Executive Assistants help top executives with their everyday activities to ensure they make the best use of their time by handling their administrative tasks.
Being a personal or executive assistant requires just the right combination of people skills, time management, responsiveness, proactivity and assertiveness to excel in the role.
The job includes juggling phone calls, meeting organization, travel arrangements, emails and communication with a number of stakeholders.
So, if you are about to apply for this position, you need an executive assistant resume that reflects all the superpowers they are looking for, including:
amazing written and verbal communication
top-notch organization skills
high accuracy and attention to detail
strong problem solving skills
Read on to learn how to create a resume that puts you in the top 1% of applicants in any pool, even when all resumes come from highly qualified professionals.
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How to write a perfect resume for an executive assistant position?
To stand out among other executive assistants, every word you include in your resume needs to display your eloquence and effective communication.
Also, you need to organize and structure your content in a compelling and easy-to-follow way. Having a crammed, labyrinth-like resume will make employers doubt your ability to structure information, which will consequently lead them to questioning your organization skills too.
And of course, there is no room for mistakes. This job requires an eye for details, so your resume must be 100% typo-free. Otherwise, it will immediately end in the ‘no’ pile.
Simply put, you need to have a top-notch resume that stands out from the pile of other impeccable resumes. In other words, your resume needs to be nothing less than perfect.
We’ve created this step-by-step guide to help you create such a resume!
In the next 10-15 minutes, you’ll learn how to:
Overall, with this guide, you'll be able to create an executive assistant resume that stands out from other qualified candidates and gets you hired.
Without further ado, let's get into it!
What do executive assistants do?
Let's start from the basics - understanding what exactly executive assistants do.
Executive assistants are in charge of all sorts of administrative tasks like handling calendar management, scheduling meetings, preparing PowerPoint presentations, managing confidential correspondence, coordinating travel plans, and more.
A good executive assistant knows how their boss's workday looks, and how they can better organize their time for them.
Executive assistants know how to take over and handle administrative duties from busy executives - that's why executives need and love having them!
Why are job descriptions important when writing a resume?
Tailored resumes are the best resumes.
We'd even go as far to say that the tailored resumes are the only ones that succeed in getting to the top 1% of all applicants in any pool.
And to write a tailored resume, you need to match its content with the job requirements specified in the job description. Considering this, a job description holds the key to a successful application.
The more your resume matches the job's criteria, the better.
Let's have a look at a sample job description of an executive assistant, so you'll know what to put into your resume!
Executive assistant job description example
Job Title: Executive Assistant
As part of our C-suite business unit, you will be providing:
Day-to-day administrative assistance to CEO and office staff.
Ensure the efficient operation of the office, including scheduling appointments, maintaining calendars, coordinating travel arrangements.
Plan and coordinate large-scale business events, including conferences, seminars, and offsite entertainment.
Job Requirements:
Education: Bachelor's degree in business administration or related field preferred.
Experience: 3+ years of administrative support experience required.
Skills: Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite, especially Word and Excel; must be detail-oriented, organized, and able to handle multiple tasks simultaneously; excellent communication skills are a must.
The job requirements define skills and expertise that need to be covered in your resume for employers to know that you match their needs.
It's ok if you cannot match them all. Technically, no one can, besides the person that is already doing that job. So don't worry too much if you don't meet all the requirements. Highlight the ones you do.
How to add contact details to an executive assistant resume?
Contact information on a resume is a short, yet critical resume section.
It's a must-have on any resume.
And even though it may seem easy and straightforward to write, there are a few important things to know to do it right.
What contact information to add?
First off, it is essential to include your contact details and ensure they are up-to-date so that employers can easily get in touch with you.
Keep them simple and professional, with only necessary details, including:
Your name and surname
Location
Email address
Phone number
Optionally, you can extend the contact details by adding a link to your LinkedIn profile or website, but only if they are polished and can benefit your application allowing employers to get deeper insight into your expertise.
How to format contact details?
One of the most important things is to make sure that all of your contact information is up-to-date and simple to read at a glance.
The best way is to list a location, email address, and a phone number in the same line, right below your name and surname, like this:
Keep it simple and straightforward.
If an employer sees an applicant who lists multiple phone numbers or emails, they will have no way of telling which one they should call first, which unfortunately may lead them to give up and look for someone else.
So don't include any extra contact information on your resume other than what's necessary.
How to write a perfect executive assistant resume summary?
The hiring process is a complex one. Recruiters are under increasing pressure to find the best candidates for their vacancies, which means that they have less time than ever to go through applications and resumes. The result?
They're forced to be very selective about how they use their time, giving each applicant just a few moments of attention before making a decision.
To be specific, they spend 7 seconds per resume on average.
It means that your resume needs to make an instant impression in order for you to even get noticed!
So how can you capture their attention during this very short window of time?
By having the right keywords in the right places!
Recruiters and hiring managers are on the lookout only for individuals with specific skills. So, to increase your chances of being invited to an interview, display relevant skills right at the beginning of your resume.
That's where a resume summary comes into play.
What is a resume summary?
A resume summary is the best place to highlight your skills and experience, so you can quickly demonstrate why you are the perfect fit for the job.
It's a short section at the beginning of your resume where you can list your relevant qualifications for this position. It usually consists of only three to four sentences.
The idea behind the summary is to give potential employers an overview of how your skills match what they are looking for.
A resume summary is important for two reasons:
Firstly, it will give recruiters an idea of how your skills match what they are looking for.
Secondly, it will summarize all the important information from your resume. This will make it easy for the recruiter to scan and determine how you can benefit their company.
Important things to mention in the summary are how many years of experience you have, what are your areas of expertise and what unique achievements you have that prove you're great at what you do.
Executive assistant resume summary examples
Use these samples as inspiration to write one that is customized according to your experiences and skills.
Accomplished executive assistant, with hands-on experience in managing calendars, organizing travel plans, and scheduling meetings for high-profile executives. Demonstrated quick thinking and ability to problem solve when faced with unexpected challenges.
Versatile and proactive executive assistant with over 6 years of experience in supporting C-level executives. Able to implement best practices in handling customer requests and ensure high-level administrative support is provided. Reduced operational costs by 10% YoY through effective negotiations with vendors.
Experienced Executive Assistant with proven results in streamlining business processes and increasing operational efficiency. Able to manage complex calendars, organize international business trips, and assist with corporate events. Highly proficient user of MS Office suite, Google Suite, and Outlook.
Meticulous personal assistant with a proven ability to perform administrative tasks while managing multiple priorities. Expertise includes balancing conflicting demands for service, achieving expectations and ensuring completion of deadlines in a professional manner. Reduced travel expenses by 15% through proactive research and negotiation with vendors.
Task-driven and meticulous executive assistant experienced in supporting C-level executives at Fortune 500 companies with over 8 years of experience working in the financial sector. Saved the company 25 hours of work each week, totaling $400K per year, by optimizing the expense reporting process.
How to describe work experience for an executive assistant resume?
When employers review resumes, they want to see what kind of work experience you have and how well qualified you are.
The best way to do this is by making sure that your executive assistant resume includes a strong work experience section, as this is the part of your resume they'll mostly focus on and that plays an integral role in the success of your job application.
This section should include where you worked, when you started and stopped working there, any projects or tasks that were part of what made up your day-to-day responsibilities, and outstanding accomplishments.
Through this, employers get an idea of who you are as a professional and how great of an employee you would be working for them as an executive assistant.
To provide this information in a concise, easily digestible format, use bullet points - each starting with short, informative action verbs.
An executive assistant resume should entail some of the following keywords:
managed
handled
coordinated
organized
facilitated
communicated
optimized
negotiated
revamped
structured
performed
executed
maximized
planned
completed
administered
orchestrated
increased
improved
How to list work experience?
The best way to list your work experience is by following the reverse-chronological order, i.e. by listing your most recent job at the top of your resume, followed by former jobs.
The reverse chronological order goes from the most recent job experience to the least recent. It's the most popular format, preferred by most employers.
Following this structure gives employers an idea of where you are at right now professionally without having to read the entire document.
How to describe work experience to stand out?
Merely describing your responsibilities and administrative experience is not enough to prove you are the best candidate for the position.
If there is one tip that can take your resume to the next level resulting in more interviews and leading to the dream job offer, it's this:
Quantify your achievements.
Unique accomplishments set you apart from others and add credence to your job application.
So, start by selecting a few of your most significant contributions, and be sure to quantify them with numbers wherever possible.
Additionally, it is helpful to summarize the problems you have solved for a company. Include details about how you went about solving these problems and what was the outcome.
For example, you could add something similar to the following statements:
Negotiated more cost-efficient arrangements for international travel resulting in $80,000 yearly savings for the company.