As an Executive Assistant, you’re the backbone that keeps the office running smoothly, but does your resume reflect that?
To ensure you present your organisational prowess and support skills effectively, we’ve whipped up this handy resume writing guide.
Take a squiz at our Executive Assistant resume example for a bit of inspiration to polish your own application.
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Executive Assistant Resume Example
The Executive Assistant resume example displayed above is a great example of proper resume structuring and top content.
It is crafted to appear professional and to ensure it’s an easy read for busy recruiters.
Follow the upcoming steps to write a winning Executive Assistant resume that lands you interviews.
Executive Assistant resume structure & format
Resume structure
Structuring your resume correctly is key to making a strong impression on recruiters.
Your resume should consist of the following sections:
- Contact details: Your personal contact information.
- Resume summary: An engaging summary highlighting your suitability for Executive Assistant jobs.
- Core skills: Specific skills pertinent to your field in a bullet-point format.
- Work experience: Recent and relevant job positions in reverse chronological order.
- Education: Detailed educational background applicable to your field.
- Additional info: Optional but useful details like languages or relevant hobbies.
How to format your Executive Assistant resume
A well-formatted resume catches the eye of recruiters and makes it simple for them to review it.
Follow these resume format guidelines to ensure your resume is both attractive and easy to navigate.
- Resume length: Keep your resume concise, aiming for 1 to 2 pages. With recruiters swamped by resumes daily, keeping it brief can help you stand out.
- Font & colour scheme: Choose a clear and easy-to-read font, steering clear of overly decorative ones that could hinder readability. Stick with a classic black-text-on-white-background for the body of the resume, but don’t shy away from adding a hint of colour elsewhere to make your resume stand out.
- Page layout: Ensure your page is divided into clear sections with bold headings or borders, as this enables readers to quickly pinpoint the information they’re interested in.
- Break text up: Break text up into concise bullet points and short paragraphs to make it easy for busy recruiters to digest the info.
- Photos: In Australia, photos aren’t compulsory, but you can include a small headshot at the top if you want.
Quick tip: Achieving a professional look for your resume can be difficult and time-consuming. If you want to create an attractive resume quickly, try our Resume Builder and use one of our eye-catching professional resume templates.
Contact Details
Being reachable and identifiable is essential for any job seeker which makes the contact details section a fundamental part of your resume. Although simple, it’s crucial to execute this section correctly.
Be sure to include these vital details clearly at the top of your resume, and be economical with the space you use:
- Your name and professional title: Adapt the title (e.g. Marketing Asssitant or Junior IT Manager) to suit the roles you’re aiming for.
- Email address: Use a professional-sounding email (e.g. shane-smith@gmail.com) and steer clear of nicknames or informal tags (e.g., shanzeybwoySmitho200@gmail.com).
- Phone number: Provide your mobile number for direct contact. Double-check to ensure it’s correct.
- Location: Include the general area you are targeting for work, such as Canberra, Brisbane.
You might also consider adding these optional details:
- Webpage links: Connect to a professional online presence such as a LinkedIn profile or a personal portfolio, making sure they are properly maintained and professional.
- Photograph: In creative sectors, a professional photo can be helpful, though it should not dominate your resume’s layout.
It’s advisable to omit personal information such as your date of birth, full home address, or gender from your resume as these do not enhance your job application and occupy precious space.
Executive Assistant Resume Summary
Your summary is short but powerful paragraph which sits at the top of your resume, providing a sales-pitch on your suitability for the job.
To grab the attention of busy recruiters and get them excited about your resume, use these tips…
- Keep it short: Keep your resume summary succinct with 3 to 5 sentences. This allows hiring managers to grasp your key points rapidly, reserving more in-depth information for the work experience section.
- Tailor to target jobs: For maximum impact, try to reflect as many matching skills from your target job adverts as you can. This will make recruiters more likely to pay attention.
- Avoid using cliches: Resist the temptation to describe yourself as a “self-starter” or a “results-driven professional” – these clichés offer little insight into your actual capabilities.
Executive Assistant resume summary example
What to include in your Executive Assistant resume summary
- Summary of your experience: What kind of companies have you worked for? What types of jobs have you done? Give employers a clear picture of your experience.
- Relevant skills: Tell employers you have the right skills for Executive Assistant roles by detailing your most relevant skills for the job.
- Qualifications: Add a brief mention of any qualifications that are relevant to Executive Assistant jobs, to show that you are qualified for the role.
- Benefits of hiring you: Employers want to see the value you offer to their organisation, whether it’s through cost savings, enhanced productivity, or increased customer acquisition.
Quick tip: Choose from hundreds of pre-written summaries across all industries, and add one to your resume with one-click in our Resume Builder. All written by recruitment experts and easily tailored to suit your unique skillset and style.
Core skills section
Highlight your suitability for Executive Assistant roles by including a core skills section in your resume.
Present a list of your essential skills in bullet-point format, each capped at four words, ensuring they are immediately noticeable to hiring managers.
Skills for your Executive Assistant resume
Executive Calendar Management – Coordinating and organising a complex schedule of meetings, appointments, and travel itineraries for senior executives.
Event Coordination – Planning and executing corporate events, including conferences, meetings, and staff functions, ensuring all logistical aspects are managed efficiently.
Minute Taking and Report Generation – Accurately recording meeting discussions and actions, and preparing formal reports for distribution within the organisation.
Project Management – Initiating, planning, executing, and closing projects of varying sizes and complexities within set timelines and budgets.
Proficiency in Office Software – Utilising a range of software such as Microsoft Office Suite, Google Workspace, and project management tools to create documents, presentations, and manage information.
Database Management – Maintaining and updating contact lists, customer databases, and internal repositories of information with a high level of accuracy.
Travel Arrangements – Organising all aspects of domestic and international travel including flights, accommodation, and itinerary planning for executives.
Expense Reconciliation – Monitoring and reconciling executive expenditures, ensuring compliance with company policies and accurate budget tracking.
Technical Troubleshooting – Providing first-level technical support for common office equipment issues, including computers, printers, and communication devices.
Legal Document Preparation – Drafting and preparing legal documents, contracts, and agreements, ensuring they meet organisational standards and requirements.
Quick tip: Our Resume Builder contains thousands of in-demand skills for every profession that can be added to your resume in seconds – saving you time and greatly improving your chances of landing job interviews and getting hired.
Work experience section
Use your work experience section to highlight the value you offer to employers.
Arrange your employment history in reverse chronological order, concentrating primarily on your experiences from the past 3-5 years.
Structuring your jobs
To clearly convey what you accomplished in each role, format your experiences as follows.
Outline
Start with a 1 to 2 line outline of the job, including what the employer does, where you sit within the organisation, and the overall goal of the job.
Key responsibilities
Use bullet points to detail the key responsibilities of your role, highlighting hard skills, software and knowledge wherever you can.
Keep them short and sharp to make them easily digestible by readers.
Key achievements
Lastly, prove impact by highlight 1-3 key achievements that you made within the role.
Struggling to think of an achievement? If it had a positive impact on your company, it counts.
For example, you might have increased company profits, improved processes, or helped a customer to achieve their goals.
Add numbers to quantify your achievements if you can.
Example job for Executive Assistant resume
Outline
Working as part of the Executive Support team, consisting of 4 EAs, and providing executive support with administrative functions and business planning to the Managing Director and Executive Chair; reporting to the Managing Director.
Key Responsibilities
- Ensure the provision of administrative and business support inclusive of extensive meeting and diary management for the Managing Director and wider Executive Committee.
- Administer agenda items, facilitate approved guest speakers, record meeting minutes, and consolidate and track outstanding actions.
- Construct the monthly operational update presentation on behalf of the MD for committee submission.
- Cultivate and strengthen relationships with key stakeholders inclusive of the Investor Board, major clients, priority suppliers and other external stakeholders such as regulatory bodies.
Quick tip: Create impressive job descriptions easily in our Resume Builder by adding pre-written job phrases for every industry and career stage.
Education section
Near the bottom of your resume, add your education section.
This should simply be a bullet pointed list of your qualifications and academic record, with a focus on those which are most relevant to Executive Assistant jobs.
If you’re an experienced candidate, keep this section brief. If you have little or no experience, expand on some of your qualifications to show off some of the skills and knowledge you gained from them.
This section can include:
- University degrees
- Industry specific qualifications for Executive Assistant jobs
- Vocational education and training (VET) diplomas
- Senior Secondary Certificate of Education (SSCE)
Additional information (optional)
At the very bottom of your resume you can add an additional info section, for anything else that might help you to look more appealing to employers.
This is often used for hobbies and interests, but can also include awards, publications or a list of technical skills.
If you are considering adding anything here, remember to only include things that are related to your work, or things which are very impressive.
Don’t add common pastime hobbies such as watching TV or socialising with friends, as they won’t make any impact.
While writing an exceptional Executive Assistant resume is demanding, the steps outlined above should guide you in crafting a document that engages recruiters and brings in many interview requests.
It is crucial to proofread your resume thoroughly and tailor it for each application to ensure you are seen as a fitting candidate.
Good luck with your job search!