Crafting a CV that succinctly showcases your diverse skill set while standing out to employers is a significant challenge for any personal assistant. Our guide offers tailored advice to help you highlight your unique experiences and effectively communicate your value proposition to potential employers.
- Applying the simplest CV design, so that recruiters can easily understand your expertise, skills, and professional background;
- Ensuring you stand out with your header, summary or objective statement, and a designated skills section;
- Creating your CV experience section - no matter how much expertise you have;
- Using real life professional CV examples to enhance the structure and outline of your profile.
If you still have no muse to write your professional CV, find some more industry-leading examples.
Formatting your personal assistant CV to meet the role expectations
Staring at the blank page for hours on end, you still have no idea how you should start your professional personal assistant CV. Should you include more colours, two columns, and which sections? What you should remember about your CV format is this - ensure it's minimalistic and doesn't go over the top with fancy fonts and many colours. Instead, focus on writing consistent content that actually answers the job requirements. But, how about the design itself :- Use the reverse chronological order to showcase your experience, starting with your most recent role;
- Include your contact details (email address, phone number, and location) - and potentially your professional photo - in the header;
- Must-have CV sections include summary or objective, experience, education, and skills: curate the ones that fit your profile;
- Your professional personal assistant CV should be between one-to-two pages long: select the longer format if you have more experience.
A little bit more about your actual CV design, ensure you're using:
- plenty of serif or sans serif font (e.g. Montserrat, Exo 2, Volkhov) as they are Applicant Tracker System (ATS) compliant. Avoid the likes of Arial and Times New Roman because most candidates' CVs are in this typography.
When submitting your CV, are you still not sure what format it should be? Despite the myth that has been circling around, most modern ATS systems are perfectly capable of reading PDFs. This format is an excellent choice as it keeps all of your information intact.
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Be mindful of white space; too much can make the CV look sparse, too little can make it look cluttered. Strive for a balance that makes the document easy on the eyes.
The top sections on a personal assistant CV
- Contact Information is vital for easy communication.
- A Professional Summary showcases your expertise quickly.
- Key Skills highlight your relevant personal assistant attributes.
- Work Experience demonstrates your reliability and experience.
- Education and Qualifications establish your foundational knowledge.
What recruiters value on your CV:
- Emphasise your organisational skills by highlighting experiences where you've successfully managed schedules, coordinated events, or handled complex itineraries, as these are fundamental to a Personal Assistant’s role.
- Showcase your communication abilities by mentioning instances where you've effectively liaised between different levels of staff or negotiated on your employer's behalf, reflecting your intermediary prowess.
- Demonstrate your discretion and trustworthiness by explaining situations in which you've handled confidential information or been entrusted with sensitive tasks, essential in a Personal Assistant's position.
- Highlight your adaptability and problem-solving skills by sharing examples of when you've navigated unexpected challenges or adapted to new technologies and systems, showcasing the flexibility required of a Personal Assistant.
- Detail your proficiency in relevant software and tools, such as Microsoft Office, calendar management, and communication platforms, to show you have the technical skills needed for modern Personal Assistant roles.
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Our checklist for the must-have information in your personal assistant CV header
Right at the very top of your personal assistant CV is where you'd find the header section or the space for your contact details, headline, and professional photo. Wondering how to present your the name of the city you live in and the country abbreviation as your address;
- are tailored to the role you're applying for by integrating key job skills and requirements;
- showcase what your unique value is, most often in the form of your most noteworthy accomplishment;
- select your relevant qualifications, skills, or current role to pass the Applicant Tracker System (ATS) assessment. Still not sure how to write your CV headline? Our examples below showcase best practices on creating effective headlines:
Examples of good CV headlines for personal assistant:
- Executive Assistant to CEO | Strategic Planning & Event Management | Prince2 Certified | 8 Years' Experience
- Personal Assistant | Advanced IT Skills | Diary Management Specialist | Bilingual (FR/EN) | 5+ Years' Expertise
- Senior Personal Assistant | International Travel Coordination | Fluent in Spanish | 10 Years in C-Level Support
- Junior Personal Assistant | Degree in Business Administration | Adept at Social Media | 2 Years' Professional Assistance
- Senior Executive Assistant | Project Management Professional | Financial Reporting | 12 Years of Dynamic Support
- Personal Assistant to Director | Expertise in Minute Taking | Certified in MS Office | 7 Years' Dedicated Service
Opting between a personal assistant CV summary or objective
Within the top one third of your personal assistant CV, you have the opportunity to briefly summarise your best achievements or present your professional goals and dreams. Those two functions are met by either the CV summary or the objective.
- The summary is three-to-five sentences long and should narrate your best successes, while answering key requirements for the role. Select up to three skills which you can feature in your summary. Always aim to present what the actual outcomes were of using your particular skill set. The summary is an excellent choice for more experienced professionals.
- The objective is more focused on showcasing your unique value as a candidate and defining your dreams and ambitions. Think about highlighting how this current opportunity would answer your career vision. Also, about how you could help your potential employers grow. The objective matches the needs of less experienced candidates, who need to prove their skill set and, in particular, their soft skills.
Still not sure about how to write your CV opening statement? Use some best industry examples as inspiration:
CV summaries for a personal assistant job:
- Seasoned personal assistant with over 10 years of experience, adept at managing schedules, coordinating international travel, and handling confidential tasks with discretion. Proven track record in improving office systems to enhance productivity in fast-paced environments.
- Dynamic executive assistant, bringing 8 years of experience in supporting high-level executives in the finance sector. Expert at calendar management, event planning, and leading project coordination efforts, resulting in increased efficiency and cost-saving.
- Experienced marketing manager transitioning to personal assistant roles, offering a wealth of experience in team leadership and strategic planning. Skilled at leveraging communication abilities to build strong relationships with stakeholders and ensure seamless operation management.
- Highly-motivated software developer making a career shift into personal assistance, eager to apply analytical skills and technical knowledge to support executive tasks. Experience in managing complex projects and deadlines translates to exceptional organisational capabilities.
- Eager to dive into a personal assistant career, bringing a fresh perspective and an earnest desire to learn. Committed to utilizing exceptional communication skills and a quick-learning aptitude to effectively support management tasks and streamline office operations.
- Aspiring to embark on a personal assistant journey, armed with a passion for organizational excellence and peerless commitment. Poised to harness adeptness in multitasking and a proactive approach to fulfil diverse administrative duties in a challenging environment.
Best practices for writing your personal assistant CV experience section
If your profile matches the job requirements, the CV experience is the section which recruiters will spend the most time studying. Within your experience bullets, include not merely your career history, but, rather, your skills and outcomes from each individual role. Your best experience section should promote your profile by:
- including specific details and hard numbers as proof of your past success;
- listing your experience in the functional-based or hybrid format (by focusing on the skills), if you happen to have less professional, relevant expertise;
- showcasing your growth by organising your roles, starting with the latest and (hopefully) most senior one;
- staring off each experience bullet with a verb, following up with skills that match the job description, and the outcomes of your responsibility.
Add keywords from the job advert in your experience section, like the professional CV examples:
Best practices for your CV's work experience section
- Managed a complex diary for a senior executive, successfully juggling multiple appointments and rescheduling conflicts with minimal disruption to the executive's workflow.
- Handled confidential correspondence with the utmost discretion, ensuring sensitive information was securely managed and communications were directed appropriately.
- Coordinated international travel arrangements, including flights, accommodations, and itineraries, ensuring a seamless experience for the executive and any accompanying staff.
- Developed a system for tracking and reconciling expenses, producing accurate and timely monthly reports that helped maintain a transparent budget.
- Facilitated efficient internal communication by acting as the first point of contact for the executive, filtering enquiries and escalating issues as necessary.
- Organised successful events and meetings, managing logistics from venue selection to catering and technical setup, often receiving commendation for attention to detail.
- Implemented new digital tools and software to improve personal and team productivity, including CRM systems and shared calendars.
- Oversaw the maintenance of office equipment and supplies, reducing downtime and ensuring the executive's workspace was always prepared for business activities.
- Collaborated with diverse teams, showing a high degree of emotional intelligence and cultural awareness when interacting with both staff and external partners.
- Managed complex calendar arrangements for a high-profile CEO, scheduling over 200+ appointments and ensuring a seamless daily itinerary.
- Spearheaded the organisation of international travel arrangements, including visas, accommodations, and itineraries, improving travel efficiency by 30%.
- Oversaw confidential company documents, handling upwards of 50 sensitive contracts per month with meticulous attention to detail.
- Coordinated and executed exclusive events for up to 100 attendees, enhancing brand visibility and engagement among VIP clientele.
- Implemented a new digital filing system for administrative records, increasing document retrieval times by 40%
- Administered the financial bookkeeping for household expenses, accurately managing a monthly budget of approximately £10,000.
- Provided direct support to the Managing Director, facilitating the efficient completion of strategic projects ahead of target deadlines.
- Negotiated with vendors to lower office supply costs, achieving a yearly saving of £5,000 for the department.
- Developed and maintained an internal communications strategy resulting in a 15% improvement in cross-departmental workflow efficiency.
- Acted as a first point of contact for stakeholders, relaying critical information and fostering key relationships that led to 5 major partnership deals.
- Managed to reduce scheduling conflicts by 25% through the introduction of an integrated digital scheduling platform for executive team members.
- Conducted weekly analyses of business expenditure versus budget, identifying trends that contributed to a 10% cost reduction in Q4 2020.
- Liaised with international clients, improving communication response time by 50% through proactive management of queries.
- Updated and maintained a database of over 5000 contacts, ensuring accurate and accessible data for business operations.
- Led a project to digitize historical records, effectively reducing physical storage needs by 70%.
- Managed the personal portfolio of the principal, facilitating key investments and property management tasks.
- Coordinated philanthropic initiatives for the principal, raising over £100,000 for various charitable causes within a year.
- Orchestrated family arrangements and complex travel itineraries for the principal's multi-continental family visits.
- Cultivated essential supportive practices around the Director's needs, achieving a 20% improvement in their productivity levels.
- Streamlined internal reporting processes, drastically reducing the time taken to produce reports from 3 hours to 1 hour.
- Guided the transition to remote work settings by implementing virtual tools, maintaining 100% business continuity during the pandemic.
- Crafted detailed presentations for board meetings, which were instrumental in securing a £2.5 million investment from stakeholders.
- Introduced a cutting-edge task management system, raising team productivity by 35% through efficient task tracking.
- Supervised the revamping of the executive office space, completing the project 10% under budget and two weeks ahead of deadline.
What to add in your personal assistant CV experience section with no professional experience
If you don't have the standard nine-to-five professional experience, yet are still keen on applying for the job, here's what you can do:
- List any internships, part-time roles, volunteer experience, or basically any work you've done that meets the job requirements and is in the same industry;
- Showcase any project you've done in your free time (even if you completed them with family and friends) that will hint at your experience and skill set;
- Replace the standard, CV experience section with a strengths or achievements one. This will help you spotlight your transferrable skills that apply to the role.
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Include examples of how you adapted to new tools, environments, or work cultures, showing your flexibility.
Key personal assistant CV skills: what are hard skills and soft skills
Let's kick off with the basics. You know that you have to include key job requirements or skills across your CV. For starters, take individual skills from the job description and copy-paste them into your CV, when relevant. Doing so, you'll ensure you have the correct skill spelling and also pass the Applicant Tracker System (ATS) assessment. There are two types of skills you'll need to include on your CV:
- Hard skills - technical abilities that are best defined by your certificates, education, and experience. You could also use the dedicated skills section to list between ten and twelve technologies you're apt at using that match the job requirements.
- Soft skills - your personal traits and interpersonal communication skills that are a bit harder to quantify. Use various CV sections, e.g. summary, strengths, experience, to shine a spotlight on your workspace achievements, thanks to using particular soft skills.
Remember that your job-winning CV should balance both your hard and soft skills to prove your technical background, while spotlighting your personality.
Top skills for your personal assistant CV:
Diary management
Travel coordination
Email handling
Minute taking
Data entry
Microsoft Office proficiency
Expense report management
Research skills
File management
Basic accounting
Communication
Organisation
Time management
Discretion
Problem-solving
Adaptability
Attention to detail
Multi-tasking
Teamwork
Interpersonal skills
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Order your skills based on the relevance to the role you're applying for, ensuring the most pertinent skills catch the employer's attention first.
Listing your university education and certificates on your personal assistant CV
The best proof of your technical capabilities would be your education and certifications sections. Your education should list all of your relevant university degrees, followed up by their start and completion dates. Make sure to also include the name of the university/-ies you graduated from. If you happen to have less professional experience (or you deem it would be impressive and relevant to your application), spotlight in the education section:
- that you were awarded a "First" degree;
- industry-specific coursework and projects;
- extracurricular clubs, societies, and activities.
When selecting your certificates, first ask yourself how applicable they'd be to the role. Ater your initial assessment, write the certificate and institution name. Don't miss out on including the completion date. In the below panel, we've curated relevant examples of industry-leading certificates.
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Focus on describing skills in the context of the outcomes they’ve helped you achieve, linking them directly to tangible results or successes in your career.
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Key takeaways
Impressing recruiters with your experience, skill set, and values starts with your professional personal assistant CV. Write concisely and always aim to answer job requirements with what you've achieved; furthermore:
- Select a simple design that complements your experience and ensures your profile is presentable;
- Include an opening statement that either spotlights your key achievements (summary) or showcases your career ambitions (objective);
- Curate your experience bullets, so that each one commences with a strong, action verb and is followed up by your skill and accomplishment;
- List your hard and soft skills all across different sections of your CV to ensure your application meets the requirements;
- Dedicate space to your relevant higher education diplomas and your certificates to show recruiters you have the necessary industry background.
