As an administrative assistant, you have a significant impact on an entire office team. Administrative assistants have to have great time management skills, understand job prioritization, and often do important jobs like creating travel arrangements for colleagues. That means showcasing the right skillset for the office environment is key. If you’re looking to apply for the position of administrative assistant, then here’s how you can use an administrative assistant cover letter sample to start.
Creating a cover letter is easier if you have a cover letter example to work from. Here’s an effective admin assistant cover letter to use:
Dear Mr. Smith,
At my old job, I was once asked to take phone calls when the administrative assistant was sick and called in late. I had never thought of myself as an assistant type, but by the end of the day, I had created my own system for managing the calls that I got, making me realize the talent I already had for this position. Now that I have had more time to develop my skills, I’m excited to apply for the administrative assistant position at Company Name.
Delegation is one of the most important skills that I have developed over the years, and it’s common for executives to send me an important project and allow me to manage it for them. I have a great handle on understanding my co-workers’ specific skills, and I keep an eye on everyone’s current workload and past experience to ensure that I never over-assign.
I hope to help the office team as a whole with administrative support, ensuring that everyone, not just the executives, is able to get more done. Let me know when we can sit down and talk about how my skills can help the company.
Sincerely,
Terry Willis
Your opening paragraph needs a “hook” to catch the attention of the recruiter. Here, the applicant notes how he got into being an executive assistant in the first place; his office manager asked him to cover for the assistant when they called out of work. He realized he was the perfect fit and decided to pursue it as a new job. This is an interesting story, and it makes a human resources member want to keep reading your job application.
In the main paragraph, follow up with your administrative skills and qualifications. You want to show off the most important elements of your professional resume, as well as extra information that you may not have been able to list in your resume at all. If you have extensive experience to list, then you can include it in bullet points underneath this paragraph.
The closing paragraph is where you insert your call to action. Reiterate your interest in the position, and sum up why you think you’re the right fit. Close your letter with a request to the employer to get in touch for a possible interview (e.g., “Let me know when we can sit down”).
Yes. You should always write a cover letter for any job you apply to, even an entry-level one. Not only does the cover letter allow you to provide more details about how you believe you can benefit the company, but it also gives you a chance to connect with the hiring manager, as well as ask for the job interview. All of these benefits can be key to getting the job.
Most cover letters should be anywhere between 3/4 of a page and half a page long. If you make it shorter than half a page, then you may find that you don’t have enough space to talk about your skills, and a hiring manager may even think that it indicates a lack of experience or skill on your part. If you make it longer than 3/4 of a page, then a hiring manager may tap out because it’s simply too long.
If you don’t have a lot of work experience, then you’ll want to lean on your skills instead. Look through the job description and see how many skills you can find; for example, if the job description says they want someone with strong communication skills, the chances are that’s important to list in your cover letter. As long as you meet the minimum years of experience necessary for the job requirements, you can likely rely more on your skills.
