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 four 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 to connect with the hiring manager and show them you’re qualified for the position.

Applying for an executive assistant position means there’s a strong chance that executives will be reviewing your resume, so 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.

1. Your first sentence should immediately state your years of experience plus your main professional skills (executive, administrative, and office assistant experience all work)
2. 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)
3. Your third sentence hones in on 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 should look like:

A summary that quickly proves you’re qualified will help you get the executive assistant job you want.

This is a great example of a strong EA resume summary because it details not only their years of experience but also their top qualities. Additionally, they back up their most notable accomplishments quantified with hard numbers to show the kind of results they can bring to the table.

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 summary but in their skills section:

Hard skills and soft skills

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

• hard skills (scheduling, leading presentations)
• soft skills (organizational skills, 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 your 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 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 skills
• 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.

Here’s an example of a job description for an executive assistant position that requires the new hire to provide support to a senior member of the leadership team. To better understand how to pick out keywords in a job description, hard skills and duties are underlined in blue and soft skills are underlined in green.

Job descriptions are a key resource in your search for executive assistant work, providing essential keywords to include in your resume.

You should use the keywords in the job description to target the job in your resume.

For example, if you’re applying for this job, you should include words in your resume like “highly organized”, “leadership”, “communicator”, and “administrative support”.

In addition to these soft skills, you should point out your experience managing and scheduling meetings, and your computer skills like Webex Teams. Additionally, you could mention how fast you type because you’d be responsible for taking notes and recording minutes.

Taking examples of technical skills and soft skills directly from the executive assistant job description and mixing them into your resume will show employers that you’re a suitable candidate, and will increase your chances of making it to the interview stage.

4. Make your achievements stand out

As an executive assistant, it’s important to make your achievements stand out on your resume by highlighting areas in which you’ve excelled, like your experience with project management, interpersonal skills, and event coordination.

Showing off your accomplishments will demonstrate that you’re capable of taking on more responsibility. Focus on showing how your contributions have made a positive impact by quantifying your resume and using action verbs.

Support your accomplishments with hard numbers

Quantify your accomplishments whenever possible to show employers what kind of results you can achieve.

For example, if you streamlined a process that saved the company time or money, specify how much time or money was saved. If you took on extra tasks outside of your job description, say how many tasks you completed or how much additional revenue was generated.

Here’s an example of bullet points from an executive assistant’s work experience resume section with quantified information bolded:

• Handled all domestic and international travel reservations, cutting company travel expenses by 12%
• Answered and screened telephone calls (15+ daily) in a courteous manner, while taking messages with a high degree of accuracy

Demonstrate your proactivity with action verbs

You’ll be met with many diverse responsibilities as an executive assistant, so use action verbs to describe your work duties. Instead of saying “I answered phones,” say “I fielded calls and managed call queues.” Break down your duties into specific tasks to make your accomplishments sound more impressive and illustrate your proactivity.

Showcase any leadership roles that you’ve taken on in the past and how you successfully managed them as well as how you’ve excelled in your administrative duties. Describe your contributions by using words like “streamlined” or “facilitated”.

By pairing your quantified accomplishments with action verbs, you’ll show potential employers that you can handle anything that comes your way.

Applying for an EA role? Make sure you highlight tangible achievements that demonstrate the positive impact you made on the previous person/team you supported. – Amy Laiker, Director at Tiger Recruitment