Administrative assistants are integral to the daily operations of a business, from managing calendars and scheduling events, to providing staff members with key company information and filing and organising important company documents. If you’re an administrative assistant looking to boost your professional potential, you’ve come to the right place! In this guide, we’ll help you get noticed and hired by potential employers and impress them with your stellar CV. Let’s get started!
Personal Statement
Your personal statement is your opportunity to stand out to potential employers. Think of it as your first impression and your chance to confidently share your strengths, talents and motivations for applying for the job role. The key thing to remember when writing a compelling personal statement is to keep your content brief, significant and relevant. Ultimately, your personal statement should only be 2-3 sentences. If you need some inspiration, check out our personal statement sample here:
Organised, growth-oriented administrative assistant with over 5+ years of admin experience and project management. Excellent with event management and proficient with social media engagement, Committed to being an all-rounder focused on bringing the ideas and dreams of companies to life.
Work History
In the work history section of your CV, it is important to outline a thorough overview of your professional background. We recommend listing these details out chronologically. For example, if you worked as an administrative assistant at Cargill’s in 2015, and as an administrative assistant at Element in 2020, you would list your position at Element first.
In your work history section, include a list of past employers, the positions you have held, and the duration of each job. For best results, briefly describe the duties you performed in each role and any relevant accomplishments. Keep your tone of voice professional, confident and enthusiastic. You can check out our cvapp.nz website for more advice on how to display your work history, or check out our example here:
Database Administrator, Andromeda Group, Hamilton
January 2020 — November 2022
- Directly reported to senior staff to manage company logistics
- Collected data from all clients to create reports and forecasts
- Coordinated all staff meetings, appointments and executive events
- Monitored all social media channels, ensured all urgent concerns and queries were escalated and managed in a timely manner
- Ensured all departments were meeting their weekly targets and deadlines for time-sensitive issues
- Ordered all office inventory and managed and maintained all supply chain relationships
Office Administrator, Sylvester & Co, Wellington
February 2017 — October 2019
- Managed all Sylvester & Co social media channels
- Scheduled all appointments for senior staff
- Organised all events, including office parties, community engagements and charity events
- Completed data entry for reports, filing and general company record-keeping
- Kept stock of all office supplies and renewed as necessary
- Provided senior management with necessary reports, including fiscal information and social media engagement metrics
Administrative Assistant, Auckland City Council, Auckland
March 2015 — December 2015
- Assisted in day-to-day operations, including filing, appointment creation, email management and correspondence with key council stakeholders
- Managed feedback from public as it pertained to local issues and reported back to management
- Kept stock of office resources and inventory
- Booked all travel arrangements for all relevant parties
- Provided support to visitors and escalated concerns to appropriate channels
Skills
Employers are looking for skilled individuals that can add value to an organisation. Are you a great communicator? Have an eye for detail and accuracy? Do you have experience with data entry and bookkeeping? Your employer needs to know about it. We recommend including a range of soft and hard skills in your skill section. We have great examples across all of our CVs, which you can check out in our cvapp.nz CV builder. Alternatively, check out a great example of a skills section here:
- Microsoft Excel
- Customer Service
- Communication Skills
- Microsoft Office
- Computer Skills
- Data Entry
Education
Your education section of your CV should contain details of any academic qualifications or achievements you have attained. Where possible, be sure to include the names of any institutions you’re affiliated with, the dates that you earned your qualification or attended an institution, any specialisations where applicable and any necessary details. For example, if you completed a Bachelor of Arts, be sure to include the name of your degree programme, the specialisation and the years that you attended your degree-granting institution. You can also include any scholarly accomplishments that may stand out to employers! Your education section should end up looking a little like this!
Bachelor of Commerce, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington
February 2016 — February 2019
NCEA Level 3, King's College, Auckland
February 2011 — February 2015
We hope you enjoyed our comprehensive guide for writing an awesome administrative assistant CV! We also hope you know that the fun doesn’t stop here – feel free to check out all of our free tools and resources on our website and blog for more guidance and advice. We’re proud to help Kiwi professionals unlock the next chapter of their career story, and we hope we’ve made your job-hunting journey a little easier.
Ngā mihi nui!
