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Executive Assistant Resume Best Practices

Executive assistant (EA) roles are very important positions, no matter the industry. However, the responsibilities of an EA vary greatly from business to business. This makes creating your resume and knowing which areas of your background to highlight a bit challenging. Luckily, Base is here to help! Base is a leading software company that is modernizing the way executive assistants and executives work together. Our goal is to help executive assistants better leverage their unique skill sets so that they can have more successful and rewarding careers.

In order for you to find the job you want and excel at a high level, there are some executive assistant resume tips to consider. Keep reading to get an idea of the perfect executive assistant resume sample. In no time, you’ll be able to create an effective resume that will land you the EA job of your dreams. 

Tailoring Your Resume to the Role

One of the first things you should consider when creating a resume is tailoring it to the specific position. For instance, you may want to practice creating a sample resume for the executive assistant to CEO. To do this effectively, you’ll need to:

Read Over the Job Description

Whether you’re creating a senior executive assistant resume or one for a junior position, the first step is to thoroughly understand the position you’re applying for and what responsibilities it entails. Your first step should not be to try to find resume samples online. Why you may ask? If you search for executive assistant to CEO resume samples, you’re going to see a lot of varied results. That’s because most resumes are customized for specific positions. As you begin, focus more on reading over the job description rather than looking over examples on the web.

Jot Down Notes

As you’re reading through the job description, be sure to take notes about what the employer is looking for. This is important whether you’re creating an entry level executive assistant resume or one for a senior position.You need to understand what the position entails in order to know how to create a great resume.

Research Common Formats

Although resumes should be tailored to the specific position, it’s important to use a recognizable format. Do your research on resume formats in the industry and even in the region you’re applying for. If you’re applying for a job in India, research the resume format for executive assistant in India! It’s that easy.

Making Your Resume Stand Out

Given that employment coordinators might see thousands of job applications for any given job, start by creating a list of goals for executive assistant examples. From there, focus on the ways that your resume can catch a recruiter’s eye. Making yourself stand out is the leading executive assistant resume objective. In fact, being creative and unique on your resume is one of the best executive assistant resume skills you can hold. Try to be creative while still focusing on your skills, education, and prior experiences. Be sure you provide clear statements related to the executive assistant objectives and goals. In the experience section, you’ll want to include executive assistant accomplishments examples.

Research Similar Resumes

To get an idea of how to be creative, try to research resumes on the web that pertain to the industry you’re applying to. Try to observe any trends and take note of any elements that appear unique or creative. On the other hand, if you notice redundancy in executive assistant job description resume examples, then try to think outside-the-box and add aspects that other resumes don’t have. This can help your resume stand out from all the others.

Writing an Executive Assistant Resume Summary

While it’s important for your resume to include sections for your goals, accomplishments, skills, and job history, your resume should also include an executive assistant summary statement. In fact, sometimes these statements help employers determine if they will continue reading through your resume or move on to the next. Without an effective summary, your resume could be useless. No matter what type of assistant position you’re applying for, it’s vital to put emphasis on your EA, VA, or administrative assistant resume summary. Here are some tips on how to make your summary statement shine:

Make it Short and Sweet

As we stated previously, employers might have thousands of resumes that they have to go through. Chances are that they won’t be reading your resume too in-depth. With that in mind, be sure to make your summary statement short and straightforward. Think about what the person reading the resume really cares about and go from there.

Highlight Relevant Skills and Experience

A top-notch executive assistant resume summary is one that predominately explains relevant skills and experience that the candidate can bring to the table. Just like any article you see on the web, you want to grab the attention of the reader and entice them to keep reading. Try to use catchy, engaging language in your summary, especially in the beginning. If you’re writing a senior executive assistant resume summary, you might have more to talk about in terms of your accomplishments and skills. With that said, expectations are heightened. Employers expect more from senior level candidates, so it’s vital to make your resume really stand out, especially in the summary section.

Paying Attention to Trends

Another aspect to understand about resumes is that they are constantly evolving. For instance, an administrative assistant resume from 2018 might include many aspects that are far different than aspects on 2019 versions. To observe this for yourself, research executive assistant resume samples 2018, as well as samples in 2019. While you might see many similarities, try to note the difference of 2019 resumes compared to executive assistant resumes 2018. Here are a few trends you might notice:

Greater Focus on Experience

One trend that is catching on in the typical executive assistant resume 2019 is that candidates are putting more emphasis on experience rather than education. After researching many executive assistant resume examples 2019, it’s easy to see that most standard resumes highlight experience more predominantly than education. This is a common trend that we’ve seen in executive assistant resume samples 2019. The fact of the matter is that employers tend to think past experiences are better indicators of someone’s skill level, knowledge, and work ethic. Knowing that, put more focus on your key accomplishments rather than your education.

Leveraging Executive Assistant Resume Templates

Once you know what kind of information you want to include in your resume, you can start looking into templates. Using a template can help you create a nice, professional resume that includes all of the appropriate sections. The executive assistant resume template Word provides is a great example. Their templates include all of the important sections and they make it very simple to plug in your information. Many other companies also offer exceptional free administrative assistant resume templates. Be sure to do your research to find a template that meets your needs. Most template services even allow you to export an executive assistant resume PDF document. This is great because PDFs are usually the preferred resume format for employers.

Don’t Have an Eye for Design?

Do you struggle with design? Don’t really have a creative eye with visuals? If so, that doesn’t mean you can’t design a unique resume. Many resume templates are eye-catching, professional, and make it simple to plug in your information. You can likely build a creative and unique resume in a matter of minutes.

Ensuring Your Long Term Success

Creating a resume is just the beginning of the recruitment process, but let’s just assume that you land the job. Obviously, you should be ecstatic! However, the hard work shouldn’t stop there. The best employees continue striving to excel at a high level and work hard to be the best employee they can be. Here are some tips on how to keeping pushing yourself to continue growing in your career:

Have 1:1 Meetings

Once you’re settled in a new role, it’s important to set up frequent check-ins with your superiors. While you might feel that you’re doing your job effectively, it’s important to understand where you’re excelling and where you have room for improvement. Getting direct feedback can easily be achieved by setting up one on one meetings with the executive you support. Not only can asking for open communication provide you with guidance on where you can improve as an employee, but it’s a move that will likely get you respect from your superiors and prove that you want to be the best employee you can be. 

Set Objectives

Another way to ensure you’re growing with your position is to define personal goals and objectives. You can do this yourself or ask for input from those you report to. By including others in the conversation, you can ensure that everyone is on the same page and has the same expectations for the role.

Keep Your Resume Updated

Even though you might plan on staying with your new position for a long time, you never know when the next opportunity will present itself. It’s never a bad idea to have an updated resume on hand. Every few months, take some time to update your resume with new accomplishments and skills you’ve acquired. This will help you grow even more as a professional and will give you guidance if you ever decide to look elsewhere for employment.

If you want to learn more about executive assistant resumes, join the Base community today!