Entry Level Administrative Assistant Resume Sample & Guide

If you can craft professional emails and organize TPS reports, then you can write a job-winning entry level administrative assistant resume. Just follow this expert advice.

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As an entry-level admin assistant, you’ll be at the center of an office. You’ll have a hand in almost every department. Learning how the cogs turn and what needs to happen to push deliverables out the door. All the while making valuable connections and learning important skills. You’ll be able to position yourself to advance into marketing, human resources, or operations management.

The only catch?

You need to get that admin assistant job in the first place. And how are you supposed to do that if you have no experience working in an office?

The answer is with an entry level administrative assistant resume that’ll make the hiring manager stop in their tracks and toss the other applicants’ resumes in the trash. Here’s how make your own resume look as stellar as the one below:

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[I used] a nice template I found on Zety. My resume is now one page long, not three. With the same stuff.

Here are some office administration-related guides that may be useful:

Sample Entry Level Administrative Assistant Resume Template

Shelly Hambright

shelly.hambright@gmail.com

812-592-2350

Orlando, FL

Professional Objective

Detail-oriented administrative assistant with excellent interpersonal, planning, and customer service skills. Seeking the administrative assistant position at Acme Corporation to set a new standard for in the organization of expense reports and beyond. Organized and streamlined the report filing system to save previous employer more than 5+ hours a month.

Work Experience

Office Intern

Initech, Orlando, FL

May 2019–August 2019

Drafted 10+ emails daily for HR staff in regards to company policies, events, and trainings.
Communicated with staff to schedule meetings and assist them as needed.
Ordered food for the office once a week, paying close attention that special food requests were met.

Key Achievement:

Organized and streamlined the report filing system to save the office 5+ man-hours a month.

Part-time Volunteer

Paws R Us Animal Shelter, Altamonte Springs, FL

July 2017–May 2019

Greeted visitors and provided them with information on shelter policies.
Provided care, assistance, and companionship to the animals.
Assisted with cleaning animal areas using specialized equipment.

Key Achievement:

Wrote animal biographies that led to 35+ animals being adopted.

Education

Eastside High School, Orlando, FL

Graduation date: May 2019

Skills

Skilled in calendar management, communication, and filing systems.
Experience with MS Office, bookkeeping, and inventory management.

Languages

Spanish (Conversational)

Courses

Completed Fundamentals of Administrative Professionals Course (Udemy)
Certified Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS)

This is how to write a job-winning entry level administrative assistant resume:

1. Format Your Entry-Level Administrative Assistant Resume

Administrative assistants are responsible for taking phone calls, scheduling appointments and meetings, handling mail, preparing reports, drafting emails, and maintaining document filing systems. If you haven’t worked as an admin assistant before, it can be hard to prove you have what it takes.

A great entry level admin assistant resume will show you have all the qualifications necessary to handle any task an office manager throws at you. And because administrative assistant jobs are declining, you’ll need an eye-catching resume to get that chance to prove yourself. Follow these resume formatting rules to blow away the hiring manager:

Include your contact information in a professional resume header.
Use a good resume font like Calibri, Cambria, or Times New Roman.
Format your resume margins to be 1 inch on all sides.
If you have some experience, go with the reverse-chronological resume layout to highlight it.
If you have little to no experience, consider the combination resume format to put the focus on your skills.
Save your resume as a PDF to keep your formatting consistent even if it’s opened in Windows 95.

Pro Tip: Once you’ve finished formatting, have a friend or colleague critique your resume to check your formatting. A fresh pair of eyes can really help.

2. Write a Resume Objective or Resume Summary

The first job is always the hardest to get. That’s something you’ve probably heard before and for good reason. If you’ve never worked in an office before, getting that first administrative assistant job can be tough. The best way to get over the hill of lacking experience is with a good resume introduction.

The point of resume introductions is to condense the best parts of your resume in order to answer who you are and what you can do. Essentially, an elevator pitch.

There are two kinds of introductions: resume summaries and resume objectives. You can figure out which one to use by considering how much experience you have in office administration.

Write a resume summary if you already have a few years of relevant experience:

Even if you’ve never been an administrative assistant before, volunteer experience or an office internship would be perfect to highlight in a resume summary.
Use 3-4 sentences to describe your experience and your biggest accomplishments

Write a resume objective if you have little to no experience:

Describe the value you’ll bring for the employer.
Mention the office administration skills you’ve developed from school or on the side.
Include the name of the position you’re applying for and the company.

Pro Tip: Try to use the same keywords from the job description in your resume introduction to seem better suited for the position.

3. Craft the Perfect Administrative Assistant Resume Job Description

The challenge with writing a resume with little or no experience is that relevant experience is exactly what employers are looking for. The key to landing your first administrative assistant job is by tailoring your resume with whatever job experience you do have.

Here’s how to make your administrative assistant job description on a resume sparkle like a sapphire:

List your most recent job first and then list older positions in chronological order.
Format each entry with the job title, company name, dates of employment, and up to 5 bullet points.
Include a “Key Achievement” bullet point to highlight your key accomplishments.
Tailor each bullet point to meet as many of the requirements from the job ad as you can.
Use resume action words specific to admin assistant responsibilities like organized, managed, filed, etc.
Focus on showing how you’ve used administrative skills.
Look at these administrative assistant job description examples if you need a little extra help.

Pro Tip: If you’re wondering if you should include irrelevant experience on your resume, the answer is generally yes, because you likely developed relevant skills even if the job was unrelated.

4. Make an Impression With Your Entry Level Admin Assistant Resume Education Section

Higher education isn’t strictly necessary for entry level administrative assistant jobs. But regardless of your level of education, you can still impress the hiring manager with a well-written education section on a resume:

If you went to college, list the college name, location, graduation date, degree, major, and minors. (You should still include the college if you didn’t finish your degree.)
If you never went to college, then you should definitely include your high school on your resume. Include the school name, location, and date of graduation.
If your experience section could use some padding, you can add some bullet points in your education section to highlight any activities or accomplishments that might be impressive.

Pro Tip: Only put your GPA on your resume if it’s higher than 3.5. It’s not required and a low GPA will only hurt you.

5. Emphasize Your Administrative Assistant Skills

Here's how to put administrative skills on an entry level admin assistant resume:

Create a master list of all the key job skills you have. Include soft skills, hard skills, technical skills, and any other relevant skills.
Pick which skills to put on your resume, by carefully reading the job ad and seeing what skills are required or preferred.
Incorporate those relevant skills in each section of your resume, including the skills section, work experience, and even the awards or education sections.

Entry Level Admin Assistant Resume Skills

Decision-making skills
Interpersonal skills
Organizational skills
Writing skills
Communication skills
Customer service skills
Time management
Attention to detail
Problem solving
Record keeping
Spreadsheets
Expense reports
Calendar management
Travel arrangements
Email management
Data entry
MS Office
Database management

Pro Tip: Putting certifications on your resume is a way to show hard proof of your skills. Relevant certifications might include an MS Office certification, Professional Administrative Certification of Excellence (PACE), or something from a MOOC on Coursera or Udemy.

When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.

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When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.

6. Include Other Sections to Your Entry Level Admin Assistant Resume

What makes a good resume? Since the goal of a resume is to get an interview, a good resume is one that makes you stand out from the crowd. You can seem unique by adding extra sections to your resume:

Consider adding the following sections: language skills, projects, certifications, achievements, awards, hobbies, or volunteer work.
Add anything that helps you seem highly organized and professional.
Don't neglect your education resume section and improve it by listing relevant coursework.

Pro Tip: Additional sections can be great to add a little personality to your resume. Hiring managers are also looking for someone who will fit the company culture.

7. Attach a Cover Letter to Your Entry Level Admin Assistant Resume

According to HR statistics, 45% of recruiters said that they would reject a resume for not having a cover letter attached. That’s why it’s better to be safe than sorry, and learn how to write the perfect cover letter.

Make sure you include all the important parts of a cover letter:

Pick a professional cover letter design.
Start with a cover letter greeting mentioning the hiring manager by name.
Write a cover letter opening that will grab the HR manager’s attention and make them want to read on.
Include a body paragraph that is tailored to show how you have the ability and passion to excel in this administrative assistant job.
Finish with a cover letter closing paragraph that includes a call to action, mentioning how you’d love to talk about how your administrative skills can help the company.

See our administrative assistant cover letter and entry level cover letter for more.

Pro Tip: Following up on your job application is a must. A little effort on our part could make all the difference—especially if you’re the only candidate who reached out directly.

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

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See more cover letter templates and start writing.

Congratulations!

Now you know everything you need to write a killer resume for entry level administrative assistant positions.

Thanks for reading! Do you have other questions about making an entry level administrative assistant resume with no experience? Ask away in the comment section below!

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Entry Level Administrative Assistant Resume Sample & Guide

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