Office Assistant Resume Example & Template

Office Assistants perform a variety of clerical tasks, including answering customer questions, typing documents, and filing records. They work in a variety of industries, from the medical field to the corporate world. 

Office Assistants seem to be everywhere, so how do you make your resume stand out in the crowd?

In this article, we’ll discuss

1. Which format is right for your resume
2. How to write a resume summary 
3. Describing your work experience
4. Listing your skills
5. Including your education 
6. Naming your certifications
7. Choosing the right template

Office Assistant Sample Resume 

Office Assistant, Wallflower Wonders

• Answered the phone, took messages, and directed incoming calls to the correct individuals
• Received and distributed all internal mail
• Handled customer complaints in a sympathetic and efficient manner
• Provided administrative support to the General Office Manager
• Opened and closed the office every day 
• Responded to customer emails in a professional and prompt manner
• Ensured that all staff followed proper customer service etiquette
• Ordered office supplies and stocked the supplies upon arrival
• Responsible for petty cash supply
• Maintained cleanliness of the lobby and front office area
• Responded to customer billing and financial inquiries, and directed customers to appropriate departments, as necessary
• Sent monthly emails detailing the business’s specials to customers, increasing sales by 15%
• Wrote weekly internal memos to staff discussing any policy changes and business updates as given by the General Manager

Office Assistant, Hunter Medical Institute

• Ensured all patients, caregivers, and visitors are checked in and out into the Electronic Verification System
• Organized paperwork, and performed data entry, scanning, printing, and faxing documents as necessary 
• Created spreadsheets to keep track of patient, inventory, and financial data
• Scheduled 30+ patient appointments daily 
• Followed-up with patients during subsequent visits to schedule further treatments
• Handled incoming and outgoing correspondence
• Communicated with vendors to ensure shipment and delivery of supplies worth $5,000+ monthly 
• Maintained supply of the appropriate patient materials and forms used
• Monitored the patients as they waited in the lobby for their appointments
• Trained 2 receptionists on office procedures, electronic software, and customer service etiquette 

1. Choose the Right Format for an Office Assistant Resume

The first step to drafting your resume is deciding which resume format to use. This depends on your career experience and skillset. 

You have 3 main options for your resume:

1. Reverse-Chronological -- this is the most commonly used resume format. With this structure, place your most recent jobs first, followed by the next most recent job, and ending with your oldest position. 

Tip: only include jobs relevant to the position to which you’re applying, so leave out any former jobs that don’t fit. For example, if you worked as a Waiter, it wouldn’t make sense to include your food preparation abilities -- since that has no relevance to your job as an Office Assistant. However, you could mention how you learned customer service skills as a Waiter, which is also useful for an Office Assistant

2. Functional -- this format is best for people who have been out of the workforce for a while, perhaps because they had to care for children or an elderly parent. This format lists your specific skills and qualifications. 

Have headers like “Customer Service” and “Administrative Support” with their respective skills listed in bullet points below. At the very end, include a brief snapshot of your work experience.  

3. Hybrid / Combination -- this format is a mix of both Functional and Reverse-Chronological. It provides more detailed work experience descriptions that would typically be seen in the latter, while still offering a bulleted list of skills.  

Tip: When in doubt, choose the Reverse-Chronological resume format. 

For an Office Assistant, hiring managers want to glance at your resume and get a sense of the following:

• Excellent Customer Service abilities
• Computer experience
• Strong communication skills
• Organizational abilities 

The best format for an Office Assistant is the Reverse-Chronological resume format. This format is the most popular, and it shows the employer how your skills have grown over time along with your work experiences.  

2. Write a Strong Office Assistant Resume Summary

On average, 10% of job applications result in interview invites.

So how do you make sure you’re in that 10%?

Including a resume summary will boost your chances.

But first --- what is a resume summary?

A resume summary is one or two sentences at the top of your paper that summarizes your entire resume. It’s the punch line that gets the resume reviewer wanting to know more.

For an Office Assistant career, include the following points in your summary:

• The amount of time you’ve worked as an Office Assistant, or the amount of time you have cultivated customer service skills
• If you’ve worked for a variety of industries, include that to show your ability to handle diverse work
• An adjective or two conveying your personality, such as “organized” or “detailed” 

Here is an example of a bad resume summary:

Office Assistant with experience answering phones and organizing the office. 

This summary is vague. Most Office Assistants answer phones and maintain a clean space, so nothing about this stands out to an employer.

Here is an example of a good resume summary:

Organized Office Assistant with 5 years of experience providing business information to customers and staff, keeping records, processing bills, and creating communicative documents. Worked in both the medical field and the consumer goods industry.

This summary lists specific tasks, offers employers’ a glimpse of how long you’ve been working, and shows a bit about your personality -- that you’re organized. 

For more information, checkout our guide on writing a killer resume summary.

3. Describe Your Work Experience as an Office Assistant 

The next step to drafting your resume is to list your work experience. This includes the name of your position (e.g., Office Assistant, Receptionist), the name of the location at which you worked, and the length of time in which you worked. 

Furthermore, write your resume experience in a way that anyone in your industry will understand. Don't use company-specific language.

For example, let’s say you worked at a place that called memos “internal communication documents for staff personnel.” Not everyone is going to know what this means, so it’s best to stick with the common name of “memo,” otherwise a hiring manager may not know what you’re talking about, and if the manager is confused, they’re more likely to throw out your resume and move onto the next.  

You should also quantify your resume whenever possible. This means adding a number -- such as a dollar amount or percentage -- to your accomplishments. Quantifying your resume gives the hiring manager a more concrete idea of your workplace performance. For example, say that you “scheduled 14 appointments daily,” “managed 3 social media accounts,” or “improved customer retention by 20% by providing stellar customer service.”   

Tip: One way to quantify your resume is by listing your accomplishments and awards. 

For more information on how to format your work experience, check out our guide. Don’t have any work experience? We have a guide for that too!

4. List Your Skills

Skills show the hiring manager what you can do for the company -- without taking up too much space in the “work experience” part of your resume.

There are two types of skills -- soft and hard. “Soft” skills are those that are not quantifiable and are more indicative of your personality. Examples include leadership, problem-solving, and communication. In contrast, “hard” skills are those that are learned through formal education. Examples include computer technology, programming languages, and certifications.  

Office Assistants should have a variety of soft and hard skills. Not only do you need to be great at communication and organization, but you should also know how to use computer software like Excel and Word.  

 Relevant Hard Skills

• Billing
• Bookkeeping 
• Calendar Management
• Data Entry 
• Google Suite
• Math Skills
• Microsoft Office
• Record Keeping
• Scheduling 
• Writing

Relevant Soft Skills

• Attentive
• Critical Thinking
• Customer Service
• Dependable
• Detailed
• Organization
• Problem-Solving
• Time Management

If you want a more complete list of skills, read our guide on the proper way to include skills on your resume.

5. Include an Education Section 

Office Assistants usually do not require a college degree. However, a high school diploma or GED is a must. Most people learn the necessary skills on the job, such as instructions on office procedures, proper phone etiquette, and the use of office equipment. 

For those unfamiliar with computer programs, consider taking a course on typing or spreadsheet applications. 

6. Mention Certifications Relevant to the Job

Certifications show employers that you’re expanding on your skills and diversifying your experiences. Not only are you more knowledgeable, but you’re also more employable. 

Certification programs include:

• Microsoft Office Specialist: Excel Associate
• Microsoft Office Specialist: PowerPoint Associate 2019
• Microsoft Office Specialist: Microsoft Word 2016
• Microsoft Office Specialist: Outlook Associate (Outlook and Outlook 2019)
• Certified Administrative Assistant (CAA) 
• Medical Office Assistant Certification 

Check out our Medical Receptionist Resume if you work in the medical industry

For more information on certifications, check out our guide on how to include certifications on your resume the right way.

7. Pick the Right Template

Now it’s time for the fun part -- picking the aesthetics of your resume! 

Here at EasyResume, we offer a variety of templates from “academic” to “professional” or “creative” and “modern.” 

• Creative: these resumes are bold and colorful with eye-catching fonts to help you stand out from the crowd. This is best for those in creative fields like marketing and art. 
• Academic: these resumes follow a clear, straightforward format that highlight you and your experiences. This is best for those who are students or who are entering the academic workforce as an education specialist. 
• Modern: these resumes have sleek designs that are fresh and bold with elegant fonts and clean lines. This is best for individuals applying to startups or to companies with a young audience or product.
• Professional: these resumes have a clean, crisp look that incorporates only one or two accent colors. The focus is solely on the text, pulling the recruiter into your experiences and accomplishments. This is best for individuals applying to straight-laced companies that mandate a suit-and-tie dress code. 

Your resume template should reflect the job to which you’re applying. For an Office Assistant, try our Professional Resume Templates, Basic Resume Templates, or Traditional Resume Templates. 

These are best because they fit the straight-laced, austere environment of an office. 

8. Takeaways

We’ve done it! Almost. 

Now it’s time to get down to business -- actually creating the resume. 

Here’s what you need to do: 

• Research the job description to locate keywords
• Use a Reverse-Chronological resume layout
• Write your resume summary, including your amount of office or administrative experience, an adjective or two about your personality, and anything else that makes you stand out -- such as experience in a variety of industries (e.g., medical, corporate)
• Include your education and relevant certifications
• Write your experience section in a way that any outsider could understand. Talk more about the how and why of your responsibilities. Quantify your results.
• Pick a resume template that fits the position to which you’re applying.

Start from our resume example to save time.

You’ll be well on your way to running an office in no time!