Exceptional CVs for administrative professionals
Crafting an exceptional CV isn’t always easy. At CVapp.ie, we’re on a mission to help administrative professionals land their dream jobs by creating one great CV at a time. If you’re unsure or need some extra tips on how to create the perfect CV, we’ll help you out!
Listing your CV in reverse chronological order is nearly always the best way to list your professional background to employers. This means listing your employment history or educational experience from most recent to least recent. Some CV types may suit other applicants better, but for now, we’ll focus on creating an effective CV in reverse chronological order. It’s the most recognisable CV format by employers and often the easiest to create. Let’s get started.
Professional Profile
Your professional profile is often the first thing employers will read to learn more about you and understand what makes you the ideal candidate for the job. You can think about it as your first impression with employers, so it’s important that your professional profile, otherwise known as a personal statement, is engaging, accurate and effective.
We recommend focusing on what makes you stand out and incorporating these into your professional profile. When writing your professional profile, try to use descriptive language and weave in keywords from the job description. Using keywords from the job description will also help you get around Applicant Tracking System (ATS) software designed to filter out applications based on specific keywords. Don’t be afraid to infuse your personality into your professional profile – as long as you keep your tone of voice professional and sensible, many employers love applicants with relatable, interesting professional profiles. This section doesn’t need to be long: 2-4 sentences is best. Think of your professional profile as a summary, not a thesis!
Committed, efficient administrative professional committed to the highest level of diligence and service. Exceptionally detail-oriented, organised and proficient in fundraising, data entry, bookkeeping, report creation and customer relationship management. Proactive problem solver with strong collaboration skills always looking for new ways to help businesses grow, improve and succeed.
Employment History
As mentioned earlier, you’ll want to list your most recent employment experiences from most recent to least recent. Additionally, you usually will want to include job experiences that are more relevant to include for the job position. For example, if you’re applying for an administrative role and worked as a chef 10 years ago, you might be better off omitting your culinary career experience as it’s not relevant to the job position.
List the name of your company, the job role, the time you spent in that position and any tasks you fulfilled during your time in that role. It’s always best to include any relevant achievements and use descriptive language, especially language you may have noticed in the job description. Where possible, always use specific facts, numbers and figures.
Do: Assisted the CEO of GreenOrg Corp, organising meetings for over 30 staff and managing the documents for the CEO and other staff as necessary
Don’t: I helped the CEO manage his schedule and calendar
At CVapp.ie, we have a range of CV design templates perfect for all professionals. Whether you’re looking for a modern, professional, creative or simple design template — we’ll help get you sorted!
Administrative Coordinator at Solace & Solar, Limerick
- Developed budgets and monitored company expenditure
- Prepared reports for meetings and senior staff members, recording important details for upcoming events and projects
- Updated customer records and company database as necessary
- Organised travel arrangements for staff members, processing and managing travel invoices and reimbursements
Healthcare Administrator at Moore & Malley Health Centre, Limerick
- Greeted patients and gathered medical information, adding important patient details to the health centre database
- Developed budgets and tracked expenses, generating monthly reports for management to evaluate spending and revising budgets as needed
- Advocated for fairer, more equitable patient care policies
- Scheduled patient appointments and generated invoices
Volunteer Coordinator at Isle of Hope Foundation, Limerick
- Assisted with interviews and background checks of donors and volunteers
- Collected and organised data for corporate reports and evaluations
- Assisted the social media teams in generating content for the social media pages of the Isle of Hope Foundation, growing the Isle of Hope's Instagram followers from 670 to over 20,500 followers
- Developed funding and grant proposals, securing over $200,000 in charitable funds for the Isle of Hope Foundation
Skills
Employers are looking for skilled individuals, with skill sets and capabilities relevant to the job position they’re applying for. For example, if you’re a sous chef applying for a role in a kitchen, you might want to omit your surfing or topography skills. We’ll help you determine what skills to include, but no matter what we recommend including a mix of soft and hard skills to show employers how much of a well-balanced professional you are.
Soft skills focus on more interpersonal skills, whereas hard skills focus on more technical skills. For example, soft skills for an administrative professional may include problem-solving, communication skills and excellent customer service skills. More hard skills can include project management, transcribing or bookkeeping. Include a range of both hard and soft skills to really impress and engage potential employers looking for the right candidate to join their team.
- Communication
- Computer Skills
- Bookkeeping
- Data Entry
Education Section
The main objective of an education section is to highlight your educational qualifications to employers. For more technical careers, such as lawyers, doctors and engineers, educational qualifications tend to be mandatory. As an administrative professional, just list your most recent educational qualifications and the highest level of educational experience you may have. For example, if you have a Bachelor’s degree and a Leaving Certificate, list your Bachelor’s degree first, and your Leaving Certificate second. We also recommend adding any relevant courses or qualifications you may have obtained outside of a traditional educational setting.
If you need any more help creating an effective CV, check out all the tips, tricks, advice and resources on our CVapp.ie website! Good luck!
Bachelor of Business in Management, Limerick Institute of Technology, Limerick
