Administrative professionals are the real backbone of any organization. They are responsible for maintaining proper records of everything and anything happening in the company. Without them, organization would be in dire chaos or disarray. A career as an administrative assistant might not look like as a high-profile job, but these people are the heart of any organization. In addition to this, when you have enough experience under the belt, you can move to higher positions like assistant to senior executives or even become an office manager.
An administrative secretary gets a chance to work with various departments in a company as you go on becoming the point of contact for communication and handling schedules for clients as well as employees. Therefore, your role clearly is going to be mainly concerned with keeping the office activities on track. Hence, hiring managers are going to scrutinize your resume more deeply to make the right choice. The competition for this position might be cutthroat and the recruiters usually search for candidates whose organizational skills can keep the office work intact for next several years. If you are looking forward to impressing the hiring manager and get your interview scheduled, here are the tips to write administrative assistant resumes.
Use the correct format and contact details:
The very first thing recruiters notice is how you have written the document. Hence, select a simple chronological format which highlights your work history and stresses on the much-needed keywords. This format is most prevalent and easily understandable by hiring managers. Once the format has been fixed, ensure that the personal contact details are mentioned right at the beginning of the document. Cramming it in some corner or at the bottom of your resume means you are making the recruiter search for contact details when there is a high possibility of getting selected looking at those impressive accomplishments in the very first few seconds. Therefore, mention full name, residential address, contact number and a professional-looking email address at the top of your document.
Write a compelling career summary:
The next section you write, job objective or career summary would decide if the hiring manager continues to scan your resume or just brush it off. If you want him to take an interest in your application, make this section as an opening pitch to spark his curiosity in knowing your profile. To make the right impact, include things like how long you have been working as administrative assistant, main accomplishments, expertise and degree obtained. In addition to this, a line of appreciation from the past employers can be intriguing for the recruiter to pay attention to your application.
Highlight your skills
Every job has some basic prerequisites and skills that an employer wants to see in a deserving candidate. You might have an outgoing personality and are a proficient record keeper, but how will the hiring manager know this if it is not mentioned on the document. Writing keywords hiring managers want to see increases your chances of being shortlisted for an interview. Irrespective of whether you are starting fresh or have completed a few years in this domain, add specific words to show that you got the skills. Bifurcate the section into personality skills and administrative proficiency if needed. You can also add technical expertise to show why you are the best fit for the job.
Show off your accomplishments in the work history:
To back up the claims made in the career summary section, you need to demonstrate significant accomplishments in the employment history. Be selective and choosy while writing these bullet points and try not to mention daily responsibilities. Listing it in a bullet format and starting each sentence with an action verb can garner a recruiter's interest for initial interview, and you might receive a call at any moment. For instance, instead of writing 'Prepared various reports as per the need of the company', specifying it as ' Prepared 3 weekly reports for management by typing correspondence letters, emails, drafts, memos and minutes of the meeting for the firm' is much more lucrative and shows the type of work done. Including quantifiable achievements instills confidence in recruiters and displays your abilities to perform the required functions for the role.
Make your educational background clear:
Last but not the least, add an educational qualification section at the bottom of your resume. A minimum of associate degree or a 4 year bachelor's degree is usually required to apply for this profile. Mention your degree course, the university you did it from, the course completion year and GPA (optional). You can also include any other formal training received or classes taken under this section.
The other sections in your resume could be the certifications received for the advancement of your skills or personal interests if they are relevant to the profession. However, ensure that the resume has a good amount of white space and is not longer than maximum two pages. Writing lenghty documents can cause a hiring manager loose interest in your profile. Proofread and check for any silly mistakes that might have happened. Take the help of administrative assistant resume samples from different sectors, and draft a constructive resume.
Checkout our sample Administrative Assistant resumes below :