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As an entry-level administrative assistant, you will be able to get your feet wet in the world of operations and business management. Entry-level administrative assistants will quickly learn how to monitor and optimize day-to-day business practices. They may be responsible for cataloging paperwork, ensuring office facilities are in working order, answering general phone calls, providing support with training and onboarding, and more.
To land this role, you will need to show a strong interest in administrative work and superb organizational skills. Hiring managers will look for someone with a minimum of an associate’s degree in a related field. Since this is an entry-level role, a lengthy resume is not necessary. However, you should showcase work you’ve done at past jobs, internships, or in volunteer roles that required organizational skills, time management, and/or great people skills.
Given that this is an entry-level role, it’s a perfect opportunity for a recent graduate. To bolster your resume, be sure to highlight any projects or research you’ve completed relating to business efficiency, human resources, or operations, and what you learned from the coursework.
Certifications can help entry-level applicants stand out. There are many certifications that relate to administrative work, including the CAP (certified administrative professional) or the certified professional secretary credential. These courses can often be found online and adding these credentials to your resume can showcase your knowledge in the field.
Just like senior and executive-level administrative assistants, there are also entry-levels administrative assistant positions out there. Don’t worry if you don’t have administrative assistant work experience or if you’re looking to change careers — you should use your education and other related administrative experience to supplement it. You should also highlight relevant skills that are transferable to showcase previous experience with them in different environments.
Action verbs are important tools and phrasing is everything. Your resume should have powerful action verbs to bolster your accomplishments. Some excellent examples of action verbs in this resume template are “directed,” “oversaw,” “generated,” and “drafted.” We’ll also go into more detail about action verbs down below for more ideas.
You typically want to emphasize technical skills but that can be difficult for an administrative assistant position compared to a role like a project manager. In this resume, skills such as “customer service, “telephone reception,” and “data entry” are listed. The skills are implied in experience like “answered an average of 35 calls per day by addressing customer inquiries.”
As a team of hiring managers who have recruited for companies like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, we've seen thousands of resumes for entry-level administrative assistant positions. We know what makes a resume stand out and get noticed by recruiters. In this guide, we'll share our top tips for crafting a strong resume that will help you land your first administrative assistant job.
Employers want to see that you have the skills to keep their office running smoothly. Show them you're up to the task by emphasizing your organizational abilities:
Quantify your achievements whenever possible to give a clear picture of your capabilities.
A resume summary, also known as a professional summary or summary statement, is an optional section that appears at the top of your resume. It provides a brief overview of your professional background, skills, and qualifications relevant to the job you're applying for. While a summary is not required, it can be a valuable addition to your resume, especially if you're an entry-level administrative assistant with limited work experience or making a career change.
When writing your summary, focus on highlighting your most relevant skills and experiences that align with the job requirements. Avoid using an objective statement, which is outdated and focuses on what you want from the employer rather than what you can offer them. Instead, use your summary to showcase your value and make a strong case for why you're the best candidate for the position.
The work experience section is the heart of your resume. It's where you prove to employers that you have the right experience for the job. As an entry-level administrative assistant, you may not have years of experience in the field. However, you can still create a compelling work experience section by showcasing your relevant skills and accomplishments.
When describing your work experience, use strong action verbs that demonstrate your administrative skills. Some examples include:
By using industry-specific verbs, you show employers that you have the skills they're looking for in an administrative assistant.
Your education section is a key part of your entry level administrative assistant resume. It shows hiring managers that you have the necessary knowledge and skills for the job. In this section, we'll walk you through how to write an effective education section that will catch the attention of recruiters.
Your skills section is one of the most important parts of your entry level administrative assistant resume. It's where you showcase your most relevant abilities and qualifications for the job. To make your skills section stand out, you need to choose the right skills to highlight and present them in a clear, concise way.
In this guide, we'll walk you through the steps to create a compelling skills section that will catch the attention of hiring managers and help you land your dream job.
Here are examples of popular skills from Entry Level Administrative Assistant job descriptions that you can include on your resume.
This word cloud highlights the important keywords that appear on Entry Level Administrative Assistant job descriptions and resumes. The bigger the word, the more frequently it appears on job postings, and the more likely you should include it in your resume.
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