Office Assistant Resume—Examples and 25+ Writing Tips

You’re applying to be an office assistant.

You know you’ve got the talent to do the job, the mettle to keep you going, and the skills to take on the variety of tasks you’ll perform.

And you know you’ll do it all well.

However— 

The office manager or HR generalist isn’t aware of your administrative talent yet. So, you’ll have to show them you’re the best hire by writing a top-notch office assistant resume.

No sweat.

In this guide:

• The best office assistant resume sample to get those clerical and administrative jobs.
• How to tailor your resume to the office assistant job description and responsibilities.
• How to write resumes for office assistant positions that score office job interviews.
• Expert tips and examples to improve your chances of landing office jobs.

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Seeking further resume examples?

Try these on for size:

• Administrative Assistant Resume 
• Bar Manager Resume
• Office Clerk Resume
• Secretary Resume
• Call Center Resume
• Loan Officer Resume
• Customer Service Resume
• Executive Assistant Resume
• Sales Representative Resume
• Accounting Resume
• Medical Assistant Resume
• Medical Billing Specialist Resume
• Office Manager Resume
• Business Administration Resume
• Personal Assistant Resume
• Assistant Manager Resume
• Receptionist Resume
• Medical Receptionist Resume
• Hospitality Resume
• Virtual Assistant Resume

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

Office Assistant Resume Sample

On to yours— 

Here’s how to write an office assistant resume:

1. Format the Office Assistant Resume Template First

When writing an email to a client, you wouldn’t just say “we’re still waiting on your payment” and send it off.

You’d format it first, with a signature, opening greeting, and maybe a company logo.

An office assistant resume is similar— 

The office assistant resume needs to be formatted right if it’s to be taken seriously.

Here are some guidelines for formatting office assistant resume templates:

• Go with the reverse-chronological format when listing entries with dates involved (e.g., experience, education).
• Keep resumes for office assistants neat by prioritizing white space and including a one-inch border all around.
• Select the best font for resumes from our list so that it will be easy to read.
• Know what to put on a resume—both appropriate resume sections and relevant content within each one.

Expert Hint: Choose the PDF format when saving your resume, because there’s a reason it’s called the “Portable Document Format.” PDFs render fine on any screen, whereas a Microsoft Word .docx may look funny on certain devices. Start from one of these MS Word resume templates and export it to PDF.

2. Start with an Office Assistant Resume Objective or Summary

At the top of your resume, just below your contact deets, is your heading statement.

There are two kinds—the resume objective or summary. 

They differ slightly based on your level of job experience, but a great objective and a great summary are both similar in one key way:

Each are compelling.

An optimized heading statement has to captivate the reader, in your case an HR manager or office manager. Otherwise, they’ll stop right there and move on to the next resume.

Have office assistance know-how and experience?

Choose the resume summary. 

A summary statement introduces you to the company as a top candidate for the office assistant position. It showcases your previous experience, the administrative skills you’ve established, and your professional background. 

Finally, it includes numbers to verify your abilities.

Here’s how to write an office assistant resume summary:

Office Assistant Resume Summary

The bad resume example is monotonously generic. It uses the kind of jargon that makes office managers’ eyes bleed.

The good resume example, on the other hand, is perfectly tailored to this one particular job and company. Numbers are used to quantify just how skilled you are as an office assistant.

Every office assistant's resume should have a solid summary detailing why the hiring manager should consider them for the position. A good resume summary reads like a good product description and should answer my question, ‘Why should I call you for an interview?’ With that in mind, an office assistant's resume summary should sell me on the person using action verbs like ‘driven,’ ‘motivated,’ ‘skilled’ and so forth.

Now— 

What if you have no office experience?

Choose the resume objective. 

An objective statement still includes a proud accomplishment with numbers to quantify it. However, rather than your company office or medical office assistant resume experience, you talk up your career goals and past unrelated work in a way that’s relevant.

Here’s how to write an office assistant resume objective statement:

Entry-Level Office Assistant Resume Objective

The good example here may be from a resume without experience, but we show that our unrelated previous job still taught us some valuable skills. Also, it’s got numbers and personalization to really draw the reader’s attention.

Expert Hint: Though the heading summary or objective is located at the beginning, write it at the end. This way, you’ll have a better idea of the most powerful and compelling details to include there.

3. Write a Great Office Assistant Job Description and Skills Resume Sections

As the entire office revolves around your desk, so too does a resume revolve around the work experience section.

So— 

Here’s how to write an office assistant job description resume section:

• List your most recent job at the top, followed by the one before that, and so on (reverse-chronological order).
• Add you job position title, the months and years you worked, the company’s name, and their city and state.
• Below that, include 5 or 6 key responsibilities and duties which are most relevant to this office assistant position to which you’re applying now.
• Start each bullet point with action verbs, and use active voice rather than passive voice.
• Use numbers to portray just how well you did your past work duties.

Here are a couple of office assistant resume samples of job descriptions:

Office Assistant Job Description for Resume Examples

Here, you see how much more detailed the good example is compared to the bad one. Also, it includes interview-winning achievements with numbers to show them you’re capable.

Also— 

Many modern offices, as well as all the large ones, utilize an ATS to not sink under the waves of resumes people send them each day.

An ATS, or applicant tracking system, helps by parsing each resume for particular resume keywords the HR manager asks it to look for. It returns a score based on each candidate’s match percentage. 

Not enough keywords = low score = low chances of an interview.

So— 

To single out the most effective keywords for your resume, look at the job description once more. In the responsibilities area, you’ll find all the traits they want in an employee—those are the resume keywords to use. 

Speaking of traits— 

Follow up your awesome work history area with a choice of skills to put on a resume.

Secretaries, office assistants, receptionists, and administrative assistants will decline by 7% between 2020 and 2030. 

Those displaced office workers will mean way more competition for you.

Luckily, though, if you have an impressive office skills list, you’ll leave that competition far behind.

Here are several sample office assistant resume skills to consider:

15+ Top Skills for Office Assistants

• Organizational Skills
• Administrative Skills
• Advanced Mathematics
• Managing Operations
• Problem Solving
• Interpersonal Skills
• Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, etc.)
• Google Docs, Sheets, etc.
• Technical Skills
• Confidentiality
• Payments & Invoicing
• Accounting Software (e.g., Quickbooks)
• Data Entry Skills
• Friendly & Personable
• Attention to Detail
• Collaboration & Teamwork

Look at the job ad’s responsibilities section to locate the skills this office needs in a new office assistant. 

If you possess that ability, add it to your resume.

Candidates who can provide evidence on their resume of how they have gained their skills and how they have applied them in a multitude of settings can be just as successful as candidates who have worked jobs. Job experience is beneficial, but one should never discount the skill sets that they have gained from clubs/organizations, volunteerism, classroom projects, or study abroad experiences.

Expert Hint: Office assistants should show they have both hard skills (data entry, Microsoft Excel, etc.) and soft skills (communication skills, teamwork, etc.) on their resumes.

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4. Turn an Office Assistant Resume Education Section Into the Reason They Hire You

Most office assistant jobs don’t require a college degree.

However, an office assistant resume does require a clean and informative education section.

So— 

Here’s an example of how to list education on a resume for office assistants:

Office Assistant Job Resume Example of Education Section 

Here’s how to ace your office asst resume section:

• If you have more than one school entry, list the most impressive one first.
• Include the degree or diploma name, the year of completion, the school’s name, and the school’s location.
• Add any relevant extras, such as associated coursework or academic awards.
• Include high school on your resume for office jobs if you haven’t completed university.

Expert Hint: Just starting out in the big, bad world of employment? If your work history isn’t as impressive as your academic achievements, move things around so they read your education section before they get to your employment history.

5. Put a Shine on Office Assistant Resumes With a Few Extras

Got something else you’d like to add to your resume to impress the office manager?

This is your chance.

However, only choose additional sections which are relevant to an office assistant resume. Remember, if it doesn’t add value, leave it off.

Here are a few great examples of extra sections and entries to add on an office assistant resume:

Certificates & Licenses

• IAAP Certified Administrative Professional
• Microsoft Office Specialist
• Professional Administrative Certification of Excellence (PACE)
• American Payroll Association Fundamental Payroll Certification

And if you’re writing a dental or medical office assistant resume, try these:

• AAMA Certified Medical Assistant (CMA)
• Medical Office Administration Certificate
• Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA)
• Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT)
• Medical Office Assistant: Admin Procedures Certificate

Certificates are a great way for office assistants to communicate that they have certain skills, so these should be listed on their resumes as well. List relevant certificates, including those earned online or in short courses. Sometimes job applicants don't think a certificate they have is a big deal, so they're surprised when they find out that their certificate helped them stand out among their competition.

Office Assistant Organizations & Associations

• International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP)
• International Virtual Assistants Association (IVAA)
• American Society of Administrative Professionals (ASAP)

Again, here are some dental and medical office assistant resume sample organizations:

• American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA)
• American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA)
• American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE)
• American Association of Healthcare Administrative Management (AAHAM)

Related Hobbies & Interests

• Blogging
• Health & Wellness
• Physical Fitness
• Reading Russian Literature

Foreign Language Proficiency

• Dutch: Native Proficiency
• Swiss German: Professional Working Proficiency
• Javanese: Intermediate Proficiency
• Arabic: Basic Conversational Proficiency

Expert Hint: Remember to attach a cover letter with every office assistant job application you send out. Most hiring managers won’t even consider a resume without it. Not including an office assistant cover letter drops your chances of an interview by 50% from the very start. Don't let that happen. Learn how to write a cover letter the right way.

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Key Points

Let’s close this out with a quick summary— 

Here’s how to write a resume for office assistant jobs:

• Format the office assistant resume layout before you start to write.
• Begin with a compelling resume summary or career objective.
• Document your experience with a few bullet points, relevance, and numbered achievements.
• Highlight your office assistant talents in a customized resume skills list.
• Include your education and any impressive academic accomplishments.
• Add in an extra section or two, if relevant, such as foreign languages, pastimes, or certifications.
• Always include an office assistant cover letter!

Have any questions on how to fill out your office assistant duties resume section? Need more office assistant resume examples of achievements or administrative skills? Let’s chat in the comments area, and thanks for reading!