How to Write an Effective Administrative Secretary Resume

By Indeed Editorial Team

Updated 16 September 2022

Published 9 May 2022

The Indeed Editorial Team comprises a diverse and talented team of writers, researchers and subject matter experts equipped with Indeed's data and insights to deliver useful tips to help guide your career journey.

Administrative secretaries provide important support for an organisation by performing a variety of tasks, including answering phone calls, scheduling appointments, preparing reports and maintaining records. When writing your administrative secretary resume, it's vital that you include the necessary relevant information, such as your professional experience, skills and certifications. Knowing how to write a resume can help you the next time you apply for a new role. In this article, we teach you how to write an administrative secretary resume and provide you with a template, an example and some tips you can follow.

How to write an administrative secretary resume

This is a guide you can use when writing your own administrative secretary resume:

1. Include your personal information

The first step is to include your contact information at the very top of your resume. This includes details such as your full name, phone number and email address. If you have a personal website or blog, you can also include the URL to your site here. It's important that you remember to include your personal information because it allows the employer to easily contact you.

2. Write a summary statement

After your contact information, the second step is to add a summary statement. This is a concise introduction to your qualifications for the job. It can include any of your experience, skills or accomplishments you have that make you a good fit for the position. The purpose of the summary statement is to act as an introduction while informing the employer of what assets you can bring to the organisation.

3. List your work experience

Next, you can list your professional experience. This includes jobs that you find relevant to the position of administrative secretary. You can begin with the most recent job and then list the rest in reverse chronological order.

When working on this section, there's some important information to remember. Include the name and location of the organisation, your job title, the dates of your employment and a brief description of your job duties. Also, you can use specific examples and highlight any accomplishments you achieved in each position. This can help the employer understand your past and assess how well your experience might help you in the role you desire.

4. List your education and training

In this next section, you can list your education and training. Include the name and location of the school, programme or institution, dates of attendance and any relevant qualifications or certifications you earned. If you have not completed your education yet, you can list your expected date of graduation. This helps the employer judge whether or not you have the necessary qualifications for the job.

5. List your relevant skills and abilities

After mentioning your education, you can list your skills. These can relate to your administrative work, customer service, computers or anything else that might be relevant to the job you're seeking. If you want to optimise this section of your resume, you can use keywords from the job listing to ensure that your resume's relevant to what the employer wants. For example, if the employer is looking for a candidate who's adept at talking to customers, you can call attention to your customer service skills. This can help show the employer that you're a suitable candidate.

6. Include any extra certifications or licences

If you have any certifications or licences that are relevant to the position you want, you can include them in this section. This might include things like a certificate in computer usage or a licence to drive a car. This can help the employer assess whether you have the necessary qualifications for the job.

7. Add any additional information

In this section, you can include any additional information that you think might be relevant to the job. This might include any professional memberships, languages or interests and hobbies. This helps the employer learn more about you as a person and understand how you can become an asset to the organisation. Remember to only include relevant information to avoid overwhelming the employer with too much information.

8. Proofread your resume

Make sure that you remember to proofread your resume before sending it to an employer. Check for grammar and spelling mistakes. Also, remember to check that all the information you included is accurate. This can help you create a good first impression.

Resume template for an administrative secretary

You can use this template when writing your own resume by simply filling it in using your own information:

[Your name]
[Email address]
[Phone number]
[Personal website or blog]
Summary statement
[You can write your executive summary here.]
Work experience
[Job title]
[Company name]
[Dates of employment]

[job duty]
[job duty]
[job duty]

[Second job title]
[Company name]
[Dates of employment]

[job duty]
[job duty]
[job duty]

Education and training
[School name]
[Degree]
[Dates]
Skills

[skill]
[skill]
[skill]
[skill]
[skill]

Licences and certifications

[You can add any relevant licences or certifications here.]

Additional information

[You can include any additional information here, such as your awards, volunteer work or hobbies.]

Resume example for an administrative secretary

This is what a compelling resume for an administrative secretary might look like:

John Chang
johnchang@email.com
+65 9234 5678

Professional summary I'm an experienced administrative secretary with over 10 years of experience in a corporate setting. Skilled in customer service, scheduling and report preparation. I'm a motivated self-starter who's able to work independently with little supervision. I am also a team player who's able to work well with others to get the job done. I'm looking for a challenging work environment where I can develop myself professionally.

Work experience
Administrative Secretary
Brighter Tech Corporation
2010-present

answer customers and resolve complaints in a timely and professional manner
schedule appointments and meetings and prepare reports for senior management
maintain filing system and update website content weekly

Administrative secretary
Luna Office Corporation
2009-2010

organised company's important documents
answered phone calls and provided customer service
scheduled appointments for the managers
filed and organised company's documents

Education and training
Great View University
Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration
2006-2009

Skills

fluent in English and Mandarin
proficient in administrative software
excellent customer service skills
strong organisational and time management skills

Licences and certifications

valid Singapore driving licence
Advanced Certificate for the Executive Assistant (ACEA)
member of the Singapore Association of Administrative Professionals (SAAP)

Volunteer work
Event Coordinator
Sunshine Charity
January 2015-present

organise and coordinate charity events such as fundraising dinners and gala balls
responsible for managing event budget and ensuring all events run smoothly

Tips for writing a resume

These are some tips you can follow when writing your own resume:

Include keywords

It's important to closely read the employer's job description and include the same keywords they use on your resume. This can help ensure that the employer's applicant tracking system (ATS) notices your resume. For example, if the employer wants someone with excellent customer service skills, then including this skill on your resume can help you become more noticeable.

Highlight your accomplishments

It's also important to highlight your accomplishments in your work experience section. This can show the employer what you're capable of and demonstrate how you added value to your previous employers. For example, if you received positive feedback from customers on your customer service skills at a previous position, you can mention this in the resume.

Use a resume template

A resume template can be a helpful tool when you write your own resume. It can help you structure your resume in a way that's organised and easy to read. It can also provide you with ideas of what information to include in each section.

Use action words

Action words are powerful words that help make your resume more impactful. They can help you describe your responsibilities and accomplishments in an attractive way that's concise and easy to read. Some examples of action words include:

managed
coordinated
created
designed
developed

Proofread and edit your resume

It's vital that you edit your resume before sending it to potential employers. This means checking for grammar and spelling errors. It also means ensuring that all the information you include is accurate. Editing your resume can help you make sure that everything sounds clear and concise. One tip is to read your resume backwards. This can help you catch any errors that you might initially miss.

Get a second opinion

If you feel unsure about whether your resume's ready to send off to employers, you can always ask a friend or family member to look over it for you. They can offer helpful feedback and might be able to find any errors you missed. Therefore, having someone else read through your resume can be a great way to get an objective opinion.

Please note that none of the companies, institutions or organisations mentioned in this article are affiliated with Indeed. The model shown is for illustration purposes only, and may require additional formatting to meet accepted standards.