How to Write a Secretary Resume (Samples Included)

What every secretary resume needs to include is a strong list of professionally presented experience. Let’s take a look at how to do that.

Your experience section is often the one a potential employer looks at first. So keep in mind that the rule of a thumb is to show rather than tell. Make each bullet point of your secretary resume experience section count, mentioning the impact you had in your previous positions. Make sure every point is accompanied with a concrete example. So don’t just say you’re great at communication, demonstrate it.

The next step towards an experience section that rocks is to start selecting which experience to include in your secretary resume and how to order it. It's best to keep it chronological, start from the most recent position and continue further down. Also, carefully curate what experience you show. It's best to keep only the experience which is relevant for the company or job you're currently applying for.

After we reviewed 114,000 resume examples and job offers, it appeared that an average experience for a secretary required by employers is 2 years. But experience which appears on secretary resumes is 1.6 years, making secretaries slightly underqualified. Don't let this discourage you, though. Often, resumes which are impact oriented have a higher chance than resumes with more experience which are vague. Just follow our advice and you'll be good to go.

Who likes buzzwords? Nobody! Your potential employer has surely read a thousand times someone writing responsibilities without concrete numbers to back it up. As a result, these resume skills that aren’t quantified largely get ignored or even count against you. Again, the solution is to focus on concrete numbers which demonstrate your impact as a secretary. So instead of “Implemented a new customer feedback system” write "Implemented a new customer feedback system which increased customer satisfaction by 45%.” Those kinds of resume action words really stand out and leave a strong impression.

When you send your resume to a potential employer, chances are they've seen at least 10 others in that same day. That's why you need to make your secretary resume stand out. Do it by adding more personality to your resume, not just your professional experience. Employers are far more likely to remember a candidate who seems like a genuine person and not just a list of responsibilities. Add passions, share your favorite books, or even what your usual day looks like to catch their attention and make them fall in love with you.

What are you most proud of? It's a difficult question but including the answer to it in your secretary resume can make a huge difference. This section will help you show more about your personality, attitude, and character, especially if you don't have years of experience behind your back. You can share a story about overcoming hardship, learning an important life lesson, or just a triumph you had that means a lot to you. Either way, this is one of the best places to make your secretary resume really stand out.

Writing a resume can feel quite overwhelming. We hope our guide for a secretary resume will help you with writing a resume to be confident in in 2020.