Communication, management and organization skills are mentioned with the greatest frequency in administrative job ads, a LiveCareer analysis of recent postings and resumes found. Job seeker resumes include the right numbers of management skills, but fall short on communication and organization — two crucial skills for landing a job in 2021.
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Administrators have a long road ahead as an economic slump continues in many parts of the economy. They may be overworked as they take on the tasks of former colleagues. Clear and effective communication with every level of their organization has never been more important, and mainstay administrative skills like management and organization remain essential to keeping companies functioning during this transitional time.
LiveCareer pinpointed the skills listed most often in job ads, including the precise wording of each skill. This data-based approach reveals the terminology employers expect to see on administrative applications, and can help guide job seekers in refreshing their resumes.
Top hard, soft and remote work skills that will help you land administrative jobs
We analyzed a range of administrative job titles, including administrative assistants, executive assistants, office managers, secretaries and receptionists.
Soft skills
- Communication
Found in 58.29% of administrative job ads
Look for words like communicate, articulate, voice and talk through. - Written communication
Found in 40.93% of job ads
Look for words like write, draft and compose. - Management skills
Found in 40.16% of job ads
Look for words like manage, oversee, conduct, supervise and direct. - Well-organized
Found in 40.16% of job ads
Look for words like organize, organization, methodical and systematic. - Professionalism
Found in 28.50% of job ads
Look for words like professional, experienced and qualified. - Punctuality
Found in 17.88% of job ads
Look for words like timely, on time, dependable and on schedule.
Hard skills
- Presentation skills
Found in 22.88% of job ads
Look for programs like Microsoft PowerPoint. - Training
Found in 20.98% of job ads
Look for words like instruct, teach and train. - Clerical support
Found in 13.92% of job ads
Look for programs like Google Docs and Evernote.
Remote work skills
- Project management tools like Monday (found in 2.59% of job ads) and Teamwork (found in 4.90%).
- Video conferencing software like Zoom (found in 4.11% of job ads) and Skype (found in 2.61% of job ads)
An experienced administrative assistant resume example
How to add skills to your resume
Read the job description, understand what the employer is seeking and use the exact wording of the skills listed in the job posting when they apply to skills you possess.
1. Weave a few important critical soft skills into your summary statement.
Example one: Administrative assistant
Well-organized and astute administrative assistant with experience managing data and controlling record-keeping. Expert at optimizing processes to improve data retrieval and storage procedures, reduce physical storage needs. and maintain security of information. Skilled at researching and resolving discrepancies.
Example two: Executive assistant
Enterprising senior executive assistant with 10 years of experience. Expert in strategic planning, office management and providing comprehensive support to company leaders. Goal-oriented with ability to meet long-term goals through daily organization. Dedicated to excellent customer service, client satisfaction and team communication.
2. Create a separate skills section. Make sure to include both hard and soft skills.
Example one: Office manager
- Documentation and control
- Expense reporting
- Team leadership
- Training and development
- Project management tools (e.g., Monday, Teamwork)
- Policy and procedure modification
Example two: Secretary
- Database maintenance
- Quickbooks
- Confidentiality
- Appointment scheduling
- Verbal and written communication
- Organization
3. Lace skills throughout top achievements in your work experience section.
Example one: Office assistant
- Produced high-quality documents, spreadsheets and presentations for internal and customer-facing needs using MS Office suite.
- Delivered clerical support by efficiently handling a wide range of routine and special requirements.
- Maintained staff directory and company policy handbook for human resources department.
Example two: Personal assistant
- Responded to emails and other correspondence to facilitate communication and enhance business processes.
- Produced accurate office files, updated spreadsheets and crafted presentations to support executives and boost team efficiency.
- Oversaw daily household activities for traveling clients.
How to grow this skill set
Employers are going to want to see you are continuing to build your administrative skills. There are many options available to you, including:
- Software is simply part of the job for administrators, so you'll need to stay up to date. Take a moment to fill in the gaps in your skills, whether it's Microsoft Outlook for scheduling meetings; the ins and outs of Slack or Gmail; presentation software like LinkedIn's SlideShare or Microsoft PowerPoint; programs for document creation like Google Docs; or productivity enhances like Trello, Evernote, Dropbox and Asana.
- Improve your typing speed and form on an online education site like Skillshare, LinkedIn Learning and Udemy.
- Get actively involved in LinkedIn Groups where administrative professionals are talking about key issues in the field and sharing job opportunities, and follow blogs that shed light on topics (e.g., Practically Perfect PA and Executive Leadership Support Forum Blog).
