Resume guide · Job Zone 3

Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistantsresume guide.

Provide high-level administrative support by conducting research, preparing statistical reports, and handling information requests, as well as performing A strong Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants resume shows active listening, reading comprehension and speaking, and names the tools you have worked with, such as SAP software, Microsoft Access and Adobe Photoshop.

See a sample Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants resumeAnnotated against this guide · 3 templates↓
Sample resume

This guide, on a real page.

A Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants resume built in ResumeXRays, annotated against the data below. Flip the pages, try a template, then make it yours.

  1. 1Show what better scheduling changed."Manage and maintain executives' schedules" is the top task in this guide. Fewer same-day reschedules proves you do it well.
  2. 2Board prep is a result too.Preparing agendas and arrangements for board meetings is a core task here, and executive assistants are now judged on outcomes like this one. Board books sent a week early are easy to picture.
  3. 3Put a number on travel."Make travel arrangements for executives" is a top task, and SAP Concur is a hot tool in this guide. Trips per year and spend under budget turn booking into a result.
  4. 4Show how you use AI, and that you check it.Employers now want assistants who use AI to turn long threads into short briefs. Naming the tool and saying you check its work by hand shows good judgment.
  5. 5Write out your certification and who issued it.Spell out Certified Administrative Professional (CAP) and the IAAP so both people and screening software find it. Executive Administrative Assistant and Executive Assistant are titles this guide lists, and the CAP is built for them.
  6. 6Keep education to one line.An associate degree is the most common education for this job, so the degree, school and year are enough.

Sample resume. The candidate is fictional; the layout and templates are real.

Philippa Dunleavy

Executive Assistant to the CEO, CAP

[email protected] / (215) 555-0136 / Philadelphia, PA

Summary

Executive assistant with ten years supporting senior leaders, currently the CEO and CFO of a 600-person biotech company. Run calendars across three time zones, prepare board meetings, book travel and manage a $1.2M office and events budget. Use Microsoft Copilot to turn long email threads and meeting notes into short briefs, checked by hand before they go out.

Experience

Executive Assistant to the CEO
Quaywright Biotherapeutics / Philadelphia, PA
Jan 2021 - Present
Manage the CEO's and CFO's calendars in Microsoft Outlook, protecting two focus blocks a week and cutting same-day reschedules from about 20 a month to 6.
Prepare agendas, board books and minutes for 4 board meetings and 10 committee meetings a year; every board book now goes out 7 days ahead, up from 2 or 3.
Book about 70 domestic and international trips a year for 3 executives through SAP Concur, bringing travel spend 14% under budget by booking earlier and using negotiated hotel rates.
Set up a daily one-page brief drafted with Microsoft Copilot from email threads and meeting notes, then fact-checked by hand, saving the CEO about an hour of inbox time a day.
Coordinate office services for the 120-person headquarters, including vendor contracts, catering and the $1.2M facilities and events budget, finishing 6% under budget two years running.
Executive Assistant
Delancey Arch Partners / Philadelphia, PA
Mar 2018 - Jan 2021
Supported 2 managing partners, screening 40+ calls and visitors a day and returning every client call within one business day.
Researched companies and compiled data into Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint packets for 30+ investment committee meetings a year, with none delivered late.
Drafted replies to routine letters and emails for partner signature, clearing a 200-item backlog in the first month.
Administrative Assistant
Ostrowe & Pike Architects / Conshohocken, PA
Jul 2015 - Mar 2018
Ran the front desk and records for a 35-person firm and moved 12 years of project files into Microsoft SharePoint, so staff could find drawings in minutes.

Skills

Software:Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft SharePoint, Google Workspace software, Zoom, SAP Concur, Adobe Acrobat, Slack, Microsoft Copilot
Executive support:Calendar management, travel planning, board meeting preparation, minutes, correspondence, budget tracking, vendor management

Licenses & Certifications

Certified Administrative Professional (CAP), International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP)
Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS): Excel Associate, Microsoft

Education

Associate of Applied Science in Business Administration
Kittatinny Community College
2015

01Also called

O*NET
Administrative AideAdministrative AssistantAdministrative AssociateAdministrative CoordinatorAdministrative SecretaryAdministrative SpecialistExecutive Administrative AssistantExecutive AssistantExecutive SecretaryOffice Assistant

02Skills employers expect

O*NET

Importance is how much the skill matters to the job; level is how much of it the job demands. Both are worth naming on the resume, in this order.

SkillImportanceLevel
Active ListeningVery highAdvanced
Reading ComprehensionVery highAdvanced
SpeakingHighIntermediate
Service OrientationHighIntermediate
WritingHighIntermediate
CoordinationHighIntermediate
Critical ThinkingHighIntermediate
Social PerceptivenessHighIntermediate
Time ManagementHighIntermediate
Active LearningHighIntermediate

03Knowledge areas

O*NET
  • Administrative
  • English Language
  • Customer and Personal Service
  • Computers and Electronics
  • Administration and Management
  • Personnel and Human Resources
  • Communications and Media
  • Mathematics
  • Public Safety and Security
  • Telecommunications

04Common responsibilities

O*NET

Ordered by importance. Each one is a bullet waiting for a result and a number.

  1. Manage and maintain executives' schedules.
  2. Make travel arrangements for executives.
  3. Prepare invoices, reports, memos, letters, financial statements, and other documents, using word processing, spreadsheet, database, or presentation software.
  4. Coordinate and direct office services, such as records, departmental finances, budget preparation, personnel issues, and housekeeping, to aid executives.
  5. Answer phone calls and direct calls to appropriate parties or take messages.
  6. Prepare responses to correspondence containing routine inquiries.
  7. Open, sort, and distribute incoming correspondence, including faxes and email.
  8. Greet visitors and determine whether they should be given access to specific individuals.
  9. Prepare agendas and make arrangements, such as coordinating catering for luncheons, for committee, board, and other meetings.
  10. Conduct research, compile data, and prepare papers for consideration and presentation by executives, committees, and boards of directors.

05Software and tools

O*NET

89 tools across 32 categories. The six largest categories are below; Hot marks a hot technology, In demand a tool employers ask for most often.

Enterprise resource planning ERP software12
  • SAP softwareHotIn demand
  • Oracle PeopleSoftHot
  • Microsoft Dynamics
  • Microsoft Dynamics GP
  • Oracle PeopleSoft Financials
  • Epicor Vantage ERP
  • Exact Software Macola ES
  • SYSPRO business software
  • Geac MPC Production
  • Maynard PlanStaff Manager
  • MicroStrategy Report Services
  • PRONTO Xi
+ 7 more
Web page creation and editing software6
  • FacebookHot
  • LinkedIn
  • Social media sites
  • Google Sites
  • Adobe Contribute
  • ProQuest RefWorks RefShare
+ 1 more
Data base user interface and query software5
Graphics or photo imaging software5
Video conferencing software5
  • ZoomHotIn demand
  • Cisco WebexHot
  • Google MeetIn demand
  • LogMeIn GoToMeeting
  • Web conferencing software
Word processing software5
Accounting software4
  • Intuit QuickBooksHotIn demand
  • SAP ConcurHotIn demand
  • Sage 50 Accounting
  • Sage Peachtree Premium Accounting for Manufacturing
Document management software4
Analytical or scientific software3
  • KAPES
  • Micro Estimating FabPlan
  • MTI Systems Costimator JS
Cloud-based data access and sharing software3
  • SlackHot
  • Google Drive
  • Dropbox
Human resources software3
  • Human resource management software HRMS
  • Questek Humanis
  • Workflow International Deskflow Enterprise
Office suite software3
Presentation software3
Project management software3
  • Microsoft ProjectHotIn demand
  • Oracle Primavera Enterprise Project Portfolio ManagementHot
  • Microsoft Team Foundation ServerHot
Calendar and scheduling software2
  • Appointment scheduling software
  • Workbrain Employee Scheduling
Desktop communications software2
  • Eko
  • ParentSquare
Desktop publishing software2
Electronic mail software2
Medical software2
  • PCC EHR
  • PCC Pediatric Partner
Network conferencing software2
  • LogMeIn GoToWebinar
  • Slido interaction software
Time accounting software2
  • Work Technology WorkTech Time
  • Workbrain Time and Attendance
Customer relationship management CRM software1
  • Blackbaud The Raiser's EdgeIn demand
Data base reporting software1
  • Inetsoft
Financial analysis software1
  • Oracle E-Business Suite Financials
Information retrieval or search software1
  • LexisNexis
Internet browser software1
Inventory management software1
  • Fishbowl Warehouse
Mobile messaging service software1
  • Intrado SchoolMessenger
Operating system software1
  • Apple macOSHotIn demand
Process mapping and design software1
Procurement software1
  • Aestiva Purchase Order
Spreadsheet software1

06Education and preparation

O*NET
Typical education
Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree
34% of surveyed workers. Others report High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) (24%) and Some College Courses (21%).
Preparation level
Job Zone 3 · Medium preparation
Usually vocational training, an associate degree or a few years of related experience.

07Putting it on your resume

ResumeXRays guidance
BEE · How to show it

Lead with the credential and the record. Job Zone 3 roles usually ask for training, a license or a few years of related experience. Put those on the first screen, then show what you did with them.

Name the tools exactly. This occupation is heavy on named software. A skills section that says "SAP software, Microsoft Access, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator" matches more job descriptions than a general phrase. Use the spelling employers use.

Show reading comprehension and speaking, not just active listening. Reading comprehension and speaking rank close to active listening for this occupation. One bullet per role that shows a decision, a tradeoff or a result covers them.

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