Assistant Resume Examples

If you’re seeking a job as an assistant, then chances are you don’t have tons of experience in the field you’re going into. Rather, you’re trying to get your foot in the door and gain the experience that you need to be successful in your career field and work unsupervised on your own.

Writing a resume for an assistant position might seem difficult, especially if you don’t have much experience to include, but taking a look at some assistant resume samples can help you gain some insight into how to craft such resumes. Not only will this guide instruct you in best practices for writing an assistant resume, but it’ll also outline common mistakes to avoid.

What you end up putting in your resume depends largely upon your past. Your education, training, work experience, skills, and future career goals can all affect what you need to include. While some resumes feature sections that others don’t, there are a few common elements that you should include no matter what. Although there is no set formula for crafting an assistant resume, the following categories are found in nearly all assistant resume samples:

• Summary Statement
• Education
• Work Experience
• Skills

As you browse through some of the assistant resume samples on this site, you’ll probably notice that most of them are primarily formatted in one of two ways. The most predominant format for resume writing is the chronological format. In this format, everything is listed in reverse chronological order (from the most recent date to the earliest). This type of format is most ideal for recent college graduates and applicants who have built their entire careers upon working in the industry they’re applying to. The other format you’ll commonly find is the functional one. This format doesn’t have to necessarily be in reverse chronological order. Instead, it focuses on listing the most important details first based upon how applicable they are to the industry you’re seeking a career in. Applicants who didn’t necessary obtain education specifically for the job they’re applying for or those who are looking to change careers tend to use this format since it allows them to better illustrate the skills they have that apply to the career field they’re trying to enter.

Include the summary statement at the beginning of the resume, and think of it as your sales pitch. This statement should be powerful and include the most essential information that you want the employer to know so that it draws him or her in to read more. Include the name of the assistant position you’re seeking in this section as well as your most notable skills, qualifications, and achievements. Since you might not have much, if any, experience in the industry yet or any accomplishments, focus on highlighting your academic accomplishments and your eagerness to learn. The following summary statements from assistant resume samples provide you with excellent examples of how to write your own summary statement:

• Daycare Teacher Assistant who’s great with children and who possesses strong organizational skills. Adept at coordinating daycare activities, helping the children to get involved in activities, and supervising large groups of children indoors and outdoors. Seek to specialize in pre-school age children and younger, and is experienced in taking care of infants.
• Optician Assistant capable of conducting the preliminary tests for patients to maximize optician’s time. Adept at customer service, maintaining an organized filing system, and following up with patients on important appointments. Specializes in office management and developing financial reports.
• Creative and dedicated Interior Design Assistant with a hunger to learn from industry professionals. Advantageous contacts with textile, paint, accessory, and furniture vendors throughout the area. Excels in color theory, textiles and lighting.

Almost all types of writing encourage you to utilize strong action verbs rather than weak passive ones. Action verbs relative to your career industry not only show confidence, but they also display knowledge of the industry and its terminology. Some action verbs you’ll likely encounter in assistant resume samples include the following:

• Assist
• Help
• Support
• Contribute
• Aid
• Promote
• Add
• Give
• Supply
• Further
• Participate
• Facilitate
• Improve
• Alleviate
• Relieve
• Lend

While there aren’t certain ingredients that make for a perfect resume, there are certain mistakes to avoid at all costs. The following resume fails are among the mistakes you should ensure you never make:

• Typos and grammatical errors. As you can see from the assistant resume samples on this site, resumes should be error-free. Check your resume as many times as it takes to ensure that it’s formatted perfectly. Ensure there are no typos or grammatical errors in it. Although these can be common, honest mistakes, they leave a glaring stain of unprofessionalism on your resume, making it appear like you either don’t know proper grammar or didn’t care enough to proofread and edit your resume.
• Lack of specifics. Employers want to know exactly what you’ve done in the past. When you’re listing work experience and describing job duties and accomplishments, be specific. Instead of simply stating Worked in a restaurant atmosphere with other employees say something like Assisted in the taking, preparation, and delivery of orders to over 200 customers per day.
• One-size-fits-all resume. While it is okay to have a general resume template that you look to as a guide, creating a one-size-fits-all resume doesn’t always cut it. Employers want to see that you took the time and dedication to craft a resume specifically for them and that it showcases how you’re the perfect applicant for their company in each sentence and phrase. Make your resume more specific to employers by researching them and addressing how you have the specific skills and qualifications that they’re looking for. Let them know how you’ll benefit their company.
• Not highlighting accomplishments. Don’t simply create a laundry list of the duties you completed in your work experience section. Good assistant resume samples show what you accomplished through completion of the duties and how you added value to the company. Instead of simply stating Recorded group meeting minutes say Kept record of weekly group minutes via Microsoft Word for future reference. This lets the employer know how valuable your duties were and what you accomplished in keeping the minutes.
• Visually too busy. While you want to make sure your resume stands out amongst the rest, you don’t want to make it visually too busy. Using many different fonts, font sizes, colors, and graphics will probably only give employers a headache and make it difficult to read your resume. While a good format is important, you want employers to focus on the content of your resume rather than its design elements. It’s best to use modest fonts of Arial or Times New Roman in 10- or 12-point size.
• Incorrect contact information. Surprisingly, this is a huge resume fail that many people make. Check the contact information you provided to ensure it’s correct. Being off by one digit on your phone number or accidentally transposing numbers can make it impossible for interested hiring managers to contact you. Always check all contact information like addresses, phone numbers, and emails to ensure accuracy.
• Unnecessary information. Don’t include unnecessary information in your resume. As you’ll notice, the assistant resume samples on this site don’t include sections for hobbies, interests, social networking websites, and other miscellaneous information that’s unrelated to job positions. It’s okay to include links to your personal website or blog if they are professional and solely dedicated to our career, but keep all personal matters to yourself.

Job prospects for assistants vary depending upon the industry. For instance, while opportunities for medical assistants, like physical therapy assistants and dental assistants, are projected to grow by 38 percent from 2012 to 2022, opportunities for administrative and office assistants are only projected to grow by 12 percent from 2012 to 2022. Teacher assistants can expect a growth rate of 9 percent, and legal assistants can expect a rate of 17 percent. Generally, assistants who possess more technological skills and are versatile enough to work in a variety of fields stand a better chance of securing a job since they’ll be qualified for more positions. Additionally, assistants who speak multiple languages also have an edge over the competition.