How to build an effective personal assistant resume?
Are you thinking of becoming a personal assistant, or have you already worked as one?
Then you certainly know what being the “right-hand” takes.
You play a pivotal role in your company’s success. You are your employer’s first point of contact, helping with all sorts of administrative tasks.
You may even be assigned to organize events or participate in project management, and so most companies prefer to employ people with good training and work experience to carry out this position.
Even if you lack expertise, you can still pave your work path with a masterfully written personal assistant resume.
Follow these CV writing tips, and you will get closer to landing the job you want.
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1. How to best format your personal assistant resume?
Do you want to be unique, and have your CV scream with bright colors and flashy images?
Well, this is not the way to go.
Just like your job, your resume must be well organized and neat. Instead of flowing with colors and deflecting one’s attention from the content, the right formatting should facilitate navigation and readability.
The following tips will help you put your resume on the right formatting track:
- Use preferably a two-column layout so that you can easily place sections such as contact details, skills or extra sections on the left side. The right column may perfectly serve your professional profile, work experience and education.
- Set one-inch margins.
- Make your headings bigger than the rest of the contents.
- Employ white space to frame individual elements.
- List your job experiences in a reverse-chronological order.
- Use bulleted lists for better clarity and easy navigation in the text.
- Pick a neat, simple font such as Georgia, Calibri or Cambria.
- Save your CV as a PDF document.
Choose your preferred template and make your resume shine.
2. How to write a perfect professional summary for your personal assistant cv
In order to make your professional profile compelling, you must make it relevant to the job you are applying for.
That’s right — you will need to customize your summary to each position in a slightly (or a very) different way.
You may not even have to read between the lines. The right keywords to use in your professional profile are certainly listed in the job posting you are looking at.
The only missing thing now is to link these keywords with the right work experience, measurable achievements and your best administrative and people skills.
Personal assistant professional summary example:
Enthusiastic and dependable Office Management Professional with 3+ years of experience in managing personal agendas, organizing business meetings and carrying out corporate events at Marknight Inc. Collaborated effectively with 20+ members of various departments in order to ensure the highest operational standard. Skillfully organized 12 Quarterly Corporate Conferences, significantly improving logistics procedures.
3. What are the most effective personal assistant skills to put on your resume?
You are always at your beck and call, organizing is your second name, you can handle sudden changes in the agenda like a boss, and your excellent technical skills are just the cherry on the cake.
How to present all these superpowers in the best light?
- Draft your professional soft and hard skills.
- Refer back to the job posting in question, and look for the required competencies.
- The ones matching your draft should go right at the top of your resume skill set.
- You may as well want to state your proficiency when mentioning tech skills.
The best soft skills for your personal assistant CV
- Outstanding Oral and Written Communication
- Organization Skills
- Dependability
- Logistics
- Problem Solving
- Time Management
- Accuracy
- Positive Attitude
- Patience
- Flexibility
- Punctuality
Effective personal assistant hard skills to put on your resume
- MS Office Suite (Superior Proficiency)
- Typing
- Data Entry
- Office Management
- Project Management
- Calendar Management
- Conference and Event Planning
- Accounting
- Travel Planning
- Research
4. How to create a balanced work experience section for your personal assistant resume?
This might be the section that causes headaches to way too many job seekers.
It is, however, a walk in the park for a professional with outstanding written communication skills.
The following tips will help you compile an effective work experience description:
- Use the keywords from the job posting.
- Link those keywords with unique experiences.
- Mention relevant, measurable achievements.
- Employ impactful language.
- Keep the number of bullet points below 7.
Personal assistant work experience description
Marknight, Texas
Personal Executive Assistant
2017–2020
- Skillfully managed personal agendas and organized 7+ daily business meetings in a prompt and professional manner.
- Carried out 30+ corporate events, employing thorough planning and innovation.
- Kept track of all finances and resources, ensuring that there were no shortcomings.
- Organized 12 Quarterly Corporate Conferences, significantly improving logistics procedures and reducing expenses by 20%.
5. What is the best way to list education in your personal assistant resume?
Do you lack work experience in the field? Then this is the section that can make your resume shine.
Instead of just listing your college name, degree and years in school, you may add your relevant coursework, areas of interest or academic achievements.
Listing education in your resume
Brenton High School
2014-2018
- Excelled in Accounting and Computer Science.
- Positive Attitude Award recipient.
- Voted Leader of the Debate Team.
- Named to Honor Roll all four years.
6. How to include additional sections in your personal assistant CV?
Not only can additional sections reveal your interests and passions, but they can also hands-on show how well you employ the abilities needed for your future role.
Pick additional sections that fit you best, and remember to be relevant at all times:
- Language Skills
- Training Courses
- Volunteering Activities
- Certifications
- Awards
- Projects
- Qualifications
- Extracurricular Activities
- Interests
- Accomplishments
Volunteering Activities
Personal Assistant – Greenweld, 2019
- Worked directly for the CEO as his executive assistant.
- Helped with administrative tasks, scheduled meetings, organized conferences.
Organizational Support – Clever Market, 2017
- Managed participant lists.
- Ensured smooth operation of the event.