The perfect administrative assistant CV is clear, concise, and organised, reflecting your efficiency. A great administration assistant CV will illustrate your experience, from day-to-day admin tasks such as filing, meeting planning, and data entry, and specific real-world examples, on top of education and training.

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    Best format for your administrative assistant CV

    A well-structured administrative assistant CV highlights qualities such as meticulous attention to detail. It also helps pass the Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), which screen CVs before they reach your recruiter. Additionally, a clear CV format enables your recruiter to quickly find the essential information about you.

    There are two main CV formats I recommend considering:

    • A reverse-chronological CV highlights your work history, starting with your most recent role. It’s a CV format that highlights your career progression and makes your experience easy for employers to see.
    • A skills-based CV emphasises your relevant abilities over your experience. It’s an ideal CV format for entry-level candidates. Focusing on your strengths instead of specific job titles highlights your ability to succeed in an administrative role.

    How to write an administrative assistant CV

    Below, you’ll discover everything you need to know about creating a winning CV. From contact details and work experience to education, skills, additional sections, and formatting tips, we’ve got it all covered. Read on and find out how to write a CV for an admin assistant that will impress your potential employer.

    Start your administrative assistant CV with accurate contact details

    Administrative roles rely on organisation and accuracy, so your CV should reflect this from the very first section. Employers should be able to identify you and contact you immediately without searching through the page. Position your contact details at the top of your CV and keep the information straightforward and professional.

    Your contact section should include:

    • Your full name
    • The job title you’re applying for
    • Your location (city or region only)
    • A reliable phone number
    • A professional email address
    • Link to your LinkedIn profile

    Avoid adding full addresses, dates of birth, or personal information that doesn’t support your application. Before sending your CV, carefully review this section to ensure all details are accurate and easy to read.

    Open with a focused administrative assistant profile

    Your personal profile should immediately show your professional value. After reading these few lines, your potential employer should fully understand what type of administrative assistant you are and how can you support teams or office operations.

    Here’s how to write an admin assistant CV profile:

    • Start with a strong action verb and your job title.
    • Mention your skills that mirror those listed in the job ad.
    • Include at least one relevant achievement. Make it quantifiable, for better impact.
    • Express your interests for working in the company you’re applying for. Mention it’s name to make your personal profile more tailored.

    Show your experience on your administrative assistant CV

    Employers want evidence that you can handle responsibilities efficiently and reliably. To prove that you’re capable of doing so, you need a strong work experience section. It’s a key part of an administrative assistant CV, so make sure to do it right.

    Here’s how to structure this section effectively:

    • List your job title, employer, location, and employment dates.
    • Use bullet points to explain your contributions rather than copying duties from job descriptions.
    • Highlight quantifiable outcomes whenever possible.
    • List your achievements rather than your day-to-day responsibilites.
    • Cover a range of administrative duties, including correspondence, data handling, diary management, document preparation, and meeting support.
    • Use clear action verbs to describe your impact.
    • Focus on recent and relevant roles first. Older or unrelated positions should only be included if they demonstrate transferable administrative skills.

    Highlight your education on your admin assistant CV

    Some administrative assistant roles don’t require advanced degrees. However, employers still value clear evidence of education, training, and professional development. Creating a well-structured education section will allow them to better understand the academic foundation that supports your administrative abilities.

    Here’s what to include:

    • The name of the school, college, or university
    • Dates of attendance
    • Relevant subjects studied
    • Qualification level (e.g. GCSEs, diploma, degree)
    • Grades or results, if they’re impressive enough to strengthen your application

    Showcase your administrative assistant skills

    Your skills section should clearly demonstrate why employers can rely on you to support teams, manage information, and keep operations organised. A strong administrative assistant CV includes a balanced mix of hard skills and soft skills. Focusing too heavily on one can make your skill set feel incomplete.

    Admin assistant hard skills can include the following:

    • Office administration & procedures
    • Diary & meeting management
    • Data entry & record keeping
    • Document preparation & reporting
    • IT & office systems

    Admin assistant soft skills can include the following:

    Strengthen your administrative assistant CV with additional sections

    Beyond the core sections, optional additions can help your CV stand out and show that you bring added value to an organisation. These sections demonstrate initiative, professionalism, a broader skill set, and your personality.

    Useful optional sections can include:

    • Certifications and training: List relevant courses such as Business Administration qualifications, GDPR and data protection training, Health and Safety, First Aid, or software training such as Excel or CRM systems.
    • Achievements and recognition: Include performance awards, positive feedback, or formal recognition for reliability, efficiency, or organisational support.
    • Professional memberships: Mention membership in administrative, business, or industry-related organisations to demonstrate engagement with your profession.
    • Languages: Add any additional languages with proficiency levels, particularly useful in customer-facing or international office environments.
    • Volunteer experience: Include voluntary administrative work for charities, schools, or community organisations that demonstrates responsibility and organisation.
    • Hobbies and interests: Mention after-hours activities that reinforce transferable skills, such as event planning, scheduling, or coordinating activities.

    Format your administrative assistant CV professionally

    A well-presented CV reflects the same organisational skills expected from a strong administrative assistant. Clear structure and professional formatting help recruiters quickly find the information they need. That’s why your CV needs to be highly readable.

    Here’s how to achieve it:

    • Keep your CV length to a maximum of two pages.
    • Select one of the professional CV fonts such as Arial, Calibri, or Garamond.
    • Set body text between 10–12pt, with larger headings for clarity.
    • Use consistent spacing and margins to maintain white space.
    • Clearly label each section with bold or uniform headings.
    • Save your CV as a PDF using a professional file name, such as SarahJones_AdministrativeAssistant_CV.pdf

    Top FAQs about your admin assistant CV

    What is administrative work, and what is an admin job?

    Put simply, administration refers to the work involved in running something. In business terms, it’s the processes necessary to keep a business ticking. Phone calls, record keeping, reception duties, and meeting coordination are all covered by administrative work (or admin for short).

    What is an administrative assistant?

    An administrative assistant is a junior role within the administrative process. As the name suggests, they assist with the administration side of a business, taking on their own responsibilities day-to-day as well as helping with the ad-hoc requirements of managers or administrative officers.

    What are the duties of an administrative assistant?

    If you’re wondering “what does an admin assistant do”, they can be responsible for a wide range of tasks including:

    • Record keeping and filing.
    • Call answering and forwarding.
    • Meeting organisation and minute taking.
    • Event and travel planning.
    • Typing up documents from notes.

    Is experience a must for an admin assistant?

    Experience can be a huge selling point on your admin assistant CV. But it’s not an absolute must. If you lack relevant work experience draw on other roles and life experience that can be linked to the role and responsibilities of an admin assistant.

    How long should my admin assistant CV be?

    A CV for the role of administrative assistant should be around one to two pages long. If you’re a graduate or school leaver looking for an entry-level admin role, one page is great! If you’ve got several administration qualifications and have held numerous admin assistant jobs, you may require two and up to three pages. Try to be concise wherever possible, as potential employers will have a lot of CVs to get through.

    Get started on your administrative assistant CV

    Ready to take the next step in your administration career? With over a decade of experience helping ambitious admin assistants showcase their skills to potential new employers, myPerfectCV can help.

    Our CV builder makes it quick and easy to create the perfect admin assistant CV. Choose from a range of professionally built CV templates and personalise with your own personal statement, experience, qualifications and skills. Get started on your ultimate administrative assistant CV today!

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