Executive Assistant Resume Examples, Skills, and Keywords
Executive assistants, as an integral part of any office, master many important skills throughout their careers—but how do you represent those skills on your resume? As you will see on these executive assistant resume examples, finding ways to showcase your skills on your resume is an important step to landing a job.
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Executive Assistant Resume Sample
Writing an executive assistant resume that recruiters notice does not have to be a complicated process. With the proper formatting and wording, you can accurately communicate your assistant experience and highlight organization, attention to detail, and management skills. Crafting a resume that highlights your strengths as an executive assistant makes you an impressive candidate whether you are networking or applying for a new position.
An effective resume should begin with a name and contact information. Including a well-written headline can grab a recruiter’s attention, too. A skills section should include key executive assistant skills that reflect the job posting and brief descriptions of how they fit into your executive assistant background. These skills clarify your expertise and show you have both the technical know-how and essential soft skills.
The experience section is the bulk of your resume. It will detail both the job titles you have held and what you have contributed to other companies. Be sure to include the company, job location, title, and start and end dates. Brief bullet points or sentences about what you accomplished during your time in the role should follow this information.
Depending on the job and your experience, sections such as education, certifications, awards, and volunteer experience can go at the bottom. If you have recently graduated college, your education section goes above your work experience and should be more detailed.
Below are executive assistant resume samples that demonstrate the candidate’s skills and experience in the best light.
Atlanta, Georgia • (555) 555-1234 • jamesbryan@email.com • linkedin.com/in/j-bryan
Executive Assistant
Administrative leader with 20+ years’ broad-ranging experience providing executive support across legal, hospitality, healthcare, and real estate industries. Highly organized and detail-oriented, with a proven ability to manage business office functions, provide executive-level support, and facilitate smooth operations and successful project deliverables. Thrives on diverse challenges and maintains confidentiality, tact, and diplomacy when handling sensitive issue resolution.
C-Level Relationships | Executive Support | Leadership | Office Management | Process Improvement Board of Directors Meetings | Calendar Management | Scheduling | Global Travel Coordination | Budget & Expense Reports | Business Acumen | Legal Administration | Risk Management | Business Correspondence | Communication | Regulatory Compliance | Confidentiality
Support the owner and CEO of Skinny IT and Fireracker. Act as ‘gatekeeper’, creating win-win situations for direct access to the CEO’s time and office.
- Manage and coordinate multiple extremely active calendars concurrently and ensure schedules are followed and respected
- Serve as Office Manager; supervise the Receptionist, order and maintain office supplies and inventory, write and edit business correspondence, and create and organize confidential files
- Collaborate closely with VP of Finance and VP of Vendor Management on CEO-directed projects
- Charged with implementing a corporate credit card program and corporate travel program
- Provide subject matter expertise to Human Resources (HR) and Legal departments on employee-related matters and training; coordinate all details and catering for employee meetings
- Support the CEO’s multiple other non-IT businesses (fast-food, hair salon, and children’s entertainment); assist with all business aspects from start to finish
Provided executive support to the CEO, CFO, 2 other C-Level Executives and their 4 direct reports (SVP’s and VP’s), and the Board of Directors. Also served as department Office Manager.
- Performed heavy calendar management of numerous calendars, processed all expense reports, and made all domestic and international travel arrangements
- Assisted with Board of Directors meetings and events, coordinated all executive meetings (in-house and away), and oversaw meeting preparation
- Maintained and updated Salesforce database (via Salesforce website or Cirrus Insight); conducted hospital and healthcare research via Definitive Healthcare website
Contract work assisting C-Level Executives and their families by maintaining their busy calendars and travel arrangements (domestic and international).
- Maintained office supplies and served as Office Manager.
- Processed expense reports, set up all meetings and catering, performed event planning, assisted with Board of Directors meetings, and supervised Administrative Assistants
- Worked directly with Human Resources in the onboarding of all new employees
Why this resume works
Executive Assistant Resume Skills and Keywords
Employers are always looking for executive assistants with strong communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills. However, it does not matter how qualified you are for the position if your resume does not accurately represent your abilities.
When crafting an executive assistant resume—or any resume—keywords are a great way to show your positive traits and your ability to keep an office running. Keywords on a resume are specific terms that recruiters are searching for, either when they are skimming resumes or searching through the applicant tracking system (ATS). The applicant tracking system is a software system specifically created to filter candidates based on keywords.
For an executive assistant, resume keywords should reflect your technical industry knowledge—such as administrative assistance, management, and technology. It should also show interpersonal soft skills that come in handy, such as communication or attention to detail. Including executive assistant resume keywords that capture your skills in relation to the job description greatly improves your chance of getting your resume noticed.
The best way to optimize for the ATS is to customize your resume with keywords for each job. Sometimes, different jobs will require synonyms of the same skills, so it is important to read the descriptions carefully. These keywords can easily fit in your skills section. Below are some of the top executive assistant resume skills.
Top Executive Assistant Resume Skills
- Administrative Support
- Administrative Assistance
- Clerical Support
- Correspondence
- Customer Service
- Database Management
- Editing and Proofreading
- Excel
- Filing
- High School DIploma
- Microsoft Office
- Phone Etiquette
- Policies
- Scheduling
- Technology
- Travel Arrangements
- Attention to Detail
- Communication
- Coordination
- Discretion
- Flexible
- Management
- Multi-tasking
- Organizational Skills
- Prioritizing
- Problem Solving
- Resourcefulness
- Time Management
- Verbal and Written Communication
- Vision
- Works Independently
Along with keeping the proper formatting and keywords in mind, there are some additional ways to make your resume stand out.
Tip # 1: Focus on outcomes of your past experience as an assistant
The best way to approach your experience section is by discussing the outcomes of your work as an executive assistant. Finding measurable results and accomplishments from your previous positions is much more powerful than listing your daily duties. Using percentages or monetary values will emphasize your achievements. For example, “established new database system, saving the company $2,000 per year” sounds more impressive than “responsible for a new database.”
Tip # 2: Convey your executive assistant achievements with action verbs
An action verb, followed by a description of the accomplishment and the quantifiable outcome, makes an eye-catching statement. For example, instead of “was responsible for,” try “executed.” Alternatively, vague words such as “handled” can be replaced by more impactful terms such as “established.” Some more powerful action verbs for executive assistants are:
- Arrange
- Assist
- Coordinate
- Correspond
- Delegate
- Distribute
- Establish
- Generate
- Operate
- Oversee
- Publicize
- Record
- Schedule
Tip # 3: Emphasize your office management skills
Management skills are important for executive assistants to have. Therefore, a strong background in management will make your resume stand out and shows you are a versatile and capable candidate. Tailor your more recent assistant positions to focus on management skills by discussing the teams you managed and what they were able to accomplish. For your earlier positions, focus on the industry or technical knowledge you gained.
Tip # 4: Keep sentences short to showcase your qualifications as an assistant
Because recruiters often skim resumes, keep your sentences or bullet points brief and focused. It will be easier to read and your skills will stand out. Stick to action verbs, keywords, and outcomes to concisely show your qualifications. Your most recent positions can be more detailed, while older positions or other sections of your resume can be briefer.
Tip # 5: Show your executive assistant career progress
Use your resume to tell the story of how your responsibilities and knowledge have increased as your career has progressed. Showing the arc of your career as an executive assistant demonstrates to recruiters that you are focused on growth. You can draw attention and go into detail for your most relevant experience, leaving off or including less information for your older or less relevant positions.
