ob seekers looking to take on an administrative assistant role need to be competent in a range of basic technical skills, as well as people skills and organizational skills. Whether you are creating and managing customer files or making travel arrangements for senior members of staff, this role requires you to keep a number of plates spinning. Your resume should prove to hiring managers that you are capable of doing so.
There are a number of hard (technical) and soft (intangible) skills involved in this kind of role. It is important that you know which skills to list on your resume and how to list them if you want to make the right impression. Consider using a ResumeNerd resume template to help create a stand-out resume.
The precise set of administrative skills that are best for your resume will depend on a number of factors as well as the job description you intend to apply for. Generally speaking, the skills most likely to help your professional resume past applicant tracking systems (ATS) and impress human resources are:
You will also need to have a basic understanding of how to use common office equipment such as printers and copiers.
As is often the case, how you present your administrative assistant skills in a resume is important. While the majority of your skills will be listed in your resume skills section, there are numerous ways that you can list and prove your skills on a resume. Here’s where (and how) to list your administration skills:
Your administrative assistant resume summary is a brief overview of your qualifications, so it should showcase the most important skills and experiences you have. Your resume summary should either be a few sentences or a few bullet points. If you lack professional work experience, consider a resume objective statement that focuses on skills and your career goals.
Your work history will be of huge importance during your job search, so make the most of it. Your work experience section should hold up to ten years of relevant experience; for each previous job you’ve had, mention achievements that prove your skills. For example, if you worked as an office assistant, then you could give examples of times when you used organizational and filing skills. Be sure to use action verbs (e.g., “Managed,” “Organized,” “Scheduled”) to really catch the recruiter’s attention.
Your education will have a strong role to play in getting you a new job. Even if you do not have a degree in business administration, you can focus on how you honed skills like report writing and data analysis. List your top education credential (e.g., college degree) here, as well as any certifications that apply to the role (e.g., certification in Microsoft Office).
If you use these tips, then you will have a better chance of landing a great administrative assistant role. Remember to list all of your hard skills, soft skills, and any special skills that you have. If you want to showcase professional certifications to prove your skills, then you can do so, but you should create an additional section on your resume to do so.
Yes, you should always provide a cover letter with your resume. This supplementary document presents a unique opportunity to give the hiring manager additional information and address them directly. Make use of the ResumeNerd cover letter builder. This free online tool has a range of great templates to choose from.
The ideal resume should aim for a single page in length. There are some cases where you can have a two-page resume (most notably when you have many years of experience). You should only exceed one page if you are certain all the information you’re including is valuable.
Yes! Relevant resume samples can be of great help when writing a resume, especially if you are doing so for the first time. ResumeNerd has a range of resume examples you can consider.
