You’ve gone through the online job boards and highlighted the administrative assistant positions that seem most appealing to you. What’s the next step?
Customizing your resume for the job you want!
Remember, the resume is like an advertisement for you. Its purpose is to impress HR staff with your unique skills, knowledge and experience. Whether you’re modest or outgoing by nature, this is the one place where you really want to blow your own horn.
Your goal is to be noticed and that can only happen with a well-written and clearly formatted resume.
There are three generally accepted types of resumes: (1) chronological – listing your work history in reverse chronological order; (2) functional – emphasizing what you’ve learned and the skills you possess; and (3) combination style – combining the best of #1 and #2. In most cases, a combination style resume is considered the most marketable and effective format for an administrative assistant resume.
The combination style resume opens with career summary (also known as a qualifications or skills summary). This is the place to highlight your strongest credentials for the position. This includes key skills, areas of expertise, specific achievements and related training – everything that will likely catch the eye of the hiring manager.
The people in charge of hiring are looking for a results-oriented individual to call for an interview. Make sure your summary focuses on what you achieved while working in the related position.
The next part of the resume should focus on your work experience, starting with your most recent job first. After naming your employer, list your experience in various administrative assistant capacities, everything from administrative support to purchasing, organizational reporting and scheduling/event planning. Be concise but clear in describing what you achieved in the position (generally, no more than 5-6 statements per position). Remember – this is no place for modesty!
Other resume essentials:
- Education
- Oral and written skills
- Computer knowledge
- Training
- Professional affiliations
Be sure to proofread what you’ve written and then proofread again, just to be sure. Nothing kills a hiring manager’s interest like typos and sloppy formatting and language.
Crafting and formatting the right resume may take some time and effort, but it’s worth it to land an interview with the right company. Good luck!
High Profile specializes in placing job-seekers in administrative positions, including Administrative Assistant, Executive Assistant, Personal Assistant and Project Administrator. Find out more!