How to Write a Resume for an Administrative Assistant

An Administrative Assistant is the organizational backbone of an office, supporting executives, teams, and customers with scheduling, communication, documentation, and day-to-day operations. Because this role touches almost every part of a business, employers are selective about who they hire. A well-crafted, tailored Administrative Assistant resume shows that you are detail-oriented, reliable, and able to keep the office running smoothly.

This guide will walk you through exactly how to write a strong Administrative Assistant resume, from must-have skills and formatting tips to job-specific strategies that help you stand out.

Key Skills for an Administrative Assistant Resume

Your resume should clearly highlight both hard skills (technical and job-specific) and soft skills (personal and interpersonal) that prove you can handle a fast-paced, detail-heavy role.

Essential Hard Skills

• Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
• Calendar and email management (Outlook, Google Workspace)
• Data entry and database management
• Document preparation and formatting
• Meeting and travel coordination
• Office equipment operation (printers, scanners, copiers)
• File organization (digital and physical)
• Basic bookkeeping or invoicing (QuickBooks, Excel)
• Customer service and front desk operations
• Records management and compliance (where applicable)

Essential Soft Skills

• Attention to detail
• Time management and prioritization
• Written and verbal communication
• Professionalism and discretion
• Multitasking and adaptability
• Problem-solving and resourcefulness
• Teamwork and collaboration
• Organization and planning
• Customer and client focus
• Dependability and initiative

In your resume, do not just list these skills—demonstrate them through your work experience, achievements, and specific examples.

Formatting Tips for an Administrative Assistant Resume

Administrative Assistants are expected to produce polished, error-free documents. Your resume is the first sample of your work. It should be clean, professional, and easy to scan.

Overall Layout

• Length: Aim for one page if you have under 10 years of experience; two pages may be acceptable for more extensive experience.
• Margins: Use standard margins (0.75–1 inch) for readability.
• Sections: Common sections include Header, Summary, Skills, Experience, Education, and optionally Certifications or Tools.
• Alignment: Left-align body text; use consistent spacing between sections.

Fonts and Styling

• Font type: Use professional, easy-to-read fonts such as Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, or Times New Roman.
• Font size: 10–12 pt for body text; 12–14 pt for headings.
• Styling: Use bold for section headers and job titles; avoid underlining and heavy italics.
• Color: Stick to black text on white background; a single accent color for headings is acceptable but not necessary.

Key Resume Sections

Header

• Include your full name, city and state, phone number, professional email, and LinkedIn profile (if up to date).
• Avoid using nicknames or unprofessional email addresses.

Professional Summary

Write a 2–4 sentence summary that highlights your years of experience, key strengths, and the type of environment you excel in. Tailor this to each job posting.

Example:

Detail-oriented Administrative Assistant with 5+ years of experience supporting senior executives in fast-paced corporate environments. Skilled in calendar management, meeting coordination, and creating polished reports and presentations. Known for exceptional communication, strong follow-through, and improving office efficiency through better processes and organization.

Experience

• List roles in reverse chronological order (most recent first).
• Include job title, company name, location, and dates of employment.
• Use bullet points to describe your responsibilities and achievements, starting each bullet with a strong action verb.
• Quantify results whenever possible (e.g., “Managed a 10-person executive team’s calendars,” “Reduced supply costs by 15%”).

Education

• Include your highest level of education: degree or diploma, school name, and graduation year (optional if older).
• For early-career candidates, include relevant coursework, honors, or activities.

Skills and Tools

• Create a concise skills section that lists your top technical skills and tools (e.g., MS Office, Google Workspace, CRM systems, scheduling software).
• Group related tools together to avoid clutter.

Highlighting Office Operations & Process Efficiency

Administrative Assistants are often the unofficial “process managers” of an office. Showing how you improve efficiency and keep operations running smoothly will set you apart.

Show Your Impact on Office Efficiency

• Describe how you streamlined or improved processes, such as filing systems, scheduling workflows, or communication channels.
• Quantify your impact where possible:
  • “Implemented a new digital filing system that reduced document retrieval time by 30%.”
  • “Coordinated meeting schedules to reduce conflicts, increasing on-time meeting starts by 20%.”
• Highlight experience with office management tasks, such as ordering supplies, handling vendor relationships, or managing office budgets.

Emphasize Coordination and Follow-Through

• Show how you manage multiple priorities:
  • “Coordinated travel for 5 executives, including flights, hotels, and itineraries, while managing daily office tasks.”
• Mention tools that support your coordination work, like scheduling platforms, project management tools, or shared calendars.
• Include examples that demonstrate reliability and follow-through, such as consistently meeting deadlines or supporting time-sensitive projects.

Showcasing Communication & Stakeholder Support

Administrative Assistants interact with executives, coworkers, clients, and vendors every day. Your resume should demonstrate your ability to communicate clearly and represent the organization professionally.

Demonstrate Professional Communication

• Include bullet points that show you:
  • Drafted or edited emails, letters, and reports.
  • Created presentations or meeting materials.
  • Answered phones and greeted visitors with a professional demeanor.
• Use phrases like:
  • “Prepared and proofread correspondence, reports, and meeting minutes for accuracy and clarity.”
  • “Served as first point of contact for clients, resolving inquiries and routing calls to appropriate staff.”

Show How You Support Leaders and Teams

• Highlight experience supporting executives, managers, or teams:
  • “Provided administrative support to the Director of Operations and a team of 12 staff.”
  • “Coordinated cross-departmental meetings and tracked action items.”
• Emphasize discretion and confidentiality when relevant, especially if you handled sensitive information.
• Mention any experience training new staff, onboarding employees, or documenting procedures.

Tailoring Strategies for Administrative Assistant Resumes

To stand out, your resume should be tailored to each job description. Administrative Assistant roles can vary widely between industries and companies, so customization is critical.

Analyze the Job Description

• Highlight keywords related to:
  • Tools and software (e.g., Outlook, Salesforce, QuickBooks).
  • Responsibilities (e.g., “calendar management,” “meeting coordination,” “travel arrangements”).
  • Soft skills (e.g., “detail-oriented,” “customer-focused,” “self-starter”).
• Note any industry-specific terms (e.g., legal, medical, real estate, finance) and mirror that language when it matches your experience.

Align Your Summary and Skills Section

• Update your Professional Summary to echo the employer’s top priorities:
  • If the job focuses on executive support, highlight that experience.
  • If the job emphasizes customer service, bring that to the forefront.
• Reorder your skills so the most relevant ones appear first.

Reframe Experience with Relevant Examples

• Adjust bullet points to match the language and focus of the job posting:
  • Original: “Answered phones and scheduled appointments.”
  • Tailored: “Managed multi-line phone system and scheduled 40+ client appointments per week using Outlook.”
• Emphasize experience that closely matches the listed responsibilities, even if it was a smaller part of your previous role.
• For career changers, highlight transferable skills such as customer service, organization, scheduling, and documentation.

Common Mistakes on Administrative Assistant Resumes

A strong Administrative Assistant resume must be error-free and focused. Avoid these common pitfalls that can cost you interviews.

1. Typos and Formatting Errors

• As an Administrative Assistant, attention to detail is non-negotiable. Typos, inconsistent spacing, or formatting issues can be immediate red flags.
• Proofread multiple times, and consider having someone else review your resume.

2. Vague, Generic Bullet Points

• Avoid generic statements like “Responsible for administrative tasks.”
• Instead, be specific and results-oriented:
  • “Coordinated calendars for 3 executives, scheduling 20–30 meetings per week.”
  • “Maintained inventory and ordered supplies, preventing stockouts and staying within budget.”

3. Overloading with Duties Instead of Achievements

• Listing every task you performed can make your resume long and dull.
• Focus on achievements and improvements:
  • “Reduced average response time to customer inquiries by 25% by implementing a tracking spreadsheet.”

4. Ignoring Industry or Role Specifics

• Administrative roles differ in medical, legal, corporate, nonprofit, or education settings.
• Include any industry-specific systems, terminology, or compliance knowledge that applies to the role you are targeting.

5. Using an Unprofessional Email or Style

• Use a professional email address based on your name, not nicknames or personal phrases.
• Keep the tone and style of your resume professional, clear, and straightforward.

6. Leaving Out Technology Skills

• Employers expect Administrative Assistants to be comfortable with technology.
• Do not forget to list software, platforms, and tools you use regularly, especially if they are mentioned in the job posting.

Final Thoughts

A strong Administrative Assistant resume clearly shows that you can keep an office organized, support leaders and teams, and communicate professionally with stakeholders. Focus on clarity, professionalism, and concrete examples of how you have improved efficiency, supported operations, and contributed to a positive work environment.

By highlighting the right skills, tailoring your resume to each job, and avoiding common mistakes, you will present yourself as a reliable, capable Administrative Assistant who can make an immediate impact.