Executive Assistant Skills for a Resume
Executives hire assistants they can trust to run their time, protect confidential matters and act on their behalf. Show who you support, the complexity you handle and the judgment you bring.
Updated
13 skills at a glance
Hard skills
What the work takes, how a hiring manager judges each skill, and a bullet point that shows it.
Calendar management for executives
Show the level and number of executives, and how you protect their time.
Example bullet pointProtected two focus blocks a week in the CFO's calendar while handling 40 meeting requests.
Board and committee support
Show the meetings and the materials you prepared.
Example bullet pointAssembled quarterly board packs from 12 contributors and sent them out a week before each meeting.
Travel planning
Show complex itineraries and how you handle disruption.
Example bullet pointRebooked a multi-city trip overnight after a canceled flight, keeping every meeting.
Business writing
Show what you write for the executive.
Example bullet pointDrafted letters and emails in the CEO's voice that went out with few or no changes.
Presentation preparation
Show presentations you built or improved.
Example bullet pointTurned rough notes into investor presentations with consistent charts and branding.
Event management
Give the size and type of events, from board dinners to off-sites, and what you handled end to end.
Example bullet pointOrganized a three-day leadership retreat for 40 people, including venue, travel and agenda.
Expense and budget management
Show that expenses were filed accurately and on time, and any savings you found.
Example bullet pointReconciled the executive's corporate card monthly and kept the office budget 5% under plan.
Office software and collaboration tools
Name the tools and how you used them for the team.
Example bullet pointSet up a shared Teams workspace for the leadership team's agendas, actions and documents.
Soft skills
Shown through what you did, never claimed as adjectives.
Discretion
Mention the confidential matters you handle.
Example bullet pointManaged confidential documents for an acquisition and kept them restricted to the deal team.
Judgment
Show decisions you made on the executive's behalf.
Example bullet pointDecided which requests needed the CEO and handled or redirected the rest, saving her hours each week.
Anticipating needs
Show problems you solved before they arose.
Example bullet pointPrepared briefing notes for every external meeting without being asked.
Composure
Describe a day when plans fell apart and how you kept the executive's commitments on track.
Example bullet pointKept the executive's schedule and travel on track through an office evacuation and a system outage.
Relationship building
Show the people you work with on the executive's behalf.
Example bullet pointBuilt good working relationships with board members' assistants, which made scheduling far easier.
Licenses and certifications
Give them a section of their own, with who issued each one and the year or expiry date.
- Certified Administrative Professional (CAP)
- Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS)
Keywords from executive assistant job postings
Use the ones that are true for you, in your bullet points as well as your skills list.
- CEO
- calendar
- board meetings
- travel
- confidential
- leadership team
- agendas
- minutes
- expenses
Each posting has its own words. Our guide to tailoring your resume to a job description shows how to find them and where to put them.
Where to put your skills
- In a skills section: a short list of the hard skills the posting names, in its words.
- In your bullet points: every skill that matters should show up in something you did, with a result. That is where a hiring manager believes it.
- In your summary: two or three of the skills the job asks for most.
More on choosing them in how to choose and prove the skills on your resume.
Questions
What skills should an executive assistant put on a resume?
Executive calendar management, board support, travel planning, business writing, presentations, events, expenses and budgets and collaboration tools, plus discretion, judgment and anticipating needs.
Should I name the executives I supported?
Give their titles, such as CEO or CFO, and the size of the organization. Names are not needed and may be confidential.
How do I show judgment on a resume?
Describe decisions you made on the executive's behalf, and the time or problems they saved.
Put them to work
Start from an executive assistant resume that already uses these skills, for an invented person, and make it yours in the builder.