Secretaries are crucial to the success of any company or organization, playing a significant role in the different administrative, clerical, and office duties.
Whether you’re a well-experienced secretary or just trying to get your foot in the door, creating and properly formatting your resume can be challenging but a vital part of the job hunt process.
We’ve analyzed a myriad of secretary resumes and have come to understand what works best to help you land your next job in 2023. We’ve selected the best features from each resume to create seven secretary resume samples to cover all different experience levels. Take advantage of our detailed tips throughout this post to benefit your resume.
Why this resume works
- Your secretary resume should demonstrate the impact of previous work using numbers or metrics. Numbers speak louder than words on a resume, so try to quantify the impact of your past work experience whenever you can.
- Even just a rough estimate of numbers is better than words alone! You can always offer a further explanation during an interview.
- If you include a resume summary, don’t let it get the best of you. Keep it simple.
- Give a short summary of your specializations if you’ve had a least 10 years in the industry, but if you’re entry-level, consider using a resume objective instead.
- Let the employer know what you’re looking for in your next job and what you can offer.
- Secretaries must be skilled in verbal communication and the ability to type and use word processing programs—all while staying organized.
- You should not be humble here. Your goal is to showcase your resume skills and value within the context of your work experience bullet points.
Why this resume works
- If you have no experience in your field, getting your foot in the door can be challenging. Your resume can still do an excellent job of delineating your communication and your ability to manage time well.
- A resume objective is also a way to “newsflash” your qualifications right off the bat.
- Use an objective if you have little or no experience to promote what you can offer in a nutshell.
- Remember to customize your objective to each position’s job description and always mention the business by name.
- Don’t underestimate the power of work history in your entry-level secretary resume.
- Many skills and job duties are transferrable from one job to the next, which might land you your next job.
- Avoid using filler words. They don’t add value to your resume. Instead, focus on your job accomplishments or duties that utilized your skills.
Why this resume works
- What’s one thing that will set your unit secretary resume off to a winning start? Highlight your achievements that are both strategic and impactful in your previous roles.
- For Amanda, the one thing that got her hired was her role in negotiating with vendors and introducing cost-efficient strategies that saw a 21% reduction in office supply expenses. Impressive, don’t you agree? Follow this example and impress recruiters.
Why this resume works
- As a healthcare worker, you often serve two masters: your employer and the patient. Therefore, to rise through the ranks quickly, you must showcase a record of achievements that satisfy both sides.
- For instance, the initiative to implement an appointment reminder system to decrease patient no-show rate by 26% is a win for the employer and patients. Emulate such a clever strategy to propel your medical secretary resume to the top of the stack.
Why this resume works
- Your resume should demonstrate your qualifications in every section. The hiring manager may only spend seconds looking at your legal secretary resume before deciding whether you will get a first-round interview. No matter what portion the manager reads, he or she should be convinced you have what it takes.
- A large part of a legal secretary’s job includes assisting executives and the legal team they work for to manage their duties efficiently and successfully.
- Fill your work history with tasks that show how you’ve impacted and improved the time and workflow of attorneys.
- Your resume should highlight your accomplishments in the form of quantitative measures. Numerical values do a fantastic job of demonstrating the positive impact you’ve had at your company.
Why this resume works
- School secretaries need to be organized and adaptable because they work with many students, not to mention their parents and the school staff—all of who have diverse needs.
- Career progression should be evident in your school secretary resume.
- Your resume summary is a perfect place to demonstrate your best self within your career highlights; just remember that it’s strictly for the seasoned candidate (10+ years in a field).
- Use the reverse-chronological resume format to show how you’ve advanced in your responsibilities from the most recent role to the oldest.
- The bullet points in your school secretary resume should be concise and related to the job duties of the position you’re seeking. This shows the business owner how valuable you’ll be to the team without making them pore over unnecessary information.
Why this resume works
- Administrative secretaries need to be able to answer phones, return to the document they were typing, and greet clients, among other things. The ability to do all this efficiently with a great attitude requires flexibility, which can be documented in your resume skills section.
- Flexibility and multi-tasking increase your value to the employer, so make sure your work experience emphasizes your efficiency and attention to detail.
- Depending on how much detail you list in your administrative secretary resume, you may want to adjust your resume template. Some templates enable you to showcase your career objective on the right-hand side to leave more room for work experience bullet points.
- If you’re struggling with creating the perfect resume, we understand, and if you’d simply like to improve your current resume, we’re here to help!
