Administrative Assistant Resume: Examples, Skills, & Tips

Navigating chaos is one of your specialties. You can single-handedly organize stacks of documents, hundreds of emails, dozens of phone calls, and days of business travel, all while remembering everyone’s birthdays. The office can’t survive without you.

All that work should be rewarded. If it isn’t—it’s time to move on. Let your administrative assistant resume carry you to new places. 

In this guide:

• An administrative assistant resume example that gets jobs.
• How to ace your administrative assistant job description on a resume.
• A list of the best resume skills for administrative assistant jobs.
• How to write a resume for an administrative assistant to get the interview.

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Looking for other administrative jobs? See:

• Assistant Principal Resume
• Business Administration Resume
• Entry-Level Administrative Assistant Resume
• Executive Assistant Resume
• Front Desk Resume
• Office Assistant Resume
• Office Clerk Resume
• Personal Assistant Resume
• Receptionist Resume
• Resident Assistant Resume
• Secretary Resume
• Virtual Assistant Resume

Haven't found what you're looking for? Check all our Resume Examples.

Administrative Assistant Resume Sample

Administrative assistants support companies in handling correspondence, keeping records, managing appointments, and arranging travel. An administrative assistant's resume must highlight the candidate’s office experience and skills, such as organization and time management.

But do you know how to make an administrative assistant resume that does the job well? Just follow the steps below:

1. Start With a Good Admin Assistant Resume Format

It’s always good to start with the basics, and the resume format is one of them. Career experts recommend using the chronological resume for both experienced and entry-level candidates. This format will help you highlight your career achievements as well as administrative assistant skills.

Now, here’s how to create a good resume template for administrative assistant jobs:

• Create a resume outline including placeholders and headings for sections you want to use, such as resume profile, work experience, education, skills, and added sections.
• Use legible resume fonts, such as Arial or Calibri, and set the font size to 10–12 pts for the paragraphs and 13–14 pts for the headings.
• Set resume margins to 1 inch on all sides to balance the text and white space.
• Make a resume header including your full name, job title, and contact information.
• Limit the length of your resume to one page.
• Save your resume in a PDF or DOC file format unless the job ad asks for a different one.

Want an easier solution? You can try using free resume templates—they will handle the majority of formatting for you. It’s easy to find resume templates for Word or Google Docs resume templates online.

2. Write an Objective or a Resume Summary for Administrative Assistants

The first thing that a recruiter will read on your administrative assistant resume is a resume profile. It serves as a summary of qualifications on a resume and should prompt the reader to keep going. Sounds difficult? Don’t worry—we’ve got a formula for that.

Here’s how to write a successful resume profile:

1. Start with a positive character trait, such as efficient,dedicated, or detail-oriented.
2. Add your professional title and years of experience. 
3. Specify how you can help the company achieve its goals.
4. Mention an impressive accomplishment from previous jobs or other experiences.
5. Refrain from using personal pronouns like “I” or “my.”

One more thing before you start writing: the type of resume profile you should use depends on your level of experience. An entry-level administrative assistant resume should include a career objective, and an experienced professional should write a resume summary.

What’s the difference?

• Resume objective focuses on the candidate’s knowledge, skills, and understanding of the job.
• Resume summary highlights the candidate’s experience and achievements.

Let’s see some examples to understand that better:

Administrative Assistant Resume Examples: Summary

All the elements of a good resume summary are here: the experience, career achievements, and specific goals to achieve at the new job.

This example is just blah. It doesn’t give any valuable information to a potential employer.

Now, examples of an entry-level administrative assistant resume:

Administrative Assistant Resume Examples: Objective

Though it’s an example from an entry-level administrative assistant resume, the candidate seems to know their worth. They can name skills needed for the position and describe the relevant experience they gained while volunteering.

I’m afraid that’s a no from the hiring manager.

One more thing about writing your resume profile: write it after you complete all the other sections of your resume. It will be easier—you’ll just pick the best parts and combine them in a nice resume summary or objective.

3. Create an Administrative Assistant Job Description for Your Resume

On your resume, hiring managers expect to see only relevant experience. And it should come in the form of a neat work experience section (unless you’re writing a resume with no experience for entry-level positions, which you’ll read about a bit later).

Here’s how to write a good administrative assistant job description:

• List your positions starting with the most recent one: add your job title, name of the company, and work period for each position.
• Describe 3–4 main responsibilities for each job: use power words and action verbs to show your initiative.
• Highlight one key achievement for each position: it’s best to include quantitative accomplishments.
• Add resume keywords whenever possible: they can help to ensure your resume is ATS-compatible.

See the examples below:

Administrative Assistant Job Description for a Resume: Example

This sample follows the recipe for success: action words, numbers, and keywords that make the candidate’s accomplishments shine.

Oh, dear. Not great. This is just a short list of duties—and a hiring manager knows the duties of an administrative assistant pretty well. What they want instead is to know how good you are at performing them. That’s why achievements are more important than responsibilities.

But what to do if you’re writing an entry-level resume?

Show other examples of relevant experience. They can come from:

• Volunteer work
• Extracurricular activities
• Your time at college
• Internship positions

…and any other activities that gave you a chance to use your administrative skills.

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4. Add Education to a Resume for an Administrative Assistant

Many hiring managers may yawn when they see education on a resume. But it’s your job to show them it’s valuable information and not just something you did to fill the empty space.

Here’s how to list education on an admin assistant resume:

• Start with your highest degree: if you haven’t graduated from college, list your high school education.
• Mention the name of the educational institution and years of study: you can add expected graduation if you’re still working toward a degree.
• Add your GPA: you can skip this if you’ve got tons of work experience or if your GPA is lower than 3.5.
• List academic achievements: things such as scholarships, honors, winning competitions, etc.
• Throw in extracurricular activities: such as presiding over a club, serving as a treasurer, organizing charity events, and other relevant activities.
• Give examples of relevant coursework: it can be especially valuable for candidates with no work experience.

The rule of thumb is the less work experience you have, the more info you should add to the education section.

Check the example below:

Administrative Assistant Resume Example: Education

This candidate provided not only the essentials but also listed activities that required the use of collaboration and organization skills.

This isn’t great. It’s hard to say if this candidate has graduated or if they’re still studying. The GPA is not very impressive either. And the information about extracurriculars isn’t relevant to administrative assistant jobs.

One more thing: if you don’t have a college degree, you shouldn’t feel self-conscious about it. Many administrative assistant jobs don’t require it. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, high school education and knowledge of MS Office are enough for many entry-level administrative assistant jobs.

5. Use the Best Resume Skills for Administrative Assistants

Did you know that there are over 2.7 million administrative professionals in the U.S.? If you want to shine in this large crowd, you must possess top administrative skills. Admin jobs differ from one another, and you don’t want a recruiter to think that all you can do is make coffee for the CEO.

20+ Resume Skills for an Administrative Assistant

1. Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint skills
2. Calendar management
3. Appointment setting
4. Business travel arrangements
5. Accurate data entry
6. Editing and proofreading
7. Record-keeping
8. Research skills
9. Faxing and photocopying
10. Recording minutes of meetings
11. Order processing
12. Phone etiquette
13. Bookkeeping
14. Customer service skills
15. Time management
16. Problem-solving skills
17. Effective communication
18. Attention to detail
19. Organizational skills
20. Interpersonal skills
21. Office management skills
22. Computer skills
23. Teamwork skills
24. Adaptability

But your admin assistant resume needs more than a list of all administrative skills that come to mind. It needs the best skills for a resume—ones that fully match the job requirements.

Here’s how to pick the skills to add to your administrative assistant resume:

1. Make a list of the skills you’ve mastered: combine soft skills, hard skills, and technical skills.
2. Read the job advertisement closely and make a note of the job requirements.
3. Compare your abilities with the required skills.
4. Select essential 6–10 skills from your list that match what’s needed by the employer.

Expert Hint: The job ad calls for a skill you’re not confident with? There are dozens of online training videos available, and they can help you upskill within a few hours or days. You might even get a certificate to list on a resume after the training is completed!

6. Pick Extra Sections for Your Admin Assistant Resume

Have you completed the steps above? Then your resume should be ready 100%. But that’s not the end of your work. Give 110% to your resume by adding extra sections—and use them to maximize your chances of landing a great administrative assistant job.

Choose from the following sections for a resume:

• Certification and licenses: adding certifications to a resume proves you’re qualified for the job. Remember to list the name of the certification/license, the organization that released it, and the year you obtained it (or till it's valid).
• Associations and memberships: maybe you belong to a trade association, or you participate in conferences? Brag about it!
• Languages: speaking more than one language fluently can be a great asset.
• Volunteer work: add volunteer experience to a resume to show you care. The benefits of volunteering include learning new skills and gaining experience that can be relevant to your career. 
• Interests: put hobbies and interests on a resume to show you know how to use your free time to your advantage. It’s best if your interests match your profession or the position you’re applying for.

Let the example below lead the way:

Sample Administrative Assistant Resume: Additional Information

See? These are non-essential resume sections, and yet they include a lot of priceless information. Even the volunteer experiences and interests prove this candidate has great organizational skills—something necessary for a professional administrative assistant.

This doesn’t work well. It’s not much information to build on.

Expert hint: If your resume is ready, it’s time to proofread it. And then… move on to write your administrative assistant cover letter.

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Key Points

For an administrative assistant resume that sparkles:

• Start with the administrative assistant resume template from up top. It answers all the right requirements.
• Make your administrative assistant resume stand out with achievements. Fit them to the job offer like they’re painted on.
• Add numbers to your admin assistant resume accomplishments. Percents, dollars, time saved, and other numbers supercharge your administrative assistant skills.
• Send an administrative assistant cover letter. Bind it to the job by linking the employer’s needs to your achievements.

Got questions on how to write an administrative assistant resume? Not sure how to pick achievements for your administrative resume? Leave a comment. We’ll be happy to reply.

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At ResumeLab, quality is at the crux of our values, supporting our commitment to delivering top-notch career resources. The editorial team of career experts carefully reviews every article in accordance with editorial guidelines, ensuring the high quality and reliability of our content. We actively conduct original research, shedding light on the job market's intricacies and earning recognition from numerous influential news outlets. Our dedication to delivering expert career advice attracts millions of readers to our blog each year.