Competition is customary in the job market, and you can expect that there are many other people applying for the same job as you. Employers use resumes to select or narrow down their search for candidates suitable for a job opening. This is a clear representation of the importance of a resume. What is the work of an administrative assistant?
The wide range of duties and responsibilities allocated to such an occupation include; scheduling and organizing meetings, answering phone calls, coordinating office procedures, and oversight over junior staff, administrative duties, managing staff appointments, and many more. These responsibilities ensure the office is run in a coordinated and efficient manner.
An administrative assistant works to support the manager and the office staff through organization and communication. Therefore, for a person to be qualified for an administrative post, they must have a diverse set of skills. Since they interact directly with a lot of the workers and clients, effective communication is an example of such a quality important in an administrative assistant.
What are Resumes
A resume is a formally written document written by an applicant to show their professional qualification, in terms of experience, education, and skills, for a particular opening.
Submitting a resume shows your intention to apply for a job opening, and it introduces you to the employer as an applicant.
Free Resume Templates
Impact of a Well-Written Resume
A well-written resume improves your professional appeal to an employer and can be used to deduce some of your personality traits, like your ability to communicate in writing. Sometimes, that could be more important to the employer than other academic or experience qualifications. A resume has the power to secure you a job, but sometimes it encourages the employer to call you in for an interview.
Resume Vs. Cover Letter
A resume and a cover letter differ in that a resume highlights your professional background and skills that make you suitable for a job position. A cover letter is more about marketing yourself to the employer by getting them to know you a bit better through a letter. A resume is often an overview of your qualifications. A cover letter is a bit more detailed and personal.
Administrative Assistant Resume
Should you find that an administrative assistant position has opened up in a company you wish to work for or have seen an advert and want to apply because it feels you meet the requirements, a good resume will increase your chances. Therefore, writing an excellent resume should a priority to you.
Writing a Professional Administrative Assistance Resume
Here is a procedure you can follow if you want to come up with a resume covering all the relevant information:
Choose a format
The first decision you want to make is to decide the format you are to use. The type of format depends on a person’s level of education in the position they are applying for. One of the formats is the single-page chronological format.
It consists of the following:
- Your name and job title
- Contact information
- Resume summary
- Professional experience
- Education
- Skills
- Additional sections
Chronological resumes are moderately advantageous in that they are the easiest to scan for the Applicant Tracking Systems. This format is known to be versatile, and even in cases where an applicant does not have a lot of working experience, for example, a recent college graduate, one can rearrange the resume sections’ order to put the education section first. A simple, straightforward resume is easy to read and scan, something employers appreciate, and a single-page chronological format offers just that.
Follow specific resume sections
After selecting your format of choice, make sure you familiarize yourself with all the sections present in such a format. This helps you determine your starting point and the type of information that should be highlighted in these sections. Sections for a single-page chronological resume have been discussed in the format selection step above.
Highlight your education
The level of education you have attained should then follow. For an administrative assistant, it is likely a certification in a relevant course would be a requirement. Indicate the type of degree (or any other), schools attended, and the dates as applicable. The additional information you can add is the GPA, honors, relevant coursework, and any other.
Write your work experience
The professional experience you have acquired over the years then follows. This should be presented in chronological order. It is not a must that the experience be professional; other categories like volunteer work can also be included. Indicate the company, position, date you acquired this experience, then outline the duties and responsibilities you were in charge of.
Focus on your accomplishments
In cases where you have had the opportunity to participate in additional projects such as starting a business, or one you consider to be significant, it is important to point it out in a resume. This creates a level of uniqueness from other applicants. Achievements can also be in a position that you previously held. As much as possible, try to quantify where possible, for example, increased the monthly customers from 300 to 500, r in percentages.
Spotlight your soft and hard skills
Remember to indicate any job-related skills that the potential employer might be deemed relevant. Skills can be categorized as soft, hard, or technical skills; try to include at least one from each category. Avoid crowding the section by including non-essential skills; you can use a limit of at least ten skills. Such skills include;
Types 75 words per minute- This could be relevant to an administrative assistant position in that during meetings; one can be trusted to note down important details fast.
For Example:
- Uses Excel to create charts and graphs– in cases where an administrative assistant is expected to prepare presentations for clients or investors, this can come in handy. Also in duties such as monitoring office supplies purchases and consumption.
- Connects various computer hardware, including modems and projectors– Important in situations where the administrative assistant is to make presentations during staff meetings.
- Utilizes online meeting software- This is important for organizing and coordinating meetings between staff from different departments or branches of a company.
- Respects confidentiality– In any business, confidentiality is crucial as not all information, such as contract details, shared between management should be accessible to other employees. Respect for confidentiality is a desirable skill that can be taken to mean that the applicant can be trusted with crucial information.
- Conflict resolution– An administrative assistant should be able to coordinate junior employees in the absence of management if they are capable of resolving conflicts between employees without involving the manager; the more suitable they may be for that position.
- Promotes office morale– Every company requires its employees to conduct themselves in a certain way that allows smooth operation of activities; if an applicant can demonstrate this and be an example to others, the more suitable an employer would believe they are.
- Speaks English and Haitian Creole– Communication is an integral part of an administrative assistant job; if an applicant can do so in a formal language such as English and an additional language, the more fit they would appear for an administrative assistant job.
Administrative Assistant Resume Sample
Carroll Baggins
Administrative Assistant
(555) 4143-0088 | cbaggins5@yahoo.com | linkedin.com/in/carrollbaggins | Chicago, IL
PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
Dependable, results-driven, and efficient administrative assistant with 3 years of professional experience. A born leader who leads by example and takes accountability. Innovative in developing novel ways to optimize operations in the office. Saved the company $10000 annual losses by efficiently accounting for office supplies and inventory.
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT EXPERIENCE
Administrative Assistant | Greenfield Manufacturers | Chicago, IL | April 2018 – Present
• Provided administrative support to a 120-person headquarters office
• Worked in support of the sales and human resource departments
• Organized and coordinated weekly progress report meetings
• Manage meeting schedules and four conference room calendars for 10+ daily meetings
• Coordinated with the receptionist when reviewing customer satisfaction
• Prepared and presented PowerPoint presentations for employees and interns’ orientation when necessary
• Placed orders for the office’s weekly stationary
Key Achievements
• Increased the office holding capacity from 100 to 120 people by developing and implementing a new layout
• Oversaw the bi-annual internship program that involved 20 interns per year
ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE
Sales Agent | Beehive Motors | Chicago, IL | August 2015 – December 2017
EDUCATION & CERTIFICATIONS
BBA Management | Howton College | Chicago, IL | December 2014
TECHNICAL SKILLS
• Microsoft Office Suite
• Communication(written and verbal)
• Inventory control
• Time management
• Professionalism
• Attention to details
Things to Highlight
To improve the quality of your resume, you can consider various specific things to point out in detail while applying for an administrative assistant resume. They include:
Your specific work experience
Administrative skills are highly transferable regardless of which company you have worked for or hope to work for. Therefore, sometimes recruiters would appreciate it if you took the initiative to include additional details about your previous job duties.
Type of industry you have worked with
The type of industry you have worked in influences some aspects of running a business, such as type of technology, clientele, and routine activities in the office. The closer your last place is related to your potential new place of employment, the more suitable an employer would consider an applicant to be.
The company size
In most cases, the size of the company determines the number of employees, which as an administrative assistant, you interacted with and coordinated. A recruiter can use this to have an idea of your capabilities in the job. A huge staff roster, say 500 employees, can be demanding and in a case where you could cope with such proves you are capable of handling a more extensive roster.
The department you have supported
Since administrative assistants can be working to support different departments in large corporations, it is important to state which department you were working for. This will help the employer to decide which department they should allocate you in.
Compelling bullet points
Administrative assistant duties and responsibilities are usually consistent in most offices. However, rather than assume the recruiter knows what you were in charge of, you can indicate them using bullet points. Therefore, the bullets should give the recruiter more details when describing your duties and responsibilities in your previous position. This would help paint a clear picture of what your job entailed. You can do this by quantifying your duties by using metrics, numbers, or percentages.
Some Assistant Jobs and Their Resumes
Different occupations require different skills; however, some skills cut across different positions. Some of the different skills necessary per job are as follows:
Administrative assistant
An administrative assistant’s primary obligation is providing administrative support to management in an office. To carry out these duties, one has to be good in communication as they are to convey information from management to junior staff. Therefore skills such as communication, phone etiquette, prioritization, and organization would assist a person in such a position.
Data entry clerk assistant
A data entry clerk is in charge of entering and updating company data in a company database. Stored data is vital for future references; hence it needs to be accurate and in order. To perform these tasks efficiently, skills such as quick typing skills, computer savvy, organization, attention to detail, and thoroughness would ensure the right information is entered accordingly.
Executive assistant
An executive assistant carries out the same administrative support duties as an administrative assistant; they differ in that they are part of the senior staff assigned to a top executive. Executives are responsible for making crucial decisions within a company; they do so depending on the quality of information handled by their assistants. Therefore, skills such as attention to detail, organization, and professional discretion would increase an executive’s trust in their assistant.
Office assistant
An office assistant organizes and oversees clerical errands such as responding and filing mails, placing orders, and such. Skills such as effectiveness in written and verbal communication, time management, and organization would go a long way in occupying such a position.
Office manager assistant
An office manager is in charge of ensuring that the day-to-day operations in an office are run smoothly. An office manager is the leader of the office’s team of administrative staff. To handle such a group with individuals from different backgrounds and personalities, you require leadership, communication, relationship-building, and adaptability skills.
Receptionist
A receptionist acts as a link between the company and the public by answering phone calls and face-to-face attendance to clients. Since, in most cases, a receptionist is seen as the face of the company, they must have good communication to relay information to clients and visitors.
Handy Tips to Appear More Professional
To write an excellent administrative assistant resume, you can consider a few things to ensure you capture the recruiter’s attention.
They include:
Clear and simple headers
The header contains information such as your name, job title, and contact information. It should appear at the top of the resume and should be clear; you can choose to make it bold. The job title is important because it makes it easier to separate your administrative assistant application from any other positions advertised if you are pursuing a consistent path in your career. You can include a phrase like “Applying for the position of…”
Professional summary
A summary gives you a chance to market yourself by declaring your career objectives by demonstrating ways the position you are applying for fits in this picture. You can mention your work experience and education level, important soft skills, and how your experience can apply to this particular position. Remember to keep the summary informative and brief.
Never skip the education section
In almost any white-collar position, such as an administrative assistant, in today’s world, applicants are required to have a certain level of education as the bare minimum. Therefore, you should ensure to include this section; otherwise, you might be subject to disqualification by the recruiter just at the sight of your resume.
Easy to scan sections
The sections in your resume should be clearly defined. This makes the whole review process more straightforward and makes the resume more presentable. How can you make your resume easier to scan? By using the various editing techniques available such as underlining, bold lettering, inserting headings, and cantering headings.
Always proofread
Errors are unavoidable in writing, and once you have finished writing your resume, you should proofread to check for any grammatical errors, misspellings, or typos made. Errors in a resume can easily influence the employer to reject it. Since it is an avoidable situation, always go through your resume before submitting it.
Learn to beat the Applicant Tracking System (ATS)
Most employers are using the Applicant Tracking system to find suitable applicants for a job opening. Since this might be the deciding factor if you will get the job, you will want to customize your resume in a way that increases the chances of the employer noticing your resume. There are few ways to accomplish this, and one is by formatting your resume to be easier to scan as earlier discussed and the other using particular editing your resume to display the position duties listed by the employer. Besides these two techniques, you can incorporate keywords that are specific to an administrative assistant position adverts. Examples of such words include; administrative support, drafting emails, meeting coordination, scheduling, Microsoft Office Suite, filing, and many more.
Frequently Asked Questions
An administrative assistant resume should be at most one page. This is enough space to include all the relevant information, easy to scan, and saves the recruiter time, thus ensuring they go through all your information.
Different skills are required to carry out administrative duties effectively; these skills can be categorized into three basic groups, that is technical, human, and conceptual skills.
Conclusion
Despite the competitive nature found in administrative assistant job openings, a good resume can boost your chances of securing a job by giving you a competitive edge over other applicants. A resume is a chance for you to market yourself to an employer who most likely has never met you, and to give you the opportunity to work for them, you ought to have certain qualities and skills that would benefit their company. These are the requirements that you should research and write your resume to align with them. A well-written resume can be time-consuming; however, it is a worthy investment of your time. Once you have incorporated the information discussed in this article, you will find writing an administrative assistant resume is actually doable.
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