The most common starting point for most hiring decisions is a resume. Many employers demand a resume before agreeing to a face-to-face interview; as a result, resumes serve as calling cards for a person’s skills and experience. A good resume for administrative assistants is an opportunity to highlight not only relevant experience but also organizational skills. A basic administrative assistant resume should give the potential employer enough information to get a sense of work history and qualifications without being overwhelming.
A resume for an administrative assistant should always include a name and contact information. At the very least, include your address, phone number, and email address. Separate your personal and professional email accounts by creating an email account with a professional address. Not only will this help protect personal data, but it will also make you appear more professional. Employers are more likely to trust jane.doe@email.com than kittylover123@email.com because she is more professional and prepared.
The work history section of an administrative assistant resume should be prominently displayed. Include the job title, employer, dates of employment, and supervisor’s name. If space allows, a section listing job responsibilities can be helpful, but keep it simple and remove it if the page becomes too crowded. A resume should rarely be longer than one page, so only include relevant work experience if space is limited.
An administrative assistant resume should include a section for educational achievements in addition to work experience. This section can provide employers with information about an applicant’s educational background and notable degrees. Include the school you attended, the dates you were there, and the degree or certificate you earned. In most cases, an administrative assistant resume only lists high school, college, and graduate school education.
A resume’s skills section lists relevant knowledge and special training. Mastery of computer operating systems, customer service training, conflict management skills, foreign language abilities, typing speed, and familiarity with office equipment are all important to include in this section of the resume for administrative assistants. If an employment ad specifies desired qualifications, make sure to include those qualifications in the skills section.
A candidate for administrative assistant should include a few references for potential employees to contact. Adults, preferably former employers or coworkers, should provide these references. Friends or relatives with the same last name should not be used because their objectivity or knowledge of working skills can easily be questioned. References who are likely to give a negative review should not be included.
Any special awards an applicant has received for actions relevant to the position may be included. Employee of the month awards, graphic or computer skill awards, or any other special recognition for outstanding work can all be included. Make sure to only include relevant awards, and don’t worry if you don’t have anything suitable for this section. It’s uncommon, but it can help you make a good first impression on potential employers.
A resume’s layout and design can reveal a lot about an applicant’s organizational and computer skills. Many word processing programs provide free resume templates with sections that can be filled in with information. Make sure there are no spelling or grammatical errors, and that the copies print out legibly. A well-designed resume may not land you a job, but it will certainly get you noticed.