Secretary Resume—Examples and 25+ Writing Tips

To beat the other candidates, you need a secretary resume that doesn’t just repeat the same old spiel. This quick guide shows you how to make your phone ring and get interviews.

Tom Gerencer, CPRW

Career Writer at ResumeLab

01/21/2021

Secretaries, also called administrative professionals, provide support to managers and employees.

They may field phone calls, manage projects, and interact with customers.

Resumes for secretary jobs must show a history of using skills like MS Office, scheduling, or writing documents.

But think about this—

Lots of other people want that secretary job.

Some have more experience than Peggy Olson. They’ll all say they’ve got the skills.

Don’t worry.

You can get hired if you just do a few things right.

In this guide:

A secretary resume sample better than most.
How to make a well-formatted secretary job description for resumes.
How to write a resume for secretary jobs that shows off your best qualities.
Why you can’t just list secretary skills (and what to do instead).

secretary resume example

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Secretary Resume Sample You Can Copy and Use

Luke Torp

Secretary

Personal Info

Phone: 267-841-5938

E-mail: lukeztorp@gmail.com

linkedin.com/in/lukeztorp

twitter.com/lukeztorp

Summary

Efficient secretary with 6+ years of experience. Seeking to maintain smooth office flow at Ballew-Poulin. At Speering & Ashland, typed 5–20 reports per day. Created schedules for work, meetings, and conferences for 20+ employees. Triaged 20+ emails daily. Skilled in MS Office and billing.

Experience

Secretary

Speering & Ashland Inc.

2014–2019

Performed secretarial duties in a busy construction business.
Contributed to 10% boost in customer loyalty through better communication.
Created office schedules and calendars, coordinating with 23 employees.
Typed and sent 5–20 daily reports and regular correspondences.
Collaborated with 15 vendors to place orders and manage inventory.
Triaged 20+ emails daily, replying to easy issues, resolving complaints.
Fielded 30+ phone calls per day, answering questions and relaying messages.
Scheduled meetings and conferences between up to 35+ parties.

Secretary

Bryant Medical, Inc.

2013–2014

Managed busy office, took 50+ phone calls daily.
Scheduled 5+ appointments per day.
Cut errors 20% through better data entry.
Collaborated with insurance payers to help raise reimbursements 10%.
Used automated reminder system to aid 15% drop in past-due accounts.

Temp Secretary, 2012

Worked as temp secretary in 11 firms.
Used MS Office to write 40+ documents.
Answered 15+ client phone calls per day.
Responded to 10+ customer emails daily.
Recognized by 3 managers for efficiency and pleasant attitude.

Education

BA, Liberal Arts, Bucknell University

2008–2012

Pursued a passion for bookkeeping study.
Excelled in writing and computer skills.
As volunteer student fundraiser, raised $20,000 through alumni calls.
Member, Campus Arts Board.

Skills Proficiency

Typing Speed: 105 WPM, zero errors.
MS Office: Scored 93%+ on 3 Wise Owl Training assessments.
10-Key Data Entry: 9,700 KPH.

Additional Activities

ASAP Member (American Society of Administrative Professionals)
Weekly spin classes for self-care

Volunteer Work

Bookkeeper, Jemsen County Animal Shelter
Perform outreach for local Habitat for Humanity chapter.

Hard Skills: MS Office, building customer relationships, billing, shipping

Soft Skills: written communication, verbal communication, friendliness, organization

Writing a different kind of resume for administrative positions? See our guides:

Coming into the secretary world from another job? See this guide:

Resume for a Career Change Sample & Guide

Haven't found what you're looking for? Check all our resume examples for any job.

Here’s how to write a secretary resume that boosts your chances:

1. Choose the Right Secretary Resume Format

You have two possible futures.

In one, a great employer calls and interviews you. You get hired.

In the other, your phone stays silent as an office at 3am.

The first step toward future #1?

A well-formatted resume.

Here’s the plan:

Secretary Resume Format

Choose the reverse-chronological format for resumes.
Use one of the top resume fonts like 10–12pt Arial or Garamond.
Add 1-inch margins and white space for easy reading.
The length of a resume for secretary jobs is one page.
Include these sections in a resume: Header, Objective, Work History, Education, and Skills.
Save your secretary resume in PDF format.

Expert Hint: Know what looks great on resumes for secretaries? A typing speed test. There’s a speed test that saves your results online at Live Chat.

2. Write a Secretary Resume Objective or Summary

Bad news!

You’ve got 7 seconds to make a first impression.

That’s how long the office manager will read your secretary skills resume.

So—

Catch her attention fast with an objective statement or summary statement.

Include:

One adjective (detail-oriented, efficient)
Job title (secretary)
Years of experience (1+, 4+)
Who & how you’ll help (maintain smooth office flow)
Top secretary achievements (triaged 20+ emails per day...)
A couple skills (MS Office, billing)

These secretary resume examples show the procedure:

Secretary Manager Resume Examples [Summary]

Experienced secretary with excellent skills in MS Office and billing. Recognized as someone who can dig into the hard work and get things done. A friendly go-getter and a go-to person around the office. Can be counted on at busy times to stay cool.

Vastly different.

Why is one of those secretary resume samples more powerful?

Hint: it’s the concrete details.

But—

In an entry-level resume for secretary jobs, use temp work or non-secretary jobs.

Medical Secretary Resume Example—Entry-Level

Friendly secretary, skilled in MS Office and scheduling. Seeking to go above and beyond at Bryant Medical, Inc. Types 105 WPM with zero errors. As volunteer bookkeeper at Jemsen County Animal Shelter, respond to 30+ professional emails per week. Commended by shelter director for professional attitude.

Entry-level secretary. Have worked as a volunteer bookkeeper at the Jemsen County Animal Shelter. Also worked at JC Penny as a retail associate. Skilled in MS Office and billing.

The first of those resume for secretary jobs examples shows secretary skills.

Expert Hint: Want another speed test to list on your resume for secretaries? There’s a great one at Official-Typing-Test.com.

3. Make a Professional Job Description and Skills Section

Here’s a tip about employers:

They skim most resumes.

They read a precious few with interest.

The difference?

The resumes employers like have job descriptions with the right skills.

To make yours count:

Look in the job ad for resume keywords.
Those are the exact resume skills you need to prove.
Take the time to think when you have used those skills.

These secretary resume examples show how:

The job ad wants these secretary skills: communication, scheduling, typing, collaboration, answering phone calls.

Secretary Manager Job Description for a Resume [Sample]

Experience

Secretary

Speering & Ashland Inc.

2014–2019

Performed secretarial duties in a busy construction business.
Contributed to 10% boost in customer loyalty through better communication.
Created office schedules and calendars, coordinating with 23 employees.
Typed and sent 5–20 daily reports and regular correspondences.
Collaborated with 15 vendors to place orders and manage inventory.
Fielded 30+ phone calls per day, answering questions and relaying messages.

Performed secretarial duties in a busy construction business.
Contributed to large boost in customer loyalty.
Typed and sent daily reports and regular correspondences.
Triaged daily emails, replying to easy issues, resolving complaints.

Handled data entry tasks.
Used automated reminder system.

Oh-oh.

One of those secretary resume samples has it all. The other lacks:

The skills from the job ad.
Numbers for scale.

What about a resume with no experience?

Find times you used the right skills.

These examples show right from wrong:

Let’s say the job ad wants these secretary skills: MS Office, answering phone calls, answering emails, efficiency.

Entry-Level Secretary Server Resume Sample [Experience]

Temp Secretary, 2019

Worked as temp secretary in 11 firms.
Used MS Office to write 40+ documents.
Answered 15+ client phone calls per day.

Team Member

JC Penney

2015–2018

Answered 10+ customer emails per day.
Recognized by 3 managers for efficiency and pleasant attitude.

Retail Associate

JC Penney

2015–2018

Stocked shelves, provided customer service.
Ran register during busy times.

Also worked as temp secretary for 3 months.

No contest.

One of those school secretary resume examples is hirable.

It proves every skill they asked for.

Here’s a list of secretary skills to get you going:

Secretary Skills for a Resume

Hard Skills	Soft Skills
MS Office	Communication
Ability to Write Documents	Courtesy
Scheduling	Professionalism
Managing Calendars	Interpersonal Skills
Fast Typist	Time Management
Data Entry	Adaptability
Customer Relationships	Collaboration
Taking Messages	Detail Oriented
Answering Emails	Self-Motivated
Inventory Management	Accuracy

Expert Hint: Don’t have enough skills for your entry-level secretary resume? Consider getting certified by the American Society of Administrative Professionals.

4. Turn Boring Education to a Reason to Hire You

Does the education section of your resume matter?

After all, you’re a secretary, not an architect or an accountant.

Well here’s the thing—

You can pack more skills into your education section.

That can make employers notice you.

This secretary resume example does it right:

Secretary Resume Template—Education

Education

BA, Liberal Arts, Bucknell University

2008–2012

Pursued a passion for bookkeeping study.
Excelled in writing and computer classes.
As volunteer student fundraiser, raised $20,000 through alumni calls.
Member, Campus Arts Board.

That shows bookkeeping, computer skills, and phone skills. Even the Arts Board membership shows teamwork.

Those all work great in a resume for secretary jobs.

5. Put “Other” Sections in Your Secretary Resume

There’s only one rule.

If you want the job, stand out.

But in a good way.

“Other” sections in your resume for secretaries can help.

Add one or two of these:

Associations (like ASAP)
Skills proficiency (typing speed, data entry speed, MS Office assessments)
Certifications (like First Aid or IAAP)
Volunteer work
Awards (employee of the month)
Classes you’ve taken
Additional activities
Fitness
Interests
Clubs or groups

These unit secretary resume examples show how:

Secretary Resume—Extra Sections

Skills Proficiency

Typing Speed: 105 WPM, zero errors.
MS Office: Scored 93%+ on 3 Wise Owl Training assessments.
10-Key Data Entry: 9,700 KPH.

Additional Activities

ASAP Member (American Society of Administrative Professionals)
Weekly spin classes for self-care

Volunteer Work

Bookkeeper, Jemsen County Animal Shelter
Perform monthly outreach for local Habitat for Humanity chapter.

Additional Activities

Cooking
Yodeling

Perfect.

The first of those secretary resume examples shows you’re a pro.

Finally—

Write a cover letter. They’ll read your resume for secretary jobs so much more carefully if you do.

Key Points

For a secretary resume that gets you hired:

Use the secretarial resume template up top. It stands out like a Herman Miller in a room of folding chairs.
Put secretary achievements in your objective, experience, and education.
Add secretary skills from the job posting to your bullet points.
Add some “other” sections to show passion and more skills.

Got questions on how to write great resumes for secretary jobs? Not sure how to show secretary on a resume? Leave a comment. We’ll be happy to reply!