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Administrative Assistant Job Description: All Key Roles & Duties

7 min read · Updated on October 03, 2024

Use this Administrative Assistant job description to customize your resume

Administrative Assistants are often the unsung heroes of organized and efficient office environments. 

Not only do you have to understand operational processes, but you also have responsibilities for helping everyone get along. From fielding questions from staff members and internal stakeholders to clients and business partners, your communication skills have to be off the chart! All of that says nothing about your tech skills, bookkeeping acumen, and problem-solving abilities.

It can be hard to incorporate everything you know how to do into a resume to land an interview. You have to get keywords and phrases from an administrative assistant job description. 

By reviewing administrative assistant job description examples, you will be able to identify the technical and soft skills , credentials, and work experience that matter most to employers in your target field.

How to read an administrative assistant job description

Each part of the administrative assistant job description will give you a different set of details. Some companies will use a template, and some will write their administrative job description from scratch, but, for the most part, you can bet on the job descriptions having these sections:

A title: This will likely be the title you'll hold within their organization. It can simply state “Administrative Assistant” or “Executive Administrative Assistant” or be more complex like “HS&E Administrative Assistant.” 

An introduction: This is usually a paragraph that talks a bit about the company and what its plans are for the future.

Job summary: While you won't always see a job summary , it would be a short blurb about the position and key responsibilities. Pay attention to job summaries because the duties listed here will be the most important things the company is looking for. 

Job responsibilities: A bulleted list of things the company needs its next Administrative Assistant to do every day.

Qualifications: Here is where you'll find out how much education they want you to have and a list of critical soft skills . Don't overlook the importance of these soft skills, as they can be THE THING that helps you land an interview.

Working conditions: While many administrative assistant job descriptions will end with the qualifications section, some will include details about whether the role is full-time or part-time, plus other details about what to expect at the company.

Call to action: Usually just a simple line that tells you how to apply, either on the company's website or by emailing your resume to a person. 

It's important to note that these sections may or may not be labeled. Let's take a look at an administrative assistant job description. 

Administrative assistant job description:

Administrative assistant duties and responsibilities include providing administrative support to ensure efficient operation of the office. Supports managers and employees through a variety of tasks related to organization and communication. Administrative assistants are responsible for confidential and time sensitive material. Familiar with a variety of the field's concepts, practices, and procedures.

Ability to effectively communicate via phone and email, ensuring that all Administrative Assistant duties are completed accurately and delivered with high quality and in a timely manner. May direct and lead the work of others. Rely on experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals, and a wide degree of creativity and latitude is expected. Typically reports to a manager or head of a unit/department.

Administrative assistant responsibilities:

Answer and direct phone calls

Organize and schedule appointments and meetings

Maintain contact lists

Produce and distribute correspondence memos, letters, faxes, and forms

Assist in the preparation of regularly scheduled reports

Develop and maintain a filing system

Order office supplies

Book travel arrangements

Submit and reconcile expense reports

Provide general support to visitors

Provide information by answering questions and requests

Take dictation

Research and create presentations

Generate reports

Handle multiple projects

Prepare and monitor invoices

Develop administrative staff by providing information, educational opportunities, and experiential growth opportunities

Ensure operation of equipment by completing preventive maintenance requirements, calling for repairs, maintaining equipment inventories, evaluating new equipment and techniques

Maintain supplies inventory by checking stock to determine inventory level; anticipating needed supplies; placing and expediting orders for supplies; verifying receipt of supplies

Maintain professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops, reviewing professional publications, establishing personal networks, participating in professional societies

Contribute to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed

Carry out administrative duties such as filing, typing, copying, binding, scanning, etc.

Organize travel arrangements for senior managers

Write letters and emails on behalf of other office staff

Book conference calls, rooms, taxis, couriers, hotels, etc.  

Cover the reception desk when required

Maintain computer and manual filing systems

Handle sensitive information in a confidential manner

Take accurate minutes of meetings

Coordinate office procedures

Reply to email, telephone, or face-to-face inquiries

Develop and update administrative systems to make them more efficient

Resolve administrative problems

Receive, sort, and distribute the mail

Answer telephone calls and pass them on

Manage staff appointments

Oversee and supervise the work of junior staff

Maintain up-to-date employee holiday records

Coordinate repairs to office equipment

Greet and assist visitors to the office

Photocopy and print out documents on behalf of other colleagues

Provide polite and professional communication

Implement clerical duties and administrative processes

Conduct data entry

Confirm restaurant reservations for senior staff

A well-crafted resume skills section highlighting your relevant skills for an administrative assistant position will help your resume beat the applicant tracking system (ATS), which is the first step to getting your application noticed. Use the administrative assistant's top skills and proficiencies below to help you effectively write your resume.

Administrative assistant qualifications:

Proven admin or assistant experience

Knowledge of office management systems and procedures

Excellent time management skills and ability to multitask and prioritize work

Attention to detail and problem-solving skills

Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Strong organizational and planning skills

Proficient in MS Office

At least 7 years of experience in the field or in a related area

High school diploma or equivalent; college degree preferred

Administrative assistant skills & proficiencies:

Reporting Skills

Administrative Writing Skills

Proficiency in Microsoft Office

Professionalism

Problem-Solving

Supply Management

Inventory Control

Verbal Communication

Office Administration Procedures

Attention to Detail

Telephone Skills

Discretion and Judgment

Resourcefulness

Anticipates Needs

Emotional Intelligence

Flexibility

Editing and Proofreading

Microsoft Office Skills

Typing Skills

Tailor your resume

As you go through the administrative assistant job description, be sure to take note of how the company has written the skills and keywords. You'll want to use this exact language on your resume to help get past the ATS. On top of that, once you get past the ATS, the hiring manager will want to see that you've paid attention to what they need. So, by tailoring – or customizing – your resume to the specific job, you'll increase your chances of winning an interview. 

Use AI to Help

Though it's not recommended that you use an AI-generated resume by any means, that doesn't mean that AI can't be a helpful tool to help you craft and develop your Administrative Assistant resume. Use ChatGPT or a similar AI tool to research Administrative Assistant resume content examples and inspire what's best to include in yours.

Resume case study

Not sure how to incorporate all of this into your resume? See how we helped this executive assistant revamp her resume . By formatting the resume to include a strong qualifications summary at the beginning that highlights the skills called for in the job description, this admin assistant professional will stand out to hiring managers from the beginning. 

Job descriptions are your friend

Applying for a new job doesn't have to be a chore. If you leverage the details in the administrative assistant job description to collect skills and keywords to write your resume, you'll win the day. 

Want to double-check that you have all the right Administrative Assistant skills and keywords in your resume? Upload it for a free review from a resume-writing expert.

Recommended reading:

The Top 13 Jobs Skills Employers Want in 2021

How to Showcase Soft Skills on a Resume

Administrative Office Assistant Resume Example

Related Articles:

7 Signs Your Resume is Making You Look Old

Software Developer Top Needed Skills

How to Maximize Your Resume Action Words to Wow the Employer

See how your resume stacks up.

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15 Administrative Assistant Resume Examples for 2024

Administrative Assistant

Best for jobs requiring a traditional resume

A professional resume like this one communicates a more formal tone, but it’s unique enough to still leave a favorable first impression.

Resume Builder

Like this template? Customize this resume and make it your own with the help of our Al-powered suggestions, accent colors, and modern fonts.

• Administrative Assistant Resume
• Admin Assistant Resumes by Experience
• Admin Assistant Resumes by Role

Writing Your Admin Assistant Resume

Emma had spent the past few years working hard in NYC, building skills and qualifications as an administrative assistant, but one day she realized she really wanted to move back home to spend more time with her mom. Proud of her progress so far, Emma began looking online for jobs in her hometown and quickly realized she’d need to build a resume that reflected everything she’d learned.

“Where do I begin?” she stressed, whipping up a quick set of search results—including our useful resume tips , which caught her eye immediately. Thanks to her understanding of how to combine large and small tasks for peak organization, she was able to quickly develop a resume and generate a cover letter to impress!

With some determination and our hefty stock of administrative assistant resume examples at hand, soon you can be following up with your brand-new boss, just like Emma!

Administrative Assistant Resume Example

or download as PDF

Why this resume works

• Metrics are just numbers that provide evidence for your claims. They’re easy to read and great at demonstrating your abilities, so try to include numbers wherever you can.
• You can include how many people you collaborated with, how much you improved revenue, and how many staff calendars you managed, to name a few.
• Words like “Microsoft Office Suite,” “Quickbooks,” reporting,” and “organization” are great for assuring employers you’ve got the chops for your future administrative assistant role.

Senior Administrative Assistant Resume

• Luckily for you, there are many Word resume templates and Google Docs resume templates out there—just make sure you have a backup resume on hand in case the employer needs several copies with different layouts.
• Action verbs like “coordinated,” “prepared,” and “maintained” do an effective job demonstrating ownership within your senior administrative assistant resume .

Administrative Assistant II Resume

• Unlike a resume objective, a summary paragraph is a two-to-four-sentence overview of your achievements and successes in the field. 
• If your resume summary is strong enough, it can be the selling point of your entire resume, so it’s well worth spending extra time to make sure this section of your resume is perfect. 
• Focus on including a mixture of different types of metrics, including percentages, dollar values, and hard numbers (such as the number of executive schedules you managed, or the time you saved by streamlining invoicing systems).

Entry-Level Administrative Assistant Resume

• For example, did you lead a club? Volunteer somewhere? Complete a group project while in your classes? There are many options to showcase your leadership abilities!
• If you’re still working out  how to write a resume , just know it’s okay to include non-relevant work experience on your entry-level administrative assistant resume . No matter the role, it can still highlight soft skills like responsibility, time management, and document preparation.

Administrative Assistant No Experience Resume Example

• In your administrative assistant no experience resume, give precedence to achievements such as solving customer issues over the phone, boosting customer satisfaction, accelerating problem resolution, etc.

Administrative Specialist Resume

• Quantified accomplishments like “increased revenue from repeat clients by $32,984 per year” and “cataloged over 2,273 archived articles” are exactly what we’re talking about here. These are your ticket to showing potential employers the real impact of what you do, packed with more punch than the vague “boosted revenue.”

Administrative Support Resume Example

• Sure, branding yourself as a hard worker, team player, and organized sounds good at first glance. However, such claims are pretty much the go-to for every other candidate. To stand out, let your administrative support resume detail exactly how you’ve mastered essential tools and software—Think Dropbox, Trello, and Hubspot CRM, and provide specific examples of your expertise in action.

HR Administrative Assistant Resume

• Now’s the time to radiate a modern and fresh vibe with the Elegant template! Use colors that catch the eye of any reader at first sight. Next, secure the job by adding all the digital HR tools like BambooHR, JazzHR, and Google Workspace to stay ahead of the competition!

Construction Administrative Assistant Resume Example

• Flourish your construction administrative assistant resume with bullet points like “Managed site operations for a $10M+ infrastructure project” and “slashing misalignment errors by 13%” to highlight your ability to supervise large-scale projects and keep important metrics like misalignment errors at a minimum.

Real Estate Administrative Assistant Resume

• Draw attention to your abilities to solve client problems, streamline office operations, bring new business, and so on.

Executive Administrative Assistant Resume Example

• That’s where metrics come in! Include the number of people you worked with or the number of clients you assisted so employers know your experience.
• Change the font, color, and layout to match your preferences and content. Some templates allow for more work experience while others focus more on other sections, so choose accordingly.

Medical Administrative Assistant Resume

• We’d recommend  formatting your resume  using reverse-chronological order to show your most current role first. That way, your future employer sees your most relevant abilities.
• Include your specific experience verifying information, performing billing responsibilities, and recording data. 

Administrative Assistant/Receptionist Resume

• If you’re applying for a company with a casual culture, use vibrant colors, like pink and purple. If you’re applying to work as a criminal defense law firm receptionist, you’d better stick with more professional colors like navy or gray.
• The goal is always to catch an employer’s attention in a good way, and color is a bright, fun way to do that! Whatever color you choose is up to you, but consider your employer when picking out shades. 
• Hard skills (aka specific technical capabilities and training) are more valuable to highlight and easier to quantify, so include them when you can.
• Keywords like “bookkeeping,” “Asana,” and QuickBooks” are great examples of technical skills.

Administrative Coordinator Resume

• Resumes distill everything about you into one page, so you need to organize all your career details into clearly defined sections with headers.
• Make sure you include skills that can be relevant depending on what you read in the job description. For example, workspace management software is relatively universal, so if you’re already familiar with Google Workspace, you’ll likely adapt quickly to Microsoft Office Suite.

Administrative Associate Resume

• Here’s a tip: highlight your achievements in light of the  administrative assistant job description . Look for repeated keywords and phrases that match your experience, then include them on your resume.
• Want to include more skills but don’t know how? Try adding a  hobbies section to your resume  to highlight some of your abilities outside of work. Pick relevant pastimes that might interest the employer (and give you something to talk about during the interview).
• Instead of just saying, “collaborated with department staff to source job candidates,” try adding details like the total number of job candidates you hired, or the number of departments you worked with.

Related resume guides

• Front Desk Receptionist
• Office Assistant
• Receptionist

As an administrative assistant, you’re the person who keeps the day-to-day operations running smoothly. You’re trusted to act as the face of the company for visitors, and you understand the importance of organization. But you might not realize just how important it is to perfect your resume. Your resume is the first thing hiring managers will look at, so ensure it demonstrates your aptitude for the job.

In this section, we’ll dive into four of the main tips we have for improving your resume, including: 

• Administrative assistant skills
• Formatting your administrative assistant resume
• Quantifying your previous impact
• Customizing your resume for each job

1. Include your administrative assistant skills wisely

If you’re unfamiliar with how hiring managers filter applicants, you may be tempted to overlook the skills section on your administrative assistant resume. But, after learning about ATS, you’ll never make that mistake again.

Hiring managers use the ATS, or applicant tracking system software, to narrow their applicant pool. The ATS works by filtering keywords (usually in your skills section) on your resume and matching them to pre-selected words prioritized by recruiters.  Your resume will be rejected if you don’t have enough matching keywords.  

This system works well when there are a lot of job applicants, but it’s understandably a pain for you, the applicant, to deal with. That’s why it’s important to utilize a skills section that incorporates the right  resume skills . You can do this by focusing on the  administrative assistant job description .

Read this small excerpt from a job description and see if you can pick up on the most relevant skills for this particular administrative assistant job. Then, read ahead to see if your skills list resembles ours: 

Optics Fusion is a fast-growing company seeking a self-starter administrative assistant who can recognize tasks that need completion with minimal supervision. The ideal candidate will thrive on interacting with clients and the public while displaying a high degree of professionalism. Must be comfortable working in fast-paced environments and dividing attention between many day-to-day operational tasks. Computer-savvy assistants are encouraged to apply! 

Compare the list of skills you wrote down from this job description with ours :

• Scheduling and organization
• Communication
• Process automation
• Independent worker
• Detail-oriented
• Health insurance
• Computer software

The job you apply for may or may not have similar skill preferences, but there will typically be a common thread of recurring keywords.

Some of the following admin assistant skills will likely pop up in job descriptions:

• Microsoft Office
• Data analysis 
• Financial reporting
• Google Calendar 
• Answering calls
• Multi-tasking

2. Pick the best resume format

Like your skills section, your resume format is important for determining whether the ATS will properly read and file your resume. Aside from the ATS, formatting your resume properly will make it easier for recruiters to read your administrative assistant resume.

To this end, we suggest using  reverse-chronological formatting , with your most recent work experience listed at the top of your resume. This will help hiring managers quickly evaluate your most relevant and (likely most impressive) work.

These are a few other critical elements for your resume formatting:

• Page Length:  Keep your resume to  exactly  one page: no more and no less. 
• Bullet Points:  Bullet points are a useful tool to break up large pieces of text when you’re describing your work experience. Aside from making your resume more visually appealing, they’ll also make writing these sections much easier. 
• Icons/Images:  Have you considered adding icons or images to your resume? Don’t! Recruiters and the ATS both dislike them. 
• Job Title:  Customize your job title for every position to which you apply. It shows that you care enough about the position to put in the extra effort, and hiring managers will appreciate it. 
• Objective/Summary:  If you include one of these, you’ll want to ensure it’s customized (more on this in the next section).

Should you bother with a resume objective or summary?

You might notice that we just hinted that resume objectives and summary statements are optional. While it’s true that they’re not an essential element of an administrative assistant resume, there are a few specific circumstances when they might be helpful. Let’s demystify these optional sections and determine when to consider including one of them on your resume. 

A  resume objective  is a customized two to three-sentence opener typically included toward the top of your resume. In the visual example below, notice how the objective briefly covers the job title, the company name you’re applying to, and why you’re applying to the specific job. We recommend including an objective only if you’re just starting your career or transitioning to another field.

Let’s go over a few of these statements, including both poor and strong examples of each: 

• This is a poor example of an objective. It’s vague and doesn’t mention anything specific that would help the hiring manager. If you’re unwilling to customize your statement, you shouldn’t include an objective. 
• This objective is much better. It’s highly specific, mentioning years of experience, a particular job title, the company name, the candidate’s skills, and how they will contribute to the company. 
• This makes a horrible first impression. Note the misspelled words and abbreviations used. Remember: a good summary/objective can improve your chances of getting hired, and a bad one can do some damage. Do you think a hiring manager would want to hire this applicant?
• Do a little research on the job to which you’re applying. This applicant used their summary statement to demonstrate knowledge about the clinic they’re interested in working for, which hiring managers will appreciate. 

3. Measure your admin assistant work with metrics

Many admin assistant applicants tell us they find it difficult to write their resumes in a way that displays confidence and job capability. Often, the problem is that they’re not quantifying their job impact with metrics (numbers).  Metrics are the easiest way to provide measurable insight into your work performance . As an administrative assistant, there are many areas in which you can include numbers on your resume. Read below for some of the best ways to leverage metrics from your previous roles: 

• Number of people:  It’s a good idea to mention the size of the companies you’ve worked for, including staff size and customer base. 
• Efficiency improvements:  Have you streamlined policies or systems? Orchestrated the switch to a new type of admin software? Has your work saved a significant amount of time? 
• Scheduling:  How many meetings do you schedule per week? Of how many executive calendars are you in charge? Do you set up appointment reminders for clients, and, have these reminders reduced the rate of late/missed client meetings? 
• Billing:  Do you process customer/patient/insurance billing? If so, how much money are you charged with managing? Do you compile expense reports? 

Now that you’ve thought through areas of your job from which you can pull metrics, read through these sample work experience bullet points to get a little more inspiration:

• Met 95% of project deadlines by mitigating all engineering hurdles and roadblocks
• Provided remote troubleshooting to customers over the phone with a 90% success rate, resolving calls in less than 7 minutes
• Managed 3 essential projects that facilitated more than $5 million in annual revenue

4. Modify your resume for each admin assistant job

We’ve mentioned it a few times, but it’s so important we’ll repeat it:  you must customize your resume for each job to which you apply . After all, administrative assistants have widely varying job responsibilities, and you should take the extra step to best align your resume with the specific job for each application you submit. Fortunately, you don’t have to change your entire resume, but let’s go over the areas you should customize: 

• The objective/summary:  Without a doubt, if you include a resume objective or summary statement, you’ll need to customize it. Focus on highlighting relevant skills for the position, and mention the company name. One warning—always tailor this section before you submit your application. Please don’t be the person who forgets to change the company name before submitting it to multiple jobs!
• Skills:  Customize your skills section by referencing the job description. Usually, hiring managers are upfront about the desired skills required for the job. 
• Job description bullet points:  You can alter your job description bullet points to emphasize different types of administrative assistant jobs. For example, highlight your efficiency and time management for jobs that require multi-tasking and the ability to work in a hectic environment. Other positions, such as medical assistant jobs, may be more concerned about billing, policy compliance, and patient privacy. 

Administrative assistant resume

• Focus on covering key areas such as your computer and software literacy, customer relations, scheduling, financial reporting, billing, internal communication, and hiring. 
• If the job description mentions that some aspects are more important than others for the role, you can emphasize them more heavily. 

Entry-level admin assistant resume

• For example, you may want to highlight your ability to get along well with others, your organizational skills, and your ability to stay organized. 
• This savvy entry-level candidate absorbed excess white space with a metrics-packed internship.

Executive admin assistant resume

• Executive administrative assistants typically work on more complex, higher-stakes administrative issues. Demonstrate your increased work responsibility. 
• You need to format your executive resume using the reverse-chronological format, which will best showcase your career growth. 

Medical admin assistant resume

• Focus on highlighting your capacity to manage insurance billing and claims. 
• Do you have an understanding of electronic medical records (EMR)? If yes, you should consider including it on your resume. 
• Demonstrate your understanding of important skills for admin assistants specific to the medical field. 

Notice this applicant’s mention of keyword skills like HIPAA and EMR.

Senior admin assistant resume

• Ensure you showcase skills that set you apart from less experienced administrative assistants. 

Our parting advice for your admin assistant resume

You should be proud of yourself for taking your resume seriously! You’ve made it to the end of this guide, and you’re on the right path to creating your best, most professional administrative assistant resume yet!

Let’s review the four main tips we’ve covered in this guide as a quick recap.

We’ve discussed how to build your skills section, how to format your resume for the ATS, how you can add metrics, and why you should modify every administrative assistant resume you submit.

With these tips in mind, upload your resume to our free  resume checker  to see how your masterpiece can be improved with our AI-powered tips. If you’re thinking about starting your resume from scratch, try our  AI resume builder , where you can begin the process with built-in AI-powered tips and proper formatting.