Office and administration
Administrative Assistant Resume Example
This page shows a full resume for an administrative assistant with 7 years of experience in an engineering firm and a property management company. The assistant supports a division of 28 people with calendars, travel, expenses, and records. Use it as a guide for your own resume.
Under the example, you find summary examples for new and experienced assistants, and strong bullet points. You also find the skills, software, and certifications that employers ask for, and the keywords that applicant tracking systems (ATS) look for.
Updated
The job in numbers (US)
Below the median for all jobs.
- Administrative Assistant$47,540
- All jobs in the US$50,980
- Jobs
- 1,889,800 jobs (2025)
- Job outlook
- 6% decline (2025–35)
- Typical education
- High school diploma or equivalent
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook. Median pay: $47,540 per year (May 2025).
Full administrative assistant resume example
The example uses the free LaTeX template. The person, the employers, and the numbers are fictional.
Angela Chen
Administrative Assistant | Division Support, Travel, and Expenses
angela.chen@example.com · (555) 019-2468 · Charlotte, NC, US
Summary
Administrative assistant with 7 years of experience in a 120-person engineering firm and a property management company. Support a division of 28 people: manage 4 calendars, book 15–20 trips per month, and reconcile $40,000 in monthly expenses in SAP Concur. Cut office supply costs by 18% in one year. Certified Administrative Professional (CAP) and North Carolina notary public.
Experience
Civil engineering firm with 120 employees; supports a division of 28 people: 24 engineers, 3 managers, and a director.
- --Manage calendars for 3 managers and the division director; schedule 40–60 meetings per week across 3 time zones in Outlook and Teams.
- --Book 15–20 trips per month for field engineers and kept 2025 travel spend 9% under the annual budget of $180,000.
- --Reconcile $40,000 in monthly expense reports in SAP Concur; cut returned reports from 22% to 6% with a one-page checklist.
- --Moved 4,200 project files from shared drives to SharePoint with a new folder and naming standard in 3 months.
- --Coordinate onboarding for 6–9 new hires per year: equipment, building access, and the first-week schedule.
Property management company with 2,400 rental units and 45 employees.
- --Answered 60–80 calls per day from residents and vendors and logged maintenance requests in AppFolio within 15 minutes.
- --Processed 300–350 vendor invoices per month for approval and kept late payments under 2%.
- --Cut office supply costs by 18% in one year when 3 suppliers were replaced with 1 contract.
- --Prepared lease packets and move-in documents for 25–40 new residents per month.
Education
Skills
Certificates
How to write a administrative assistant resume summary
Write 3 or 4 sentences. Start with your title, your years of experience, and the type and size of the office. Then name the people that you support and your main tasks, with one number for each. End with a result and your certifications or software.
- 1Title and years of experience
- 2Setting and scope
- 3One result with a number
- 4Certifications or licenses
Administrative assistant with 7 years of experience in a 120-person engineering firm and a property management company. Support a division of 28 people: manage 4 calendars, book 15–20 trips per month, and reconcile $40,000 in monthly expenses in SAP Concur. Certified Administrative Professional (CAP).
Recent graduate with a certificate in office administration and 2 years of part-time work at a university front desk. Answered 50–70 calls and emails per day, scheduled 30 advising appointments per week, and kept a student records log in Excel. Types 60 words per minute; Microsoft Office Specialist in Word and Excel.
Former retail store supervisor with 5 years of experience, now moving to office administration. Made weekly schedules for 20 employees, prepared $15,000 in weekly cash deposits, and ordered stock from 12 vendors. Office administration certificate (2026); uses Excel, Outlook, and Google Workspace every day.
Administrative Assistant resume bullet points
Start each bullet with a verb. Write the volume of your work: calendars, meetings, calls, trips, or invoices per week or per month. Add one result when you have it, such as money saved, time saved, or fewer errors. Name the software in the bullet, because the reader looks for it.
Weak
Managed calendars.
Strong
Managed calendars for 3 managers and a division director; scheduled 40–60 meetings per week across 3 time zones.
Weak
Handled travel arrangements.
Strong
Booked 15–20 trips per month for field engineers and kept travel spend 9% under an annual budget of $180,000.
Weak
Did expense reports.
Strong
Reconciled $40,000 in monthly expense reports in SAP Concur; cut returned reports from 22% to 6% with a one-page checklist.
Weak
Answered phones and greeted visitors.
Strong
Answered 60–80 calls per day from residents and vendors and logged maintenance requests in AppFolio within 15 minutes.
Weak
Organized files.
Strong
Moved 4,200 project files from shared drives to SharePoint with a new folder and naming standard in 3 months.
Use only numbers that are true. If you do not know an exact number, give a range or a frequency, such as “10–15 per day”. Do not put the names or private details of patients, clients, or students in a bullet.
Skills for a administrative assistant resume
Job skills
- Calendar management
- Travel coordination
- Expense reporting
- Meeting and event planning
- Meeting minutes
- Records management
- Invoice processing
- Data entry
- Office supply ordering
- Business correspondence
People skills
- Clear written communication
- Discretion with confidential information
- Prioritization of urgent requests
- Attention to detail
- Polite phone and front desk manner
- Follow-up on open tasks
Software and tools
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Teams
- SharePoint
- Google Workspace
- Zoom
- SAP Concur
Certifications and licenses
Most administrative assistant jobs do not require a license or a certification. A certification is optional, but it can show your skill level to an employer. Write the full name, the abbreviation, the issuer, and the month you earned it. Put your typing speed in the skills section, not in certifications.
- Certified Administrative Professional (CAP)
- Optional. The International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) gives it. It is a well-known certification for office professionals.
- Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS)
- Optional. Microsoft gives it for one app at a time, such as Excel or Word. Write the app and the level, such as "MOS: Excel Associate".
- Notary public commission
- Optional. Some offices want an assistant who can notarize documents. Each state sets its own rules. Check the rules in your state.
- Software courses
- Optional. A short course in SharePoint, QuickBooks, or SAP Concur helps when the job posting names that software. Write the provider and the date.
ATS keywords for a administrative assistant resume
An applicant tracking system (ATS) is the software that employers use to collect and sort applications. Recruiters search it for words from the job posting. Job postings for this role often use the words below. Use a word only when it is true for you.
- calendar management
- scheduling
- travel arrangements
- expense reports
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft 365
- Excel
- Outlook
- data entry
- meeting minutes
- office management
- front desk
- records management
- confidentiality
- vendor management
- invoice processing
- SharePoint
- SAP Concur
- multitasking
Which of these words does your resume have? Paste a job description, and PDF CV shows the match.
Check your resumeTips for a administrative assistant resume
Write who you support and how many people
An assistant for one manager and an assistant for a team of 30 do different work. Write the number of people, their roles, and the size of the company. Put this in your summary and in the short line under each job title.
Name your software and what you do in it
Write each program that you use, such as Outlook, Excel, SharePoint, or SAP Concur. Say what you do in it, for example "build pivot tables in Excel" or "reconcile expense reports in SAP Concur". The words "proficient in Microsoft Office" alone tell a reader little.
Show money and time with numbers
Office work is easy to describe in general words. Use numbers instead: trips per month, invoices per month, or a budget that you managed. Add one result, such as lower supply costs or fewer returned expense reports.
Show that you protect confidential information
Many assistants handle payroll data, personnel files, or legal documents. Write one bullet that shows this work, such as "Prepare confidential personnel files for 28 employees". Do not put real names or sensitive details on the resume.
Use the layout to show your document skills
Most administrative assistant resumes fit on one page. Format your resume with the same care as a document for your manager: one font, even spacing, and aligned dates. A clean layout also shows the reader that you can format documents well. Use standard headings, so an ATS can read the file.
Frequently asked questions
How do I write an administrative assistant resume with no experience?
Use work where you organized people, money, or information, such as a front desk, retail, a school office, or volunteer work. Give numbers: calls per day, schedules that you made, or cash that you counted. Add your typing speed and the software that you know.
What skills should an administrative assistant put on a resume?
List the office skills that the job posting names, such as calendar management, travel booking, and expense reports. Add the software and what you do in it. Show soft skills, such as discretion and organization, as results in your bullets, not as adjectives.
Does an administrative assistant need a certification?
No. A certification is optional, and most employers hire without one. The Certified Administrative Professional (CAP) and Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certifications can help when you have little experience or apply for a more senior job.
What is the difference between an administrative assistant and an executive assistant resume?
An administrative assistant resume shows support for a group: a team, a department, or a whole office. Its numbers count the volume of the work, such as calendars, calls, trips, and invoices. To prepare for an executive assistant job, add the tasks that you do for the most senior person in your group, such as the director's travel.
Should I put my typing speed on my resume?
Yes, if the job posting asks for it or if your speed is high, such as 60 words per minute or more. Write it in the skills section with the number. Use a recent test result, because some employers test you again.
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