Administrative Assistant Resume Examples and Templates
Secretary Resume Examples and Templates for 2024
Last Updated:
November 21, 2024
Table of Contents
Secretary Resume Templates and Examples (Download in App)
- Secretary
- Legal Secretary
- Medical Secretary
Law Secretary Resume Example
A good secretary’s resume focuses on your relevant skills like appointment scheduling, client relations, or task prioritization. Give examples of your past success as a secretary or in other administrative roles, and show your knowledge base by citing any training or certificate programs you’ve done. This guide provides expert tips to help you create a results-driven resume showing your best secretary qualifications.
Key takeaways:
- Brainstorm details about your work history on a separate document or sheet of paper. Then, identify the most relevant ones to feature in your experience section — this helps you focus your resume so it positions you for the role of secretary.
- Use bullet points to display your achievements. Start each bullet point with a strong verb like “Created,” “Organized,” or “Enhanced.”
- Spell out the results of your past work as a secretary. Describe how your efforts helped the broader organization achieve its goals.
How To Write a Secretary Resume
Using a template can help you write an effective secretary resume. Your secretary’s resume should usually include these sections:
- Contact information
- Profile
- Key skills
- Professional experience
- Education and certifications
Before starting work on your resume, jot down your preferences for your target job duties, industry, or company size. These notes will help you filter and emphasize your best career details as you develop each section.
1. Share your contact information
Give your full name, phone number, email address, location, and links to any online professional profiles. Ensure your current contact information so employers can reach you for an interview.
Example
Your Name
(123) 456-7890 | [email protected] | City, State Abbreviation Zip Code | LinkedIn
2. Write a compelling profile summarizing your secretary's qualifications
Impress hiring managers at the top of your resume by giving the three to five primary reasons you can excel as their next secretary. These key selling points may include your:
- Years of related work experience
- Main strengths or specialties
- Work style or approach (efficient, diligent, collaborative…)
- College degree(s) or certifications in your field
Example
Organized and efficient secretary with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and English and an Associate degree in Office Administration. Demonstrated success managing office operations, scheduling appointments, maintaining records, and improving office productivity at Randstad and Kelly Services. Certified Administrative Professional with proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and a strong ability to manage time effectively.
3. Add an accomplishment-driven professional experience section
View the experience section as a chance to give examples of your work and success in roles similar to the one you’re pursuing. For each job in your recent work history, brainstorm your duties and achievements on a separate document or sheet of paper. Then, choose the most relevant details to feature as bullet points in this section.
Example
Senior Medical Secretary, St. Luke’s Hospital, Houston, TX | January 2020 to present
- Manage and update over 5,000 patient records, ensuring accuracy and confidentiality per HIPAA regulations
- Schedule and coordinate appointments for 10 medical professionals, reducing scheduling conflicts by 30%
- Transcribe and document over 2,000 medical reports, demonstrating proficiency in medical terminology and typing skills
Resume writer's tip: Quantify your experience
Use relevant performance data and metrics to show the results you’ve achieved as a secretary when possible. Hard numbers put your work in context and give recruiters a better sense of your scope and impact.
Do
- “Streamlined office operations by implementing a new digital filing system, increasing efficiency by 30% ”
Don’t
- “Streamlined office operations by implementing a new digital filing system”
Resume writer's tip: Tailor your resume to each application
For each job posting you respond to, note any details about the hiring organization’s size, industry, customer base, or products and services. How do these areas compare to your own recent experience? You can make a stronger first impression on the hiring manager by citing these similarities in your profile.
For instance, say the company is in manufacturing. You could enhance your profile by changing your first line from “Manager with seven years of experience” to “Manager with seven years of experience, including three years in manufacturing.”
What if you need to gain experience as a secretary?
Don’t worry. As long as the job posting doesn’t strictly require it, you don’t need direct work experience to write an effective resume. The trick is focusing on your transferable skills, which can come from various areas such as your other recent jobs, internships, volunteer positions, or college courses. By detailing these areas in full on your resume, you can ensure it helps you get interviews for your target job.
4. Include relevant education and certifications
With the education and certifications sections, you can show you have a strong knowledge base in your field. Cite any credentials you’ve earned that speak to your abilities as a secretary. The following templates help you organize this information on your resume (note, years are optional).
Education
Template:
[Degree Name], [School Name], [City, State Abbreviation] | [Graduation Year]
[Relevant coursework or honors]
Example:
Bachelor of Business Administration, University of California, Berkeley, CA | 2015
Certifications
Template:
[Certification Name], [Awarding Organization] | [Completion Year]
Example:
Certified Administrative Professional (CAP), International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP)
5. List pertinent key skills
A separate skills section lets you quickly display how to add value to an organization. Below, you’ll find some key terms and skills to consider for this section:
| Key Skills and Proficiencies | |
|---|---|
| Appointment scheduling | Client relations |
| Efficiency improvement | Microsoft Office Suite |
| Multiline phone systems | Process streamlining |
| Reporting and documentation | Task prioritization |
| Team collaboration | Time management |
Resume writer's tip: Use common action verbs
One of the best ways to enhance your resume is by starting each bullet point with a strong action verb. Dynamic verbs help you keep the hiring manager’s attention and show the varied nature of your experience. The following list can help you find a good mix of action verbs for your secretary’s resume:
| Action Verbs | |
|---|---|
| Clarified | Created |
| Decreased | Directed |
| Documented | Enhanced |
| Established | Fostered |
| Generated | Grew |
| Improved | Increased |
| Introduced | Lowered |
| Organized | Prevented |
| Ranked | Reduced |
| Streamlined | Updated |
| Won | |
How To Pick the Best Secretary Resume Template
A resume is a simple tool for professional communication and should be formatted accordingly. Choose a clear and straightforward template, and avoid any template with elaborate graphics or various colors and font styles. Simple resume design helps a hiring manager scan for relevant information. It also helps you tailor the document to each job application and update your work history.
Secretary Text-Only Resume Templates and Examples
Kevin Morrison
Boston, MA 12345 | (123) 456-7890 | [email protected] | LinkedIn
Organized and efficient secretary with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and English, and an Associate degree in Office Administration. Demonstrated success managing office operations, scheduling appointments, maintaining records, and improving office productivity at Randstad and Kelly Services. Certified Administrative Professional with proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and a strong ability to manage time effectively.
Education
Bachelor of Business Administration
University of California, Berkeley, California
May 2015
Associate of Applied Science in Office Administration
Houston Community College, Houston, Texas
December 2017
Bachelor’s Degree in English
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
June 2016
Key Skills
- Process streamlining
- Reporting and documentation
- Task prioritization
Professional Experience
Executive Secretary, Randstad, San Francisco, CA | January 2018 to present
- Streamlined office operations by implementing a new digital filing system, increasing efficiency by 30%
- Coordinated and scheduled over 200 meetings and appointments annually, ensuring smooth operations and no scheduling conflicts
- Prepared and presented monthly reports to the executive team, providing valuable insights on office productivity and efficiency
Administrative Assistant, Kelly Services, Houston, TX | June 2015 to December 2017
- Managed a multi-line phone system, efficiently directing calls and taking messages for a team of over 20 employees
- Organized and maintained an up-to-date database of over 1,000 client records, ensuring accuracy and easy access to information
- Helped plan and execute company events, improving team morale and fostering a positive work environment
Professional Development
- Certified Administrative Professional (CAP), International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP)
- Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS), Microsoft
- Professional Secretary Certificate (PSC), Association of Executive and Administrative Professionals (AEAP)
Why this secretary’s resume example is strong:
This resume has impressive data in the experience section, showing how the candidate handled high work volume and positively impacted past employers.
Frequently Asked Questions: Secretary Resume Examples and Advice
How do you align your resume with a secretary job posting?
First, look closely at the job post text and note any repeated or emphasized words. Compare these phrases to the language you're using in your resume, particularly the profile and key skills sections. Then, seek ways to align your resume language with the job posting while not copying phrases or misstating your background.
For example, if the organization seeks someone collaborative, call out that aspect of your experience in your profile. Or say the company has many non-English speaking customers. Cite your foreign language skills in your profile and as a separate section farther down the document. With adjustments like these, you can make your resume more relevant to each opportunity.
What is the best secretary resume format?
Most secretaries should use the combination (or hybrid) format. True to its name, this format combines two important features of other resume formats: the chronological format's experience section and the functional format's profile section. (The resume examples on this page all use combination format.)
A combination resume offers the best of both worlds by fusing these two features. The experience section lets you outline your recent work history – essential information for most employers. At the same time, the profile section enables you to display your career highlights at the top, whether they're from that work history or another part of your background.
As a result, you can present yourself clearly and strategically. This format gives hiring managers the best view of your experience and relevant strengths so they can decide whether to call you for an interview.
Expert advice:
Include a cover letter with your resume
A good cover letter can enhance your job application. To write a standout letter, get specific. Tell the hiring manager why you’re interested in their organization and the secretary role they hope to fill.
Check Out Related Examples
Executive Resume Writer and Career Coach
Andrew Stoner is an executive career coach and resume writer with 17 years of experience as a hiring manager and operations leader at two Fortune 500 Financial Services companies, and as the career services director at two major university business schools.
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