Here are the keywords and skills that appear most frequently on recent Personal Assistant job postings. In other words, these are the most sought after skills by recruiters and hiring managers. Go to Sample Templates ↓ below to see how to include them on your resume.
Remember that every job is different. Instead of including all keywords on your resume, identify those that are most relevant to the job you're applying to. Use the free Targeted Resume tool to help with this.
Does your resume contain all the right skills? Paste in your resume in the AI Resume Scan ↓ section below and get an instant score.
Paste your resume below and our AI will identify which keywords are missing from your resume from the list above (and what you need to include). Including the right keywords will help you get past Applicant Tracking Systems (i.e. resume screeners) which may scan your resume for keywords to see if you're a match for the job.
Go through the Personal Assistant posting you're applying to, and identify hard skills the company is looking for. For example, skills like Personal Assistance, Microsoft Access and Office Administration are possible skills. These are skills you should try to include on your resume.
The following word cloud highlights the most popular keywords that appear on Personal Assistant job descriptions. The bigger the word, the more frequently it shows up on employer's job postings. If you have experience with these keywords, include them on your resume.
Here are common soft skills that appear on Personal Assistant job postings. Unlike hard skills, which refer to tools, software or techniques, soft skills focus on character traits and interpersonal skills. Instead of listing these phrases on your resume, try to show them through your bullet points like in the examples below.
Tip: Do not list these words or phrases on your resume, and instead focus on the hard skills we described above.
Here are examples of proven resumes in related jobs and industries, approved by experienced hiring managers. Use them as inspiration when you're writing your own resume. You can even download and edit the resume template in Google Docs.
Sometimes a CEO may require more personal assistance and will want to hire an executive assistant to directly support their needs. This position is the CEO’s primary resource, and must demonstrate deep administrative and organizational expertise to support the demands of the highest position in the company. When writing your CEO executive assistant resume, make sure to showcase your mastery of relevant skills, such as calendar management, hiring logistics, and event operations.
Different CEOs have different needs - for this position in particular, it’s important to read the job description carefully and even do some research of your own into the company’s CEO, given that their information is included. Make sure to include skills that tailor to the job posting. For example, if the executive travels often, emphasize your experience in making travel arrangements or serving as a travel assistant.
Use strong action verbs, accompanied with relevant metrics, to demonstrate skills that are relevant to supporting a CEO. Executive assistants to CEOs must wear a variety of hats and be quick on their feet. Use such verbs as “liaised”, “collaborated”, and “oversaw” to demonstrate such abilities.
A merchandising assistant keeps track of products and updates inventory records. They are responsible for developing and placing layouts, banners, or any visual items to attract clients. They can also answer customers’ questions and guide them through the store and help them find any product. Merchandising assistants are in charge of processing returned merchandise and restocking shelves when new products arrive. Since they’re directly connecting with clients, they can also conduct surveys and collect customers’ feedback.
This role requires a high level of responsibility as you will be monitoring the store’s merchandise, inventory, and appearance. Having experience in the retail industry is crucial to demonstrate you understand how to manage a store. In your resume, you should demonstrate your time management skills, your ability to follow directions, and your reliability.
You will be frequently using inventory management systems and monitoring products will be your daily task. That’s why it is crucial to mention your inventory management skills. Recruiters want to know you have strong attention to detail and reduce risks from errors in the inventory.
A chemistry lab assistant is someone who supports a senior-level scientist in running and monitoring experiments in a laboratory. They may work at a university, private company, or public company. Chemistry lab assistants conduct and oversee experiments that relate to chemical interactions, such as food grade testing. As a chemistry lab assistant, you will monitor safety standards within the lab, conduct research, record findings, and more. To become a chemistry lab assistant, you will need a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. Many master’s programs in chemistry and related fields might require lab assistant experience as a part of the educational program. You will need knowledge of lab safety, such as an OSHA certificate and/or a CCT (certified chemical technician) credential. Hiring managers will look for someone with scientific research experience. They will also look for someone with great attention to detail and developed organizational abilities.
It’s extremely important that a prospective chemistry lab assistant has a profound understanding of how to safely execute experiments in a lab setting. Therefore, you should highlight any certifications and experiences you have with following safety procedures.
Chemistry lab assistants must understand the scientific method and proper methodologies of research. It’s important to highlight any knowledge and experience you have researching, collecting data, writing reports and performing analysis on your resume.
As an Executive Assistant to the CEO, you're the right hand of the company's top player – a role both thrilling and demanding. This job requires a unique blend of administrative proficiency, business acumen, and outstanding people skills. Nowadays, CEOs look for individuals who can not only juggle schedules, but also participate in strategic decisions and represent them in critical situations. So, when drafting your resume, it needs to convey not just your organizational skills but also your ability to contribute to bigger business goals. In recent years, the role of Executive Assistant has seen a shift towards more strategic duties. Companies are now seeking Executive Assistants who can shoulder operational responsibilities as well. Your resume should thus reflect your ability to adapt to this evolving role and your willingness to take on these challenges.
CEOs nowadays require more than just administrative support. Showcase any strategic input you've offered in previous roles, like helping devise business plans or managing special projects. Prove you're a strategic partner, not just a schedule jockey.
As an Executive Assistant, you'll often find yourself managing the CEO's relationships with stakeholders and crisis situations. Include instances where you've successfully handled such scenarios. This will show you're capable of more than just managing a schedule and can represent the CEO efficiently.
This resume template is suitable for experienced hires or mid-level hires. The education contains two examples of an education experiences, but only include one (your most recent one) if you're a senior level employee.
It strikes the right balance between white space and content, and doesn't waste space on unnecessary images and icons. Remember, recruiters aren't looking at how creative you are when it comes to your template. Your content is core and should be the focus.
This job seeker uses resume bullet points that uses strong action verbs, and most importantly, contain numbers that demonstrate the significance of their accomplishments.
This template is clean, readable by resume screeners, and is effective at calling out key accomplishments and projects from specific work experiences. This would be useful if you have been at a company for a while, or been in a consulting-type of role, and want to point hiring managers to your most impressive accomplishments.
Action verbs are important on your resume are vital. They evoke strong imagery to your reader, and this resume does an excellent job by using words such as “spearheaded,” “managed,” and “drove.” These words will help you to put your achievements in perspective, in conjunction with measurable results. Use action verbs relating to the skills you want to highlight.
Many of your accomplishments will involve your responsibilities in your employer's high-level projects. Recruiters want to see what you’ve completed in previous roles -- such as the Operations Improvement Project and new iPhone app launch highlighted in this resume. The numbers make your experience real, rather than a vague “oversaw several teams for a project.” What did you do specifically? Be specific.
Some popular Personal Assistant hard skills are Office Administration, Personal Assistance, Microsoft Access, Administrative Assistance, Social Media, Event Planning, Event Management and Executive Administrative Assistance.
Depending on the job you apply to, skills like Project Management, Data Entry, Research, Calendaring and Coaching can also be good to include on your resume.
Popular skills we often see on resumes for Personal Assistant To Directors positions include:
In comparison, skills we see on Legal Personal Assistant resumes include:
Depending on the specific role you apply to, you may need to emphasize different skill sets. Here are a few examples:
Soft skills like Time Management, Organization Skills, Confidentiality, Negotiation and Teamwork are essential for Personal Assistant roles and jobs.
While the keywords above are a good indication of what skills you need on your resume, you should try to find additional keywords that are specific to the job. To do this, use the free Targeted Resume tool. It analyzes the job you are applying to and finds the most important keywords you need on your resume.
It is personalized to your resume, and is the best way to ensure your resume will pass the automated resume filters.
Thank you for the checklist! I realized I was making so many mistakes on my resume that I've now fixed. I'm much more confident in my resume now.
