Administrative Assistant job description for a resume

The short answer

An administrative assistant writing a resume should describe what they actually did — work like use computers for various applications — rather than copying a generic bullet list. The U.S. Department of Labor classifies the role as Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive (SOC 43-6014.00). Its 20 published duties are the place to start, and the 14 most relevant are listed below. Active Listening is the capability O*NET rates highest for the work.

What follows is the published duty list, not a set of bullets to copy. The difference matters: a line describing work you did not do is one interview question away from falling apart.

What an administrative assistant does

Perform routine administrative functions such as drafting correspondence, scheduling appointments, organizing and maintaining paper and electronic files, or providing information to callers.

O*NET occupation: Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive (SOC 43-6014.00).

Administrative Assistant duties you can put on a resume

O*NET publishes 20 core duties for this occupation. These are the 14 its incumbents most often report performing, ranked by O*NET's published relevance rating — not a complete list of the job. Which ranking is a fact from the source; which of them you personally did is not something any dataset knows. Use the list as a memory aid, never as a list to paste.

1. Use computers for various applications, such as database management or word processing.
2. Operate office equipment, such as fax machines, copiers, or phone systems and arrange for repairs when equipment malfunctions.
3. Make copies of correspondence or other printed material.
4. Set up and manage paper or electronic filing systems, recording information, updating paperwork, or maintaining documents, such as attendance records, correspondence, or other material.
5. Conduct searches to find needed information, using such sources as the Internet.
6. Complete forms in accordance with company procedures.
7. Create, maintain, and enter information into databases.
8. Answer telephones and give information to callers, take messages, or transfer calls to appropriate individuals.
9. Greet visitors or callers and handle their inquiries or direct them to the appropriate persons according to their needs.
10. Learn to operate new office technologies as they are developed and implemented.
11. Compose, type, and distribute meeting notes, routine correspondence, or reports, such as presentations or expense, statistical, or monthly reports.
12. Locate and attach appropriate files to incoming correspondence requiring replies.
13. Open, read, route, and distribute incoming mail or other materials and answer routine letters.
14. Maintain scheduling and event calendars.

Skills an administrative assistant can list

O*NET rates these at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation.

Active Listening

importance 4.00

Speaking

importance 4.00

Reading Comprehension

importance 3.88

Writing

importance 3.75

Service Orientation

importance 3.50

Time Management

importance 3.50

Monitoring

importance 3.12

Coordination

importance 3.12

What not to claim

• A duty from the list above that you did not personally perform. It describes Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive as an occupation, not your particular job — and interviewers for administrative assistant roles ask about the specifics.
• Duties from the 6 published items not shown here, unless you genuinely did them. A longer list is not a better one.
• A percentage, a headcount or a volume you did not measure. "Improved satisfaction by 35%" is the single most copied line on resume-example sites, and almost nobody who pastes it can source it.
• Active Listening at a level you have not worked at. O*NET rates it highest for this occupation, which makes it the most likely thing to be probed.
• A tool, system or certification you have not used or hold. This is the fastest claim to disprove.

Source and method

O*NET data are provided by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 licence.The duties and skills above are reproduced as published. The resume guidance, the prompts and any generated lines are RoleSprint's, and O*NET did not write them.

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Same occupational family in the SOC classification, so the duties often overlap with work you have done.

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