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Want a stronger resume? Use our extensive library of professional resume examples as practical starting guides. You’ll also find ready-made content with our helpful Resume Builder – simple click, customize, and download.

Looking for cover letter ideas? See our sample Executive Assistant Cover Letter.

Find out what is the best resume for you in our Ultimate Resume Format Guide.

How to Format an Executive Assistant Resume

As an executive assistant, you have multiple options for formatting your resume. We recommend the functional resume format if you’d like to focus on detailing your administrative, organizational and confidential skills. This highly customizable format allows you to create multiple sections dedicated to core skills and relevant experience. However, you should only use this format if you have direct contact with a hiring manager. This format is highly customizable, so it performs poorly with online job boards and applicant tracking systems (ATS).

If you’re applying to an online job opening, use the chronological or hybrid resume. These are the most familiar resume formats and use standardized resume section names and layouts, making them easy to skim and identify your core administrative skills.

You can see how two experienced candidates use these two different strategies below. Candidate A has spent most of their professional career with one employer and is looking for a new role as their VP retires. Candidate B has over a decade of administrative experience but is relatively new to the executive market and wants to highlight their transferable skills.

Chronological Resume

field, IL

  • Managed executive and departmental calendars, scheduled appointments, department all-hands, meetings and lunches.
  • Booked and managed travel arrangements for executive and critical department leads, including travel, hotel and rentals.
  • Developed and updated essential contact lists for both the internal department and key department head/project leads across an international corporation.

Functional

Executive Assistant – Head of Product Development

Candidate Info

  • 12 years in workforce
  • 1 year at this job
  • HS Diploma

Professional Skills

Planning and Scheduling

  • Schedule and maintain the executive calendar.
  • Manage the departmental team calendar.
  • Organize and manage executive and department travel plans.

Business Development

  • Created a detailed internal department contact list that included employee names, job titles, business emails, contact information and physical addresses.
  • Partnered with the company’s administrative staff to compile a central directory with department head names and contact information to streamline cross-collaborative projects.
  • Organize and manage team building exercises and monthly events within the department budget.

Executive Assistant Resume FAQ.

What does an executive assistant resume look like?

A solid executive assistant resume follows a chronological, combination or functional resume format. It’ll highlight your gradual growth of administrative duties and knowledge while highlighting key skills. Your resume should include the following sections:

  • Personal information: This contact information sits at the top of every resume and should contain your legal name, current email and phone number, and general location.
  • Professional introduction: Also known as the resume objective or summary statement, this two-sentence paragraph acts like your resume’s elevator pitch. Describe an essential skill or accomplishment that will elicit a hiring manager’s professional interest.
  • Work history: This chronological summary breaks down all of your professional job titles and previous responsibilities over the last decade. Focus the bulk of this information on your executive assistant and administrative skills.
  • Skills section: A brief list of six additional skills that support your administrative or interpersonal experience.

Visit our library of professional resume examples for a clear understanding of how you can craft the best executive assistant resume.

How do you add certifications to an executive assistant resume?

Adding certifications to your executive assistant resume depends on the number of licenses and certifications you have. If you have one or two licenses, you can bundle those in with your education section. However, consider crafting separate “Licenses and Certifications” to highlight this specialized training if you have three or more certifications.

You can format your administrative certifications like so:
Certified Administrative Assistant (CAP)
2020, National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA)

 

What are the top 3 skills of an executive assistant?

An executive assistant is a highly detail-oriented professional with various skills. However, it would help if you focused on honing these top three skills: administration, organization and communication.

Administrative skills:

  • File management
  • Writing memos

Organization skills:

  • Time management
  • Data entry

Communication skills:

  • Written and verbal communication
  • Maintain email correspondence
  • Partner with professional and personal stakeholders
  • Customer service