13 Senior Administrative Assistant Resume Examples for 2025

In this article, we provide examples of effective resumes for senior administrative assistants. Learn important elements to include, common mistakes to avoid, and how to highlight your skills and experience. Get strategic tips from a hiring manager’s view on what makes a strong resume in this field.

  Compiled and approved by Diana Price
  Last updated on See history of changes

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At a Glance

Here's what we see in the best resumes for senior administrative assistants.

  • Show Impact Using Numbers: Use metrics like increased team efficiency by 20%, reduced scheduling conflicts by 30%, managed budgets up to $100K, or organized events for 200+ attendees to show your experience.

  • Include Relevant Skills From The Job Description: Include skills on your resume that you have and are mentioned on the job description. Some popular ones are Microsoft Office, Project Management, Data Entry, Database Management, and Travel Coordination. But don't include all of them, choose the ones you have and are mentioned in the JD.

  • Highlight Experience With Executive Support: At senior levels, show experience with executive support. Use phrases like calendar management, meeting coordination, and confidential documents in your resume.

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Positioning your education

When preparing your resume, think about where your education will have the most impact. As a senior administrative assistant, your practical experience is often your strongest selling point. If you have been working for several years, place your work experience before your educational background.

However, if you have recently completed a significant form of education, such as a business administration degree or specialized training relevant to administration, you should list it first. This will show your commitment to enhancing your skills and staying updated with administrative practices.

Remember, standard practice is to focus the hiring manager's attention on what makes you a good fit for their needs. Highlight any advanced coursework or certifications that align with being a highly efficient administrative assistant, which may include project management or advanced Microsoft Office skills.

Software skills

For a senior administrative assistant position, highlight your proficiency in office software like Microsoft Office Suite, especially Excel and PowerPoint. These are commonly used and highly valued.

Additionally, show any experience with project management tools or ERP systems. These are increasingly required in many administrative roles.

Ideal resume length

If you are applying as a senior administrative assistant, your resume should be concise yet comprehensive. For those with several years of relevant experience, up to two pages is acceptable. However, focus on showcasing your most relevant skills and accomplishments that are directly related to the role on the first page. This ensures that the hiring manager sees your strongest qualifications first.

Remember to make good use of space by choosing a clear layout. Avoid including less relevant information like outdated education or unrelated activities. Your aim is to present your qualifications efficiently, so hiring managers can quickly see your value as a candidate without getting overwhelmed by too much information.

Interpersonal skills

Emphasize your ability to handle sensitive information with confidentiality. This is crucial in administrative roles where you deal with private data regularly.

Also, demonstrate your experience in supporting senior management or executives. Mention times you managed calendars, organized travel, or prepared reports. These are valuable skills.

Beat the resume screeners

When you apply for a senior administrative assistant role, your resume might first be read by a software called an Applicant Tracking System (ATS). Make sure your resume gets through this first check.

  • Use keywords from the job description. For example, if the job asks for 'calendar management,' make sure those words are in your resume.
  • Format your resume simply. Use clear headings and avoid tables or images that the ATS might not read correctly.

Remember, a good resume that the ATS understands will likely get to a person who will read it. Help them see you can do the job well.

Customize your resume details

When applying as a senior administrative assistant, your resume should show skills that match the job's need. It is key to focus on experiences that prove you can handle important tasks and lead others. Good tailoring makes your resume stand out to hiring managers.

  • For roles with a tech aspect, list the software or systems you've used, like Microsoft Office Suite or project management applications.
  • If you've had senior tasks before, show your leadership by mentioning things like team size or interaction with high-level staff. For example, Managed a team of 10 administrative staff or Led weekly briefings for department heads.
  • When coming from another career, link your past work to tasks in a senior admin role. Say if you've done things like event planning or handling communications, which are part of this job too.

Showcase your achievements

When crafting your resume as a senior admin assistant, focus on what you have achieved, not just job duties. This helps you stand out to employers because it shows what you can do for them. It's important to turn your everyday tasks into clear successes.

Start by thinking about how your work made things better. Did you improve a process or save time? Here's how to change a basic job duty into an achievement:

  • Before: Answered phone calls and managed email inquiries.
  • After: Boosted team efficiency by streamlining communication, leading to a 20% reduction in response time for customer inquiries.

Remember, every point on your resume should help employers see your value. Aim to prove how good you are with examples of your work that had a strong impact.

Choose strong action verbs

When you're applying for a senior administrative assistant role, the verbs you choose can make a big difference. These words should not just describe what you did, but also show how well you did it. Think about duties you've managed that required careful attention and skill. Then, use verbs that match the level of responsibility and initiative you took.

It's good to focus on words that highlight your ability to lead and improve processes. Using the right verbs can help you demonstrate your experience and effectiveness in your role.

  • For leadership and decision-making, consider verbs like directed, orchestrated, oversaw, steered, and coordinated.
  • To show your organizational skills, use organized, systematized, catalogued, classified, and administered.
  • Highlight your communication abilities with liaised, articulated, conveyed, corresponded, and briefed.
  • For problem-solving, verbs like resolved, remediated, streamlined, ameliorated, and reconciled are good choices.
  • To showcase your ability to manage projects, include verbs such as executed, launched, implemented, monitored, and completed.

Want inspiration for other action verbs you can use? Check out synonyms to commonly used action verbs like Responsible for, Handling, Complete, Team, Seeking.

Highlight leadership and growth

When you're applying for a senior administrative assistant role, showing your ability to lead and grow is crucial. Employers value candidates who have risen through the ranks and taken on more responsibility. If you have experience in this area, make sure it's clear on your resume.

Think about times you've managed a project or led a team. Did you train new staff or head a committee? These are good examples of leadership. Have you been promoted? Even if it was from a junior to a mid-level role, it counts. Here are ways to show this:

  • "Promoted from administrative assistant to senior administrative assistant within two years due to strong performance in managing complex schedules and improving office systems."
  • "Led a team of three in organizing company-wide events, resulting in a 20% increase in employee engagement."

Don't worry if your title didn't change much. Focus on the responsibilities you took on and the skills you developed. Examples could be:

  • "Took on responsibilities beyond my role, such as negotiating with vendors, which saved the company money."
  • "Served as a key point of contact for inter-department coordination, improving communication efficiency by 25%."

Essential skills for senior admin roles

As you aim for a senior administrative assistant role, it's important to showcase specific skills on your resume. Here's a list to consider:

  • Calendar management
  • Travel arrangements
  • Meeting coordination
  • Report preparation
  • Database administration
  • Advanced MS Office skills
  • Expense tracking
  • Project management software
  • Document control
  • Customer relationship management (CRM) software

Choose skills that match your experience and the job you want. You don't need to include all of them. Place these skills in a dedicated section on your resume. This helps applicant tracking systems (ATS) find them easily. ATS are used by many companies to screen resumes.

Remember to give examples of how you used these skills. You can do this in the work experience section of your resume. For example, if you are skilled in report preparation, mention a time you created a complex report under a tight deadline. This shows not just what you can do, but how well you do it.

Show impact with numbers

When you write your resume, showing your impact with clear numbers can help you stand out. This is because numbers quickly show how much you can help a company. Here are ways to do this:

  • Think about how much you have helped save time. For example, if you made a new system for scheduling, how much faster did meetings get set up? You could say, 'Created a new scheduling system that reduced time to arrange meetings by 25%.'
  • Consider money you helped save. If you found a cheaper supplier for office supplies, how much was the saving? Maybe, 'Negotiated with new suppliers to cut office supply costs by $10,000 annually.'

Also, think about how you have helped with customers or other workers. Did you reduce the number of complaints? Or did you help more people get their work done? Some examples could be:

  • 'Developed a filing system that reduced document retrieval time by 30%, boosting team productivity.'
  • 'Implemented a customer feedback process that decreased support issues by 20%.'

Remember, even if you are not sure of the exact number, an estimated number is better than none. Think about your daily tasks and how they helped. Then, try to estimate how much better things got because of your work.

Adjusting for company size

When you apply for a job in a small company or startup, show that you are adaptable and can handle multiple roles. You might include phrases like 'flexible team player ready to wear multiple hats' or 'eager to take on varied tasks in a dynamic environment'. Small companies such as local law firms, independent financial consultants, or emerging tech startups value these traits highly.

In contrast, larger corporations like IBM or Deloitte look for candidates who can navigate complex structures and have specialized skills. Your resume should highlight 'experience in maintaining confidentiality in a high-volume environment' or 'proficient in managing schedules for executive-level staff'. Bigger companies expect you to be familiar with their processes and show that you can fit into a specific role within a larger team.

  • Show adaptability for small companies
  • Emphasize specialized skills for larger corporations
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