Secretary Resume Examples [2 Samples & Writing Guide]

Offices require administrative support professionals to run smoothly and operate efficiently. The secretary is one of the most critical administrative support workers, tasked with executing daily office administration and secretarial tasks. They play different roles in the office environment, including data entry, scheduling appointments, and drafting correspondences.

Our article will focus on what it takes to succeed as an administrative assistant. We will discuss the roles and responsibilities of these professionals and the different requirements for this position, i.e., education, experience, knowledge, and skill-set. We also have two resume examples and a detailed FAQs section at the end to help you in your job application. Let’s take a look.

Secretary Job Description

A secretary is responsible for secretarial and select administrative tasks in the office. They contribute to the smooth and efficient operation of the office by maintaining databases, processing documents and correspondences, and maintaining an excellent image to visitors and the public. Moat secretaries also manage office supplies.

Success in this role requires excellent verbal and written communication skills, the ability to work well under pressure, outstanding organizational skills, and exceptional interpersonal skills, to mention a few. A secretary must also possess working knowledge of different office equipment and systems.

Secretary Roles and Responsibilities

  • Performing day-to-day secretarial and administrative duties to ensure the smooth functioning of the office
  • Receiving and directing both internal and external calls, ensuring that they get to the proper recipients
  • Drafting and distributing different correspondences, forms, and memos within the office/ organization
  • Arranging new meetings and appointments
  • Managing the daily, weekly, or monthly office agenda
  • Documenting office expenses and preparing detailed reports on the same
  • Occasionally performing receptionist duties such as welcoming and directing visitors to the proper departments/ offices
  • Filing and updating different pieces of information, including the contact information of customers and employees
  • Developing and maintaining the organization’s filing system
  • Managing the supply levels of office equipment through frequent checks and ordering
  • Making travel arrangements for select employees within the organization, primarily executives and managers
  • Helping in the drafting and completion of regular reports
  • Responding to inquiries made via phone or email
  • Booking meeting rooms and setting up conference calls for meeting purposes
  • Performing a range of administration tasks such as photocopying and filing
  • Keying in information to the office database
  • Managing client files with the utmost confidentiality
  • Attending to faxing, copying, and scanning needs of the organization
  • Supporting office events by making suitable arrangements, e.g., refreshments
  • Observing the best business practices and etiquette during task performance and interactions
  • Preparing and forwarding regular reports to the management
  • Managing all the processing, typing, and formatting tasks for both reports and documents
  • Working closely with internal departments and handling public communication as directed by the office management
  • Performing any other administrative duties as required by the organization
  • For senior secretaries- recruiting, training, and supervising junior employees
  • Developing and implementing new administrative systems and procedures
  • Maintaining diaries and, occasionally, staff calendars

Secretary Required Knowledge and Skills

  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office Programs, i.e., Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint
  • Knowledge of different software used within the organization
  • Working knowledge of general and special office equipment
  • Ability to work independently
  • Proficient computer/ IT skills
  • Ability to manage time well
  • Ability to multi-task without compromising on task quality
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills
  • Working knowledge of office organization and optimization techniques
  • Excellent data entry skills
  • Ability to work well under pressure
  • Excellent organizational skills
  • Attention to details
  • Excellent interpersonal skills
  • Excellent reporting skills
  • Ability to work in team settings
  • Excellent collaboration skills

Secretary Experience and Education

  • Proven data entry experience
  • Proven work experience as a secretary, administrative assistant, or a data entry clerk
  • Experience in calendar maintenance and prioritization
  • Experience in specific job-related tasks such as bookkeeping and data processing
  • Database management experience
  • Experience working in team settings
  • High School Diploma/ GED
  • A secretarial/ data entry course
  • Relevant certifications

Secretary Salary

According to the salaries submitted on Glassdoor as of September 2022, the average base salary of secretaries is $41,300 or thereabout. However, senior secretaries earn more and may make $50,000+ annually. All in all, the salary range of secretaries in most organizations is $11-$25 an hour, depending on the workplace.

Secretary CV Example 1

William Zuma

Physical address: 1025 Karen Way, Mountain View, California, 95036

Email address: zumawilliam8@gmail.com

Phone number: (650) 789-6543

Personal Profile

Certified office secretary with 9+ years of experience performing clerical and general office administration duties. Excellent communicator is proficient in Microsoft Office Suite programs and office-related software, ready to attend to the organization’s daily secretarial and administrative duties. Avid team worker and self-motivated individual with calendar and database management experience.

Work Experience

07/2019- 09/2022, Senior Secretary, Rose & Brown Holdings, Mountain View, CA

  • Created schedules and arranged meetings for five senior managers
  • Organized special events such as company dinners in collaboration with five office administrative assistants
  • Coordinated safe and comfortable travel arrangements for senior office executives
  • Performed 7+ administrative duties in support of senior management staff, including calendar management and inventory supply
  • Used Zoho Bookings to schedule 10+ appointments daily, based on the availability and convenience of the senior managers
  • Mentored seven secretaries and secretary assistants on business policies, procedures, and best practices
  • Managed a $70,000 annual travel budget for senior management staff and successfully tracked travel-related expenditures for documentation purposes
  • Processed various documents daily, including expense reports and correspondences
  • Offered support to the 5-member marketing team by maintaining customer information databases

04/2016- 05/2019, Secretary, Bates Offices, Brooklyn, New York

  • Performed 10+ administrative tasks daily, including printing, mailing, and faxing
  • Developed and presented 100% accurate progress reports
  • Processed payroll and distributed paychecks to 30+ office staff
  • Collaborated with the HR department in the recruitment, training, and orientation of 10+ junior administrative staff members
  • Greeted and welcomed an average of 50 visitors daily, directing them to the right individuals and departments
  • Responded to email inquiries in less than 24 hours, increasing customer service rating by 20%
  • Managed database entry and 400 client files, keeping them up-to-date
  • Coordinated weekly and monthly meetings by booking meeting rooms, setting up conference calls, and taking minutes and messages during meeting sessions
  • Drafted and distributed 5+ office correspondences regularly, including memos, letters, and emails
  • Observed the best business practices and set regulations 100% of the time

11/2012- 02/2016, Secretary Assistant, Bates Offices, Brooklyn, New York

  • Assisted the secretary in the execution of 10+ administrative tasks, including filing and drafting correspondences
  • Prepared and reviewed documents to ensure 0 grammatical and document-related errors
  • Collaborated with five secretary assistants to provide clerical support to 3 departments, such as work schedule organization
  • Compiled and distributed general staff meetings’ minutes  to 25+ personnel
  • Maintained 100% confidentiality when dealing with sensitive information and classified correspondences
  • Helped the secretary to facilitate communication between management and 20+ staff members
  • Maintained an organized and clean front office, obtaining positive feedback from visitors 98% of the time
  • Promoted to the secretary in 2016

Education

  • 03/2010- 05/2012- Associate of Applied Science in Business Office Technology, Bakersfield College, CA
  • 03/2007- 06/2009, High School Diploma, San Jose Senior High School, San Jose, CA

Skills

  • Languages
  • Swahili
  • English
  • French

Technical Skills

  • Filing
  • Microsoft Office Suite
  • Note-taking
  • Equipment maintenance
  • Calendar management
  • Email management
  • Database management
  • Clerical
  • Call management
  • Reporting

Soft Skills

  • Verbal and written communication
  • Problem-solving
  • Adaptability
  • Customer service
  • Multi-tasking
  • Ability to work well under pressure
  • Organization
  • Collaboration
  • Teamwork
  • Negotiation
  • Mentoring

Certifications

  • 04/2016, Certified Administration Professional, International Association of Administrative Assistants
  • 05/2015, Microsoft Office Specialist Master Certification, Microsoft

Secretary CV Example 2

Rosa Laurel

Physical address: 530 Jefferson Square, Oxnard, California, 95044

Email address: laurelrosa17@gmail.com

Phone number: (830) 567-8907

Personal Profile

Professional office secretary with 6+ years of experience in general office administration and 3 in data verification and entry. A self-motivated individual with extensive database management experience ready to steer the organization’s front office to the next level. Outstanding communicator with excellent multi-tasking and IT skills required to survive in different offices

Work Experience

06/2019- 06/2022, Administrative Assistant, Touch Offices, Sacramento, CA

  • Handled administrative requests and queries from 5 senior business managers
  • Performed 10+ clerical tasks daily, including filing and data entry
  • Used a range of software, e.g., Zoho Bookings and Calendly, to successfully organize and schedule appointments
  • Planned five weekly meetings and took detailed minutes
  • Acted as the point of contact for 20+ internal and external clients
  • Booked travel arrangements for five business managers
  • Built and maintained excellent relationships with five business vendors for fast and convenient delivery of supplies and services
  • Updated and maintained office policies and procedures in collaboration with the 10-member HR team
  • Implemented a new digital filing system, improving records maintenance efficiency by 20%
  • Answered and directed 80+ phone calls daily as an active operator of the office’s multiline call system

04/2016- 05/2019, Secretary, Jones Holding, Tampa, FL

  • Answered 100+ phone calls daily and redirected them when necessary
  • Participated in inventory control management by frequently checking office supply levels and making orders
  • Established administrative work procedures for tracking daily tasks of 30 staff members
  • Operated, managed, and maintained 75+ office equipment, including guillotines and photocopiers
  • Kept office employees and clients informed by collecting and coordinating the flow of both internal and external communication
  • Mentored three junior administrative staff on office procedures, policies, and administrative support best practices
  • Composed, typed, and distributed daily, weekly and quarterly reports with utmost diligence
  • Recommended and implemented the use of Grammarly for Business in the report and general document preparation, reducing preventable errors by 90%
  • Built and maintained excellent relationships with 20 vendors for fast fulfillment of orders and effective inventory control

02/2012- 03/2016, Data Entry Clerk, Brave Offices, Sacramento, California

  • Directly fed data from 250+ customers into the company’s databases
  • Offered data entry support across three business departments
  • Maintained 100% accuracy in spreadsheet creation
  • Reduced data loss events by 98% through careful sorting and organization of paperwork
  • Performed authorized data retrieval from databases and electronic files for 30+ staff members
  • Performed regular data backups, improving data preservation by 90%
  • Mentored six junior data entry clerks on organization policy and procedures, best practices, and different data-related techniques
  • Optimized data retrieval by promoting organized storage of hard data copies
  • Provided technical support in 10 interdepartmental projects
  • Attended 5+ conferences and workshops yearly for professional development, improving both personal and professional skills
  • Operated 10+ standard office equipment daily, including scanners and printers

Education

  • 02/2009- 04/2011, Associate Degree in Office Administration, Barstow Community College, CA
  • 05/2006- 08/2008, Sacramento Senior High School, Sacramento, CA

Skills

  • Languages
  • Polish
  • English

Hard Skills

  • Database management
  • Report writing
  • Typing
  • Filing
  • Call management
  • Clerical
  • Data entry
  • Calendar management
  • Appointment scheduling
  • Budget management
  • Email management

Soft Skills

  • Customer service
  • Verbal and written communication
  • Organizational
  • Interpersonal
  • Critical thinking
  • Time management
  • Multi-tasking
  • Ability to work under pressure
  • Flexibility

Certifications

  • 06/18, Professional Administrative Certificate of Excellence(PACE), American Society of Administrative Professionals
  • 05/13, Microsoft Office Specialist Certification, Microsoft

Secretary Resume Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Which Technical Skills Should I Include in My Resume?

All industries require employees to have diverse technical skills, often specialized knowledge and expertise, for successful task execution. Here are some that you need to thrive in your secretarial job: excellent information technology skills; proficiency in different Microsoft Office programs, i.e., Excel, Outlook, Word, and PowerPoint, excellent database management skills, outstanding reporting, and note-taking skills, and ability to use different general and specialized office equipment, excellent call management skills and clerical skills.

Additional skills worth mentioning include excellent filing skills, ability to schedule appointments, calendar management skills, outstanding email management skills general reception skills. Take some time to review the job posting to find out what the hiring manager needs and include them in your skill section.

2. Which Keywords Should I Use in My Resume?

The fastest way to get the hiring manager’s attention is by using the right keywords. The ‘right keyword’ here refers to the terms, tools, skills, and abilities that match the job description. Here are a few that you can use to make your resume outstanding: database, secretarial, scheduling, calendaring, travel arrangements, administrative support, administrative assistance, clerical skills, detail-oriented, MS Office, documentation, outlook, calendar management, business administration, filing,  implementation, correspondences, customer service, invoicing, vendor management, Microsoft Excel, Typing and data entry.

The right keywords can also be specific skills such as front-office management, administration management, relationship development, marketing coordination, travel coordination, process procedures development, process management, organizational development, and employee relations. Ensure that the keywords you use in your resume match whatever is required in the job posting for easier recognition by the applicant tracking systems that organizations use for hiring purposes. Lastly, spread them evenly in your skills and experience sections.

3. Which Certifications Should I Get for a Better Resume?

Certifications communicate your commitment to continued learning, industry standards, and professional advancement. Fortunately, you can pursue several of these in your secretarial career. Here are a few:

  • Certified Administrative Professional– This is perhaps the most common certification for secretaries and administrative support professionals. Offered by the International Association of Administrative Assistants, this credential requires a Bachelor’s degree and two years of work experience or an associate degree with three years of work experience. You will be qualified to perform higher roles.
  • Microsoft Office Specialist Certification- Secretaries use Microsoft Office programs every day. Therefore, getting this certification online or in person is a good idea. You will get a chance to legitimize your knowledge of the Microsoft Office software
  • Professional Administrative Certification of Excellence( PACE)- Offered by the American Society of Administrative Professionals, this certification proves the development of administrative skills employers want in administrative support professionals. It has four learning modules, i.e., digital management, communication, project management, and people management.

Additional certifications worth obtaining include administrative assistant certification, Certified Associate in Project Management, Fundamental Payroll Certification, and HR Certified Professional if seeking to advance in your career.

4. How Can I Become a Certified Secretary?

There are five main steps to becoming a certified secretary and working in any organization. First, earn an education- at least a high school diploma. You can also obtain an associate degree in office administration, which covers essential areas such as record management, advanced word processing, and organizational procedures. Second, choose your specialty. Do you want to work in a hospital, law firm, or general office environment? This will help you identify some of the extra courses you may need.

Third, gain work experience, whether in long or short-term positions. As you acquire work experience, so does your resume grow. Remember, your focus should be on clocking 1-3 years of professional work experience to be eligible for certification, which is our fourth step. After getting your certification, shift your focus on maintaining it through regular renewals, which is our last step.

5. What Should I Prioritize When Writing My Resume?

There are two main things that you should remember when writing your resume. First, you need to format your resume correctly. Ensure that it is divided into sections, i.e., header, personal profile, work experience, education, skills, and certifications. Second, customize your resume to the particular job listing by including the qualifications and keywords in the job listing. Luckily, we have included some common keywords in secretarial job listings.

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