An executive assistant’s resume should be loaded with desired skills, main responsibilities, and achievements that can make an executive life easier and sorted. 

 The executive assistant has a knack for multitasking providing administrative support and clerical assistance to executive and director-level management within a company.

They juggle with scheduling meetings, preparing reports, making travel arrangements, and much, much more to orchestrate the business operations.

Let’s have a look at the 5 must-have key elements in an executive assistant resume:

1. Contact Information

It is crucial to put the right contact information in your resume. If your resume is shortlisted, your contact information on the resume is the only way for the recruiter to get in touch with you.

Many people commit the mistake with the wrong contact information. A little error can prevent you from interviewing for a position. Every piece of information you list on your resume serves a purpose, make sure to do it right.

The required contact information in your resume- 

• Your first and last name
• Professional Email address
• The phone number that works 24/7

Pro Tip: You can also add a link to your social media accounts such as LinkedIn and Twitter.

2. Professional Summary

A professional summary is at the top section of your resume. It encapsulates your skills, experience, and achievements that showcase why you are a perfect candidate for the job position. 

Many people commit the mistake of writing a summary in bullet points. A professional summary must be in a paragraph form, a 3-4 lines summary is perfect.

 A good resume summary highlights your total years of experience as an executive assistant, your expertise, key responsibilities, and your achievements. 

Below is an example of an executive assistant resume summary-

4+ years experienced and dedicated executive assistant skilled in scheduling meetings, travel arrangements, organizing events, etc. to streamline professional commitments of top executives. Proficient in ensuring smooth end-to-end workflow while taking care of end-to-end travel arrangements for upper-management teams & leaders.  

3. Highlight your skills

While hard skills seem to be important, don’t overlook soft skills as they are equally relevant for an executive assistant resume. Add the right mix of soft skills and hard skills to your resume.

You will need to incorporate the right keywords in your resume to optimize your resume for Application Tracking Systems (ATS) to make it to the recruiter’s inbox. Read the job description carefully to understand what the employer is seeking from this position. 

Nearly 40 percent of employers use an applicant tracking system (ATS) to screen candidates. Learn how it works and how to beat the ATS by clicking on the above link. 

Some recommended skills for executive assistant resume: 

• Scheduling Meetings 
• Travel Arrangements 
• Communication Coordination
• Time Sheets 
• Reimbursement Filing
• Event Organization
• Calendar Management
• Sage 50 Accounting software
• Itinerary booking

4. Professional experience

The professional experience section is arguably the most important part of your resume. Still, many people struggle to do it correctly. 

People focus on listing the job duties rather than focusing on their accomplishments. A professional experience section includes the company’s name you have worked with, the job role, the dates, and your achievements in bullet form. 

Through your professional experience section, showcase the range of works you are capable of doing. Backup your claims with quantifiable stats to demonstrate your efficiency and effectiveness. 

Start each sentence with action verbs and highlight the important words for the recruiter to get an impression of the important details at a glance. Use a bucketing approach to enhance the reader experience.

Below is an example of an executive assistant professional experience-

5. Education

Mention your education details in your resume with your college name and degree in chronological order. You can also highlight your key achievements if any.

If you are a newbie, just starting your career then your education details are mentioned above the professional experience section. If you are an experienced executive assistant, the highlight is on your professional experience rather than your education.

Pro Tip: You can also add relevant certifications, volunteer experience, and awards that are worthy to include in your resume. 

Conclusion

Keep your resume simple and minimalistic while including all the relevant information. A good resume not only communicates your skills and qualifications but also what value you can bring to the table. Ensure that there are no grammatical errors or spelling mistakes before you send your resume as they can be a big turnoff.

Here are some key takeaways from this guide so that you don’t miss out on any important details:

• Include the correct phone number that works 24/7
• Write a professional summary in a brief 3-4 lines
• Include the relevant keywords in the skills section to pass the ATS
• In a professional experience section, focus on achievements than responsibilities
• Backup your achievements with numbers and highlight it 
• Always follow the chronological format for your education and professional experience
• Proofread multiple times before submitting your resume.