Secretary Resume Guide + Tips + Example

Kellie Hanna, CPRW By Kellie Hanna, CPRW, Career Advice Expert
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You need a stand-out resume to get the job you want. Not sure where to begin? You’re in the right place. Our guide to writing an impressive secretary resume will help you make the most of your attention to detail and interpersonal skills so you can get the job.

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Start by editing this secretary resume template or explore more resume templates to find the best one for you. Review secretary resume samples to see the best way to add them to a secretary resume.

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Secretary resume example (text version)

CAROLL KENNEDY

Washington, DC 20016
(555) 555-5555
example@example.com

Professional Summary

Hardworking and focused secretary offering excellent communication, planning and prioritization skills demonstrated through 10 years of performance. Skilled at drafting reports and business correspondence, managing mail and updating tracking spreadsheets. Exceptional leadership skills with expertise in streamlining workflow to optimize personnel strengths.

Work History

January 2018 – Current
Addison Group – Washington,DC
Secretary

  • Schedule appointments, respond to emails and write and proofread letters, memorandums and other business correspondence for a team of 10.
  • Maintain fully functional office equipment and well-organized office supplies inventory.
  • Update and improve online databases of client accounts and external vendors, including updating information when necessary, increasing productivity by 55%.

October 2013 – December 2017
Russell Tobin & Associates – Washington, DC
Receptionist

  • Greeted an average of 60 incoming visitors and customers per day professionally and provided friendly, knowledgeable assistance.
  • Confirmed appointments, communicated with clients and updated client records.
  • Answered multiline phone system by the third ring and transferred callers to the appropriate staff member.

June 2013 – September 2013
AARP – Washington, DC
Office Intern

  • Completed clerical tasks such as filing, copying and distributing mail.
  • Organized envelopes, postage and mail correspondence for a staff of 50 and a management group of 13, maintaining postage meters and coordinating with delivery and courier services.
  • Restocked office supplies and retrieved files for staff.

Skills

  • Documentation and reporting
  • Multitasking
  • Verbal and written communication
  • Computer literacy
  • Time management
  • Transcription and dictation
  • Attention to detail
  • Organization skills

Education

June 2019May 2020
Howard University Washington,DC
BBA Business Management

Certifications

Certified Administrative Professional – (2021)

5 essential sections for a top secretary resume

  1. Contact details

    Like our secretary sample resume shows, your contact information must always be at the top of your resume. Display your contact information like this: Your full name followed by your city, state and ZIP code, then your phone number and professional email address. Add your LinkedIn profile and professional website links (if you have them) last.

  2. Personal statement

    A professional summary, also called a personal statement, is where you introduce yourself to the hiring manager and showcase your top skills and most relevant work experience. A summary for a secretary resume must include one or two of your most notable professional accomplishments, key skills for the job, and a touch of your experience in the field. Make your personal statement compelling but short — no longer than five brief sentences. Our resume example for a secretary displays a perfect professional summary.

  3. Skills

    Potential employers want to know your skills upfront. Create a separate section for your top skills and format them with bullet points to make them easy to read. Show hard and soft skills ranging from impeccable accuracy to outstanding written and verbal communication skills, as our resume example for a secretary shows. Include transferable skills if this is your first job or if you are changing careers.

  4. Work history

    Your resume must include a detailed employment history section, even if you apply for your first job. In this section, list current and previous employers in reverse-chronological order. Display company names, locations and the dates you worked for each. Include three bullet points of measurable achievements for every job. If this is your first job application or you are new to the field, it’s acceptable to showcase your extracurricular activities, community service, volunteer work and related projects as long as they show you have relevant experience.

  5. Education

    A resume for a secretary job application must include an education section. This section must include all the educational institutions you’ve attended after high school. Format it with bullet points and show the name of the school, its location and the year you graduated if it was less than 10 years ago. If you did not attend college, display your high school information and any post-high school classes you’ve taken.

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Action words for a stand-out secretary resume

Use action words to convey confidence and strengthen your chances of getting an interview. Pair them with metrics for impact.

Here’s a short list of perfect action words for a secretary resume:

  • Complete
  • Schedule
  • Process
  • Enter
  • Record
  • Report
  • Collect
  • Prepare
  • Sort
  • Assist
  • Obtain
  • Perform

Need a professional secretary resume now? Pick the perfect secretary resume template from our collection and use it with our Resume Builder. Our builder has all the tools you need to create the perfect resume in minutes! Make edits as you go, download your finished resume and save it in multiple file formats. It’s fast and free to use.

Top skills for a secretary resume

Review the job description carefully and match the required skills to yours. 

Your skills as a secretary might include:

  • Verbal communication
  • Written communication
  • Listening
  • Attention to detail
  • Accuracy
  • Prioritization
  • Adherence to regulations
  • Administration 
  • Documentation
  • Time management
  • Interpersonal 
  • Multitasking
  • Reporting
  • Scheduling
  • Transcription
  • Project management
  • Data entry
  • Computer literacy

Certifications for a certified secretary resume

Having a certificate for a secretary job is not required, but having at least one on your resume will make you shine in the eyes of hiring managers. 

Certifications available for secretaries include:

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Secretary resume FAQ

  1. 1. What to include in a resume for a secretary job?

    Like our sample secretary resume, your resume must always include the following:

    • Contact information
    • Personal profile
    • Skills
    • Job history
    • Education 
    • Licenses and certifications

    Your resume for secretary might also contain an optional section for awards and honors.

    The easiest way to fill out each section of your resume is to read the job requirements closely and match them to your qualifications and work experience. Use the secretary resume example on this page for guidance. 

  2. 2. What’s the best format for a secretary resume?

    A resume for a secretary job can take one of three formats: chronological, functional, or combination. If you are applying for your first job, then a functional resume is your best bet, but if you have a steady work history that shows career progression, a combination resume will get you far. The combination resume is perfect for job seekers with more than 15 years of experience and who want to highlight their work experience and skills side-by-side.

  3. 3. What are some tips for creating an excellent resume for a secretary job?

    Not all resumes are created equal. Here are our top tips for crafting a perfect secretary resume:

    • Customize your resume for each job.
    • Create subcategories for your skills under the skills section of your resume. For example, you might want to group your hard and soft skills separately to make them more compelling.
    • Make it short: one page if you have less than 10 years of work experience and up to two pages if you have more than 10 years of work experience. 
    • Keep the margins at one inch on all sides and choose between single or 1.5 line spacing. Refer to resume examples for secretary jobs to see how yours should look. 
    • Use appropriate fonts, like Times New Roman, Arial, or Helvetica, and stick to a font size between 11-12 on the body and 14-16 on headers.
    • Save your resume as a PDF or a .DOC and name it appropriately, like Your- Name_Job-Title_Date_Resume.PDF.

Do’s and don’ts for building a secretary resume

  • Use measurable achievements to describe your secretary abilities and experience.
  • Use action words to impact your resume for a secretary job. 
  • Tailor your resume to your target secretary job.
  • Use keywords from the job description throughout your secretary resume.
  • Format your secretary resume so that it is easy to read by ATS software and human eyes.
  • Lie about your secretary experience and skills.
  • Boast that you’re the “best secretary ever.”
  • Include irrelevant personal information such as your ethnicity and age.
  • Add skills and experience not pertaining to secretary work.
  • Forget to proofread. A secretary resume with errors is unprofessional.

Top 4 tips for acing a secretary interview

  1. Research the company.

    To make a great first impression, learn about the company’s history, goals, values and people before your first interview. Showing you know about the company and its culture conveys real interest, dedication and commitment, which hiring managers look for.

  2. Practice makes perfect!

    To practice for your interview, start by reviewing the most common interview questions, such as: 

    And some behavioral interview questions include:

    Write down one or two good possible answers as you review potential questions, then ask a friend or relative to perform a mock interview with you so you can get comfortable with the questions and keep the answers in your mind. Ask your interview partner for a review and work on improving your weaknesses. You’ll feel confident and ready when it’s time for the real thing. 

  3. Ask questions.

    It’s highly likely that your interviewer will ask if you have any questions at the end of your session — and they will expect you to have at least two or three questions for them. Job candidates who don’t ask questions are not as likely to get hired because hiring managers assume they aren’t interested in the role or won’t put much thought into the work. 

    Some questions you might ask for a secretary job are: 

    • What are day-to-day expectations for this job? 
    • What is your management style?
    • What are your expectations for someone in this role?

  4. Gather references.

    Have professional references ready in case the hiring manager wants to hire you.  Prepare a list of two former (or current) colleagues and a former manager who can speak to your qualifications as a secretary and who you know will give you an outstanding review. Take it one step further and ask them for a letter of recommendation. 

    If you are applying for your first full-time job, ask a former teacher, volunteer coordinator, classmate or community leader who can vouch for your character and skills.

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Kellie Hanna, CPRW

Kellie Hanna, CPRW

Career Advice Expert

Kellie is the content strategist for My Perfect Resume. She has more than 20 years of experience in digital media and is passionate about helping job seekers navigate their careers. She has a B.A. in English and writing from Temple University.

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