbrella category “administrative” includes:
Receptionists
Customer service representatives
Secretaries/administrative assistants
Virtual assistants
Medical secretaries
Unfortunately, the demand for this type of work is expected to plunge 9%, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts, as offices automate many functions or combine these roles with others. That means competition for jobs will be tough, so you have to be at the top of your field and have an administrative resume that proves it.
The good news is that administrative professionals work in almost every environment, so a careful job hunt and an excellent application can help you move into your next position.
Expert tip
To stay relevant in this profession, you should boost your data entry and overall computer software knowledge.
How to write an administrative resume
Before you get into the details, you need to know what goes into your administrative professional resume. Here are the sections your CV should include:
The resume header
The resume summary (aka profile or personal statement)
The employment history section
The resume skills section
The education section
Especially because you may be applying for jobs in different industries, you need to be sure to address each prospective employer in your resume by tailoring your content. A little research into the staff, the industry itself and where the company is positioned will go a long way.
You should also see if you can find out who the hiring manager or your prospective boss will be and speak directly to them in your administrative resume. Try to ferret out a connection and drop a line in your resume (or cover letter) that will intrigue the person and lead to a followup within your interview.
In addition to these guidelines, keep in mind that a stellar resume:
Addresses the needs of your prospective employer and explains how you will fill those needs
Makes a remarkable first impression with a neat, professional layout and design
Employs targeted keywords and phrases that help you fend off elimination by the ATS.
Develop an ATS-friendly resume
Since 99% of large companies use Applicant Tracking Systems, it is likely that you will be applying through one. These software applications scan resumes into HR systems and sort them using algorithms. Only the top resumes make it into the hands of the hiring manager.
To avoid ending up in the circular file, use keywords and phrases that appear in the job listing within your administrative resume. Insert them naturally — you don’t want to end up sounding like a robot — and personalize them for each application.
There are no guarantees, but this method will boost your chances of being seen by a human being.
Choosing the best resume format for an administrative professional
The best format for almost any resume is reverse chronological order and your administrative resume is no different. In this format, your employment history section is organized from your most recent position on back.
In the following circ*mstances, you may want to consider one of the resume formatswe suggest as chronological alternatives or hybrids:
You are new to the job market
You are a mature worker
You are a career-changer
You have had many different careers.
If none of those apply, stick with the tried-and-true reverse chronological order format: Recruiters prefer it by far!
Resume summary example: answer the call
Administrative professionals may be the face of the department or the organization as a whole. That means style counts! The summary in your administrative resume is the one place to really let your personality shine. Wow them with your positive nature, but also choose one or two of your top accomplishments to show off why you are the right person for the job.
Since some administrative positions are entry level, choose to focus on organizational, time management and collaborative skills. You can take examples from your educational or volunteer experiences.
Your resume is not the time for false modesty. Play up your biggest achievement with a one or two sentence description (any longer is too long) that employs strong action words and positive descriptions of yourself. Back it up with a sentence on your working philosophy or style. Make sure you match the skills and attributes you highlight to the needs of each job.
Expert tip
Have two or three short examples of your achievements ready and plug in the one that best fits each prospective employer’s job listing. Remember, you are always answering the question: “How will you fill the organization’s needs?”
You can find a resume example for your summary section below.
Resume summary example
Highly skilled Administrative professional seeking to utilize my office and interpersonal communication skills for the betterment of a company. Adept in managing and maintaining an organized documentation system, working one-on-one with customers, and providing optimal front-end and back-end support.
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Employment history CV sample: your career file
In the employment history of your administrative resume, you will document all the positions you have had that have led you to this point in your career. No need to go back further than 10 years since you are certainly no longer using the tools you employed more than a decade ago. Instead, focus on your current and relevant skills.
Within each bullet point, create a story of accomplishment. You didn’t merely answer the phone, you acted as the front-line for the organization and solved customer problems before they escalated.
Use data and details to back up your assertions. These give the hiring manager a better picture of you and your abilities.
Do
Supported an office of 7 lawyers and 20 paralegals, scheduling meetings and court appearances and tracking and filing all documents for the firm.
Don't
I worked in a small law office where I did scheduling and filing.
Below you will find an adaptable employment history resume example.
Employment history resume example
Administrative Assistant , Ben Goldman Attorney at Law New York Apr 2016 - Aug 2021
Worked hard to fulfill administrative and clerical duties to ensure that the office ran efficiently.
Managed all office correspondence such as answering phone calls and communicating with other attorney offices,
Arranged travel, and scheduled meetings, appointments, and depositions for the team.
Performed legal research, as needed, with help from attorneys and paralegals.
Processed client billing properly.
Administrative Assistant , Tigg and Bauer LLC New York Jul 2014 - Mar 2016
Managed the calendar, related correspondence, and coordination of logistics for the CEO.
Managed highly confidential information with discretion and confidentiality.
Arranged and coordinated travel schedules and reservations.
Maintained a high level of organization, ensuring that meetings, deadlines, and duties were completed.
Prepared reports and maintained tracking system.
Collaborated cohesively with other administrative staff.
Provided support to other executives as needed.
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Administrative professional skills example: efficient messaging
Recruiters may glance at this section first, before they even look at your carefully crafted summary or the details of your employment history. They want to know right away whether you have the skills and attributes they seek.
So what skills does it take to be successful at administrative work? You need a core of technical abilities such as knowledge of all types of software programs, but you also need to be extremely organized and unflappable.
Administrative professionals must have the temperament and organizational skills to handle multiple requests from different personalities while problem-solving and managing their own workload. Try to create a skills section that blends both the hard, technical skills you need and the soft skills necessary to manage an office.
Expert tip
Here are examples of the computer skills you need to succeed as an administrative professional:
Category
Example
Word processing and organization
Microsoft Office Suite, Google Drive, Intuit Quickbooks
Presentation and promotion tools
PowerPoint, Apple Keynote
Digital publishing and design
Adobe Acrobat and Photoshop, Apple iMovie
Productivity
Asana, Evernote, Dropbox
Below you will find an adaptable skills resume example.
Skills resume example
Interpersonal Communication Skills
Administrative Skills
Clerical Skills
Agile Project Management
Self Starter
Strategic Planning
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Administrative education resume example
Many administrative professionals learn on the job and that’s great. That means your education section will consist of your high school diploma or GED. If you have taken any administrative courses or have a higher degree, list those here as well.
Expert tip
For more specific administrative resume examples, check out our office administrator resume example, administrative assistant resume exampleor our office secretary resume example. If a one-on-one position is more to your liking, try our personal assistant resume example. We also have an office manager resume exampleif you’re looking to move up.
Below you will find an education resume example as a formatting guide.
Education Resume Example
Bachelor of Arts in Communications, Hunter College, New York Sep, 2010 - May, 2014
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Resume layout and design: as neat as your desk
If you are going to be the face of an office, you need to make a great first impression every day. Your administrative resume is the place to start. The layout and design are the first visual clue to your professional demeanor and personality, so you need to be as careful with these as you are with your written message.
Make sure you keep your layout neat and your font legible. You may be tempted to distinguish yourself with a creative design, but your first order of business is to make it easy on the eyes. Keep color to a minimum if you use it at all. Recruiters want to be able to find your data easily, so use standard section heading names and make sure your contact information stands out.
Bullet lists and bold headings will help break up larger blocks of type. Varying your line lengths will serve the same purpose.
Key takeaways for an administrative resume
It’s a tight job market for administrative professionals, so you will need a resume that performs.
Use your summary section to illuminate your career achievements, but also your personality, which is so important in your field.
Personalize each resume to fit the job and the industry and give you a leg up against the ATS.
Take the guesswork out of formatting with our online resume builder and expert-tested resume layouts.
Within our free plan, you can use Resume.io to create a perfect resume from scratch using our free professional templates. A Professional resume template can work in just about any position where you need to highlight your experience with just a touch of design and layout flair.
For the majority of job-seekers, the best resume format in 2023 is the reverse-chronological resume format. This resume format involves listing your resume information (e.g. your work experience and your education) starting with the most recent one and going backward through relevant jobs, degrees, or qualifications.
Yes, it's just fine to use resume templates, if you use them wisely. They aren't as “evil” as some people claim them to be. In fact, sometimes resume templates can be quite helpful.
Resume.com lets you download your resume as a PDF, Word Document, Rtf, and Txt file for free. Done building your resume with Resume.com? Upload it to Jobscan to see how well it matches the job.
What does an Administrative Assistant do? Administrative Assistant responsibilities include making travel and meeting arrangements, preparing reports and maintaining appropriate filing systems.
Challenge #1: Their coworkers liberally assign duties and blame. Administrative assistants are often expected to fix anything that goes wrong at work, including technical difficulties with the printer, scheduling conflicts, internet connectivity problems, clogged toilets, messy break rooms, and so on.
“ I feel my main weakness is that I sometimes take on too much work, simply because I don't want to say no. By taking on too much work, it can potentially have a detrimental impact on my other tasks, so I am learning to complete tasks thoroughly first, before agreeing to take on additional tasks.
Each of these functions plays a critical role in helping organizations achieve efficiently and effectively. Luther Gulick, Fayol's successor, further defined 7 functions of management or POSDCORB—planning, organizing, staffing, directing, coordinating, reporting and budgeting.
The acronym stands for steps in the administrative process: planning, organising, staffing, directing, coordinating, reporting, and budgeting (Botes, Brynard, Fourie & Roux, 1997:284).
What Are Administrative Skills? Administrative skills are the skills that increase office productivity by consolidating time-consuming administrative tasks into one role. The most common skills include keeping projects on track, arranging travel, scheduling meetings, and filing expense reports.
Problem-solving and critical thinking skills are important for any administrative position. Administrators are often the go-to person that staff and clients seek out for help with questions or problems. They must be able to hear a variety of problems and solve them using critical thinking.
COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY – Undoubtedly, as an Admin Assistant, you will need strong communication skills and be able to communicate effectively by email, written letter format and also verbally, either face-to-face with clients and customers and also over the telephone.
This is the most common type of resume format and is generally preferred by most hiring managers. A chronological resume leads with your work history, which should list your current and previous positions in reverse chronological order.
Should you put your address on your resume? It's optional. In certain situations, including it could be helpful, but leaving it out won't get you rejected. Put the city and zip code of the employer in your professional summary if you're really concerned about being rejected by the ATS.
An effective resume summary follows this formula: Professional Title (if relevant) + Key Experiences (with the total number of years worked) + Top Achievements (preferably measurable results) + Top Skills/Expertise/Unique Values (relevant to the job and industry).
There are two main types of administrative law: rules and regulations and administrative decisions. Both are made by government agencies or commissions which derive their authority from Congress or a state legislature. Most of these agencies or commissions are part of the executive branch of government.
There are at least two important aspects of administrative leadership—operational leadership and strategic leadership. Operational leadership is accomplished through activities like hiring and supporting staff, overseeing budgets, and maintaining a positive workplace climate.
Your skills and qualifications. If you can prove that you've got all the skills that the company is looking for in a candidate, you'll have effectively answered the question. Your passion and motivation. You can highlight how good of a company fit you'd be and how much you love working in your field or industry.
“Over the years, I have acquired relevant skills and experience, which I shall bring to your organization. I have also worked tirelessly on my communication abilities and teamwork skills, which I will put to use in my future career, which would be in your organization if I am selected for the position.
Using the same resume for every job you apply for is not a good approach. Instead, your resume should target the specific job you are applying for. Be sure to prioritize the skills, qualifications and experiences that are directly applicable to the job you are trying to land.
Here are the best ways to make your resume stand out from the competition: Make your resume visually appealing. Personalize your resume to match the job requirements. Focus on achievements, not just duties and responsibilities.
This is the most common type of resume format and is generally preferred by most hiring managers. A chronological resume leads with your work history, which should list your current and previous positions in reverse chronological order.
For the majority of job-seekers, the best resume format in 2023 is the reverse-chronological resume format. This resume format involves listing your resume information (e.g. your work experience and your education) starting with the most recent one and going backward through relevant jobs, degrees, or qualifications.
Example: 'Hardworking and versatile Administrative Assistant with proven organizational skills and thorough knowledge of corporate policies and procedures. Excellent communication and people skills with extensive strategic planning capabilities. '
There's no need to include personal information on a resume such as your social security number, marital status, nationality, sexual orientation, or spiritual beliefs.
Buzzwords are generic words and phrases that appear on a resume and often aren't specific to an industry or a role. Instead, they're used interchangeably in the work history or professional summary section of a resume.
Your resume should go back 10–15 years assuming it's all relevant experience. However, it all depends on your work history: how much experience you have, whether you have gaps in employment or scored freelance gigs. As long as your resume is targeted to the job ad, it can be even 2-3 pages.
The amount of revenue you made for the company. Key projects you managed. Strong statistics for outcomes either led or driven by you. Ideas or innovations you introduced.
Two top strengths needed for administrative assistants include organizational and technology skills. Understanding these two skills can help you prepare for a career as an administrative assistant.
Introduction: My name is Jeremiah Abshire, I am a outstanding, kind, clever, hilarious, curious, hilarious, outstanding person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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