Administrative Assistant Resume

Administrative Assistant Resume – what you should know

photo credit: Women_in_Uniform

When applying for a job as an administrative assistant an important part of the resume process is the functional, skill based one.  A successful admin assistant possesses a wide range of skills, from computer capabilities, organizational functions and the ability to juggle several tasks simultaneously to knowing how to operate a variety of office machines and being able to schedule and maintain an appointment calendar for the boss.

Listing past experience with quality references will be a good place to start the admin assistant resume. Follow this with a listing of the skill sets you want to showcase and the educational background you have that provided the groundwork for these skills.

Honesty is critical in a professional resume. Don’t say you have expert skills in a variety of software programs if you only have slight exposure from one course you took years ago. Inadequate skills will soon expose you as a fraud. And honesty, as well as the mental and technical skills you might possess, is an essential component of the successful admin assistant.

When in doubt about the acceptability of the skill levels you possess, be willing to demonstrate or even offer to work a few hours to prove your worth to encourage the potential employer to make a decision in your favor. The role of the administrative assistant is a crucial one in today’s highly skilled work environment. Don’t sell yourself short. Quality administrative assistants are the glue that holds many businesses together.

Resume Objective Tips – Do You Know What Your Objective Is?

Have you been searching around the Internet looking for some résumé objective tips?  The question most people have about writing a résumé is what do I write for my objective?  The objective is a short beginning statement that is included in some résumés that illustrates what it is you exactly intend to do in the position.  Do you intend to secure a position in human resources?  Do you intend to provide help to children by becoming a schoolteacher? The objective is to explain what it is you intend to accomplish in your career.

Other terms that objective goes by his career objective, employment objective, and job objective. Any of these terms can be used on a résumé and they include the all-important word ‘objective’.  When creating your objective think of the position that you are being hired for – what is it that they want?  Do they want someone who has a good amount of organizational skills?  Do they want someone who’s caring?  Do they want someone was on time?

Probably the easiest way to figure out an employer’s objective when hiring is to first read your exact job description and job descriptions from other positions around the Internet that are made for the particular job you are looking for.  So, for example if you were trying to become product manager you could illustrate in summary form in a couple of sentences some of your prior credentials achievements at your job and the behaviors that you consisitently possess to make you a great fit for this position.

Many of us simply assume that some of the characteristics that we have such as organizational skills, ability to multitask, and good communication skills are implied and just qualities that everyone has. Not True! By the type of education we have or by the fact that we are even considering a position doesn’t tell the HR manager what we intened to do for their company.  Remember that nothing is ever implied! The person sitting in front of you knows nothing about you and your ability to explain in a short few sentences what it is you can do for them helps then make a quick decision about whether or not you are right for the company or even to continue reading your resume.

Some people choose not to even include an objective in a résumé because it’s such a confusing portion to them. But without and objective a résumé could follow a haphazard pattern and so could your career.  This is a sign to employers that you don’t have a particular direction that you are following with your career.  And even if this may be true (many of us have no idea what we want to do) or if were you on the midst of a career change when you iterviewed with them, it may be too foreign to articulate this to the employer.  In the paragraphs following the objective you’ll illustrate things that you have done to achieve your objective and still do you have.  Your objective becomes the center of your résumé.

Although you can choose a templated version of your objective if you are applying in the same fields, it is true that those few senetences that become your objective are the center of all of your resume. It sets the tone so think about what it is you want from a career and make it happen. Wheter realistic or not, employers often percieve directed people to be more in control of their destiny and are often more happy and productive in the carrers they choose, ultimately providing more of a benefit to the prospective employer.