Best Administrative Resume Examples for 2024 (Template & Guide)

Use This Example

Administrative Resume: Choose a Format

The first step in creating a winning resume for an administrative role is choosing a format. You want a format that shows your strengths and makes it easy for hiring managers to see what you bring.

There are three formats to consider for an administrative resume: chronological, functional or combination.

Chronological Resumes for Administrative Professionals

A chronological resume is an excellent choice if you have a solid work history in administrative roles. A chronological format lists your experience in reverse order, starting with your recent job. This approach helps hiring managers quickly see your career progression, making it easier for them to understand your qualifications.

One of the advantages of a chronological resume is that it’s easy for applicant tracking systems (ATS) to scan, which increases your chances of getting noticed. But if you have gaps in your work history or are just starting out, you might want to consider another format.

Use This Example

Functional Resumes for Administrative Professionals

A functional resume focuses on your skills instead of your work history, which makes it a good choice if you’re changing careers or have limited experience. Instead of listing job titles and dates, you organize your resume by skills, highlighting what you’re best at. For example, if you’re great at managing schedules and keeping everything organized, you would focus on those skills.

However, some hiring managers may wonder why you’re not emphasizing your work history. Functional formats are also incompatible with most ATS, which could hurt your chances of getting your resume past the initial screening phase.

Use This Example

Combination Resumes for Administrative Professionals

A combination resume merges the best parts of both chronological and functional formats. It allows you to showcase your skills while providing a brief overview of your work history. This format is handy if you’ve gained much experience but also want to highlight specific skills that make you perfect for the role. It’s a flexible option tailored to your needs, whether transitioning into a new role or wanting to showcase a balance of skills and experience.

However, this format can be tricky to organize, which could make your resume longer than ideal. If you choose a combination resume, staying focused on the most relevant information is essential.

Use This Example

Choosing a Resume Format

A chronological resume is always a safe bet when deciding which format to use for your administrative resume. This straightforward format gives hiring managers a clear picture of your career path. Chronological resumes are also ATS-friendly, meaning they are likelier to pass the initial resume screening process.

Even if you’re just starting, you can still use a chronological format by highlighting relevant experiences and transferable skills. If you’re worried that your experience doesn’t exactly match the role you’re applying for, you can customize your resume by focusing on transferable skills. For example, if you’ve worked in customer service but are applying for an administrative role, emphasize the organizational and communication skills you gained. Your previous jobs have given you valuable experience, even if they weren’t in an administrative role.

Use This Example

How to Write an Administrative Resume

Once you have chosen a resume format, the resume writing process is straightforward. Start by creating your resume outline. A resume for an administrative professional should include these essential sections:

• Contact Information
• Summary or Objective
• Work History
• Skills
• Education

Once you cover the basics, you can also consider some additional sections to fill out your resume. Each section of your resume should showcase what makes you an excellent fit for an administrative role. Don’t worry! This step-by-step resume-writing guide will show you how!

Use This Example

Contact Information

Your contact information is simple, but it’s one of the most important parts of your resume. You’ll want your name, city and state, phone number and email address to be easy to find so potential employers can contact you for an interview. You can also add your LinkedIn profile or a professional website if it’s relevant.

Here’s an example of a contact information section for an administrative resume:

Sarah Thompson
Austin, TX
(555) 987-6543
sarahthompson@email.com
LinkedIn.com/in/sarahthompson

Remember to check for typos and use a standard font so it is easy to read — the last thing you want is for a hiring manager to struggle to find how to reach you.

Use This Example

Summary or Objective

The introduction to your administrative resume should grab the reader’s attention immediately. You’ll want to include either a resume summary or an objective statement. A summary gives a quick overview of your experience and skills, while an objective focuses more on your career goals.

A resume summary works well if you’ve been working in administrative roles for a while and want to showcase your accomplishments and experience in the field.

For example, a resume summary for an administrative resume might say:

Experienced administrative professional with over five years of office management experience. Skilled in scheduling, document coordination, and executive support. Proven ability to improve office efficiency and reduce operational costs through proactive problem-solving and organization.

On the other hand, an objective statement is better if you’re new to the field or switching careers. It shows your ambition and what you hope to achieve in the role.

For example, an objective statement for an administrative resume might say:

Motivated administrative assistant seeking to apply strong organizational skills in a corporate setting. Seeking an opportunity to support executive teams and grow professionally in a dynamic office environment.

Whether you choose a summary or objective, remember to customize it for each job application. Using keywords from the job description can help your resume get noticed by the ATS and the hiring manager.

Use This Example

Work History

Your work history section is where you highlight your professional experience and accomplishments. This section should communicate the value you’ve brought to previous roles, making it easier for hiring managers to see how you could contribute to their organization.

Each entry should include your job title, the company’s name and location, and the dates you worked there. Beneath each job entry, use bullet points to outline your key responsibilities and accomplishments. To make your resume stand out, use strong action verbs like “managed,” “coordinated” and “implemented.” These words create a sense of proactivity and achievement.

Including measurable results is another effective way to catch the attention of hiring managers. Instead of saying you “handled schedules,” try saying something like, “managed executive calendars, increasing scheduling efficiency by 20%.” Quantifying your results with percentages, dollar amounts, or other metrics shows potential employers how effective you’ve been in previous roles.

Here’s an example of a job entry on an administrative professional’s resume:

Office Manager
ABC Corporation, San Diego, CA
January 2020 – Present

• Managed executive calendars, increasing scheduling efficiency by 20%.
• Coordinated company travel, negotiating deals that saved over $5,000 annually.
• Organized office events, improving team morale and collaboration.

Use This Example

Skills

A dedicated skills section is a key part of any administrative resume, giving potential employers a quick overview of your abilities. This section should highlight hard and soft skills that demonstrate you have what it takes to handle the demands of an administrative role. Hard skills are the technical abilities you’ve gained, while soft skills reflect the attributes that help you excel in the workplace.

For administrative roles, focus on listing skills that showcase your ability to manage office tasks, operate standard computer software, handle communications, and keep things running smoothly.

For inspiration, we have compiled a list of the top skills for an administrative resume:

Top 5 Hard Skills for Administrative Resumes

1. Microsoft Office Suite: Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook is essential for most administrative roles.
2. Data entry: Accuracy and speed in data entry are critical for maintaining records and handling databases, whether updating employee details, financial records or inventory lists.
3. Calendar management: Your ability to manage your calendar ensures that appointments are made on time and conflicts are avoided, keeping things organized and efficient.
4. Document filing systems: Organizing and maintaining physical or digital files is crucial to an administrative job.
5. Travel coordination: Administrative professionals are often tasked with organizing travel arrangements for executives and staff by booking flights, hotels and transportation and finding cost-effective solutions.

Use This Example

Top 5 Soft Skills for Administrative Resumes

1. Organization: From managing multiple projects to keeping track of important documents, your ability to stay organized ensures that tasks are completed efficiently and nothing slips through the cracks.
2. Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills are essential to ensure that information is conveyed clearly and professionally, keeping everyone on the same page.
3. Problem-solving: Whether resolving scheduling conflicts or handling an urgent request from management, problem-solving skills help keep everything on track and minimize disruptions.
4. Attention to detail: Administrative professionals must be meticulous in their work. Whether proofreading documents, entering data or managing schedules, even small mistakes can cause big problems.
5. Time management: Juggling multiple responsibilities is a daily part of administrative work. Time management skills help you prioritize tasks, meet deadlines, and ensure that projects are completed on time.

Here’s an example of how to format your skills on an administrative resume:

Skills

• Microsoft Office Suite
• Data Entry
• Calendar Management
• Organization
• Problem-Solving

Use This Example

Education

Your education section is an integral part of your administrative resume and shows hiring managers your academic background. For administrative roles, include your degree and the institution you attended, but it’s not necessary to include a graduation year. Including the year can reveal your age, which could lead to unconscious bias.

If you’ve taken relevant courses or earned certifications, this section is also a great place to mention them. However, you can create a separate, clearly labeled section highlighting any unique qualifications.

Here’s an example of an education section for an administrative resume:

Education

Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration
University of Nebraska

Use This Example

Additional Sections

Once you have the most essential information covered, adding optional sections to your resume can help you stand out from other candidates. These sections can showcase your unique qualifications and give employers a fuller picture of who you are as a candidate.

Some optional sections to consider for your resume are:

• Certifications
• Volunteer Experience
• Languages
• Awards & Recognition

Use This Example

Top Certifications for Administrative Professionals

Certifications can boost your administrative resume by demonstrating your expertise and commitment to professional development.

1. Certified Administrative Professional (CAP): This widely recognized certification proves your office management, communication, and technology skills.
2. Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS): Specializing in Microsoft Office products shows you’re proficient with essential office software, a must-have for most administrative roles.
3. Certified Office Manager (COM): A great way to show you have leadership and organizational skills.
4. Project Management Professional (PMP): This certification can show your ability to handle deadlines and lead teams if you manage projects in your role.
5. Professional in Human Resources (PHR): If your administrative role involves HR tasks, this certification can prove your expertise in managing personnel records and HR functions.

Use This Example

8 Tips for Writing an Administrative Resume

1. Use action verbs: When writing an administrative resume, action verbs make your experience more dynamic and engaging. Instead of saying “responsible for office tasks,” use verbs like “managed,” “organized” or “coordinated” to show what you accomplished clearly.
2. Quantify your achievements: Numbers help concretely demonstrate your value. Whenever possible, use specific figures to quantify your contributions. For example, if you managed schedules, you could say, “reduced scheduling conflicts by 15%” or “coordinated travel arrangements, saving $3,000 annually.”
3. Tailor your resume to the job: Each administrative role might require slightly different skills, so it’s essential to customize your resume for each job you apply for. Look at the job description and incorporate relevant keywords into your resume.
4. Keep it concise: Administrative resumes should be clear, concise, and easy to read. While it’s important to highlight your experience, avoid long-winded descriptions or irrelevant details. Stick to the key points that demonstrate your qualifications for the role.
5. Highlight your skills: A dedicated skills section helps hiring managers quickly see what you bring. Ensure that hard and soft skills are included, which are crucial for administrative roles, like proficiency in Microsoft Office, time management, and communication.
6. Use a clean format: The presentation of your resume matters just as much as the content. Ensure your resume has a clean, professional layout with plenty of white space. Use clear headings, bullet points, and consistent formatting for dates and job titles. A neat, well-organized resume is easier to read and gives the impression that you’re organized, a vital trait for an administrative role.
7. Customize your work history: Focus on the most relevant jobs and duties, particularly those that align with the administrative role you’re applying for. If you’re transitioning from another industry, highlight transferable skills like communication, organization and problem-solving that are valuable in any administrative position.
8. Focus on results: Instead of just listing your duties, show how your work contributed to the success of the office or department. For example, instead of saying “handled office communications,” you could say “streamlined office communication processes, reducing response times by 20%.” Highlighting your contributions demonstrates that you’re results-oriented and can positively impact the organization.