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.

A technical resume is designed to highlight the skills of a person in a technical field. These technical fields include computer experts, analysts, and programmers, as well as a variety of other fields that require a technical expertise.
photo credit: Wonderlane
photo credit: Wonderlane

Since a technical resume’s focus should be on highlighting the skills of a technical expert, the look and feel of the resume is going to be different from the standard format. Second on the list of technical resume writing tips is to make sure the resume includes each of the following: a goal, skill section, professional experience section, and education section.

The goal section of the resume should come immediately after the name and address portion of the resume. For each job position you apply to, the goal should be to directed specifically towards that job. Eliminate any vague statements such as “to be gainfully employed in a position that allows me to effectively utilize my skills.” Instead, aim for a more direct statement, such as “to obtain the position of chief computer analyst for (insert name of company here.)” Vague statements make the job applicant look lazy and unprofessional. While you may be applying to multiple jobs, take the time to personalize each resume.

The skills section should highlight each one of your skills. These may include C++, Perl, HTML, and PHP proficiency. Any certifications should also go into this area. One of the technical resume writing tips for this section is to make sure that any keywords related to your area of expertise are highlighted. This makes your resume look more professional and it will help if your employer utilizes an automated system that checks for keywords.

The next section should be labeled “professional experience,” and should relate only to the job positions you have had which are related directly to the job you are applying for. A technical resume should never list that college job you had flipping burgers at the local fast food joint. It may have given you valuable experience, but it did not increase your technical worth in the eyes of that employer looking to hire you to monitor their computer systems.

The final section should be the education section. Be sure to include the relevant state and year of graduation. For those that are new at the job market, the education section can go before the professional experience section. Either way, the best of the technical resume writing tips for the education section is to highlight and include any relevant course work for the position you are applying for.

You may include a reference section, but make certain that all of your references have agreed to be a reference ahead of time. Stating that “references are available upon request” looks unprofessional and should be avoided.

The easiest way to begin writing a résumé is to look first at your list of skills, rather than prior employment duties and responsibilities
Create a list that looks something similar to this:

• excellent communicator
• arrives on time
• ability to manage many different projects
• proficient in Microsoft Word

Your skills are going to vary from job to job and from position to position but generally you want to focus on your biggest strengths and articulate these in a way that not only makes you seem intelligent but also highlights the fact that you are confident about your abilities to perform the tasks at hand. The most important part of the résumé is the tone that we use and the confidence that we can project to show the hiring manager that we are proud of our accomplishments.

There are advantages to writing a résumé that many people don’t at first consider.  Many times we pass through life and don’t stop to look around at what we have accomplished.  A résumé provides a great amount of time for us to sit down and simply reflect on what it is we have actually accomplished professional.

Resume layout and content will vary depending on the field you are in.  For example, if  looking for work as a social worker it will certainly be different than if you’re looking for work as a businessperson, however many hiring managers have similar expectations.   For example, most employers want to see results quantified by numbers and symbols.  For example, don’t say “I improved our sales a lot”, you should say something more along the lines of “improved sales 150%, or “sold 69 more widgets above the quota”.  Use specific and professional-sounding languaging; instead of “I’m pretty good in Microsoft Word” you can say “well-versed in all office applications especially Microsoft Word.”

If you take nothing else from this article remembered to stay positive and really think about what you have accomplished and give yourself credit while writing.