Executive Assistant
Resume Example

Now that you’ve seen our executive assistant resume sample, it’s time to learn how to write your own resume for a high-level administrative role.

Here are our three most important tips for writing an executive assistant resume that earns you your next job:

1. Write a clear and targeted executive assistant resume summary

Your resume summary is the first opportunity on your resume to connect with the hiring manager and show them you’re both qualified and worthy of being considered for the position.

With executives themselves sometimes directly reviewing executive assistant applications, you certainly want to start off strong.

An effective executive assistant resume summary should follow this three-sentence formula to ensure you hit all the points an employer wants to see.

• Your first sentence should immediately state your years of experience plus main professional skills (executive, administrative, and office assistant experience all work)
• Your second sentence can include secondary skills and a notable professional achievement tied to those skills (like how much time or money you saved a company)
• Your third sentence hones in on some additional skills that make you exceptionally qualified for the role (things like your typing speed or software skills)

Here’s an example of what an executive assistant resume summary looks like in action:

2. Highlight executive assistant skills on your resume

One of the most desired qualities of an executive assistant is being able to calmly handle any situation that comes up. Being this adaptable requires a wide range of professional skills.

The more clearly you demonstrate skills on your resume that qualify you to be an executive assistant, the better your chances are of getting to the interview stage.

In the executive assistant resume example above, the applicant showcases their skills not only in their skills section but also in their summary:

Discreet and professional executive assistant with 4+ years of experience supporting the CEO of a 60-employee startup with everything from scheduling and taking minutes to leading board presentations and preparing data. Track record of being organized and skilled at time management, leveraging these skills to help cut 9.3% of our operations budget my first year. 120 WPM typist highly proficient with Microsoft Teams, Excel, PowerPoint, and remote tools like Zoom and Slack.

Hard skills and soft skills

Additionally, our applicant features two types of skills in their summary:

• hard skills (scheduling, leading presentations)
• soft skills (organization, time management)

A balance of both hard and soft skills is crucial for executive administrative assistants to thrive as professionals, so try to mix both throughout your application. Hard skills show you have the technical ability to do the work, and soft skills prove you have the personality to engage with management, HR, and employees.

Here are some common executive assistant hard and soft skills to fit into your resume (you should be able to fit them in places like your resume’s introduction, skills section, and work experience section):

Hard skills for executive assistants

• Microsoft Office 365 Suite / Microsoft Teams
• Google Workspace
• Language skills
• Social media management
• Scheduling software
• Typing (words per minute, or WPM)

Soft skills for executive assistants

• Organizational skills
• Problem solving
• Team leadership skills
• People skills
• Customer service skills

3. Include details from the job description on your resume

Every company is different, which means your expectations as an executive assistant will also be different depending on where you apply. When writing your executive assistant resume, keep details from the job description in mind and try to connect your skills and experiences to these details.

Check out the following job description for an executive assistant position that’d require the new hire to report directly to the CEO. Hard skills and duties are underlined in green, and soft skills are underlined in orange.

If you were applying for this job, you should include words in your resume like “integrity”, “discretion”, “attention to detail”, and “high-touch support”.

In addition to these more personality-specific abilities, you’d want to point out your experience managing calendars, Microsoft 365 skills, and how fast you type (because you’d be responsible for taking notes and recording minutes).

Taking examples of technical skills and personality traits directly from the executive assistant job description and mixing them into your resume will make you come off as a more suitable candidate, and will increase your chances of making it to the interview stage.