Office administrator CV example & writing tips

A successful office administrator needs to be well-organized with a keen eye for detail. An office administrator often manages phone calls, writes memos, and is adept at many administrative tasks. A perfect CV is your first chance to showcase these skills.

Use our office administrator CV example as a guideline to create your own professional CV in minutes.

This guide will show you:

• What hiring managers are looking for in your CV
• How best to structure your CV
• What to do and what not to do when writing your CV

Office administrators need to be organized, detail-oriented and have good IT skills. They should also be strong communicators who are comfortable working with other departments and coordinating events.

If you have previous office experience, highlight your interpersonal skills, time management, organisation, and IT competence. Many of the desirable skills for an office administrator are soft skills. You should be able to showcase some of these even without much experience.

The structure of your CV will depend on the CV format you choose. Your options include:

• Chronological — This format emphasises work experience
• Functional — This format focuses on skills
• Combination — This format balances skills and work experience

The chronological format is the preferred CV format of most hiring managers. It’s also the format we use with the office administrator CV sample below. But no matter which format you use, you’ll be creating these CV sections:

Contact information

Insert your contact details in the CV header. This includes your full name, phone number, professional email address, and any professional profile links like LinkedIn. Present this information clearly so the recruiter can contact you should they wish to schedule you for an interview.

Professional summary or career objective

The professional summary is a brief overview of the skills that best qualify you for the role. A career objective is similar, but also includes a statement of your career aspirations. A professional summary is best if you have a few years of experience in office operations.

CV skills

The skills section is your chance to tailor your CV to the job requirements. Look for keywords in the job description and include these in your skills section as bullet points. The role of office administrator draws on a combination of soft skills and hard skills.

Here are some soft skills you may want to include:

• Organization
• Communication
• Problem-solving skills
• Attention to detail
• Time management
• Independence
• Task prioritization

And here are some hard skills you may include on your office administrator CV:

• Data entry
• Business administration
• Office filing
• Spreadsheets
• Office equipment and office supplies handling
• IT skills, such as Microsoft Office and Outlook
• Social media management

Work experience

The work history section showcases your current experience as an administrative professional. List your work history in reverse chronological order, including all job titles held within the last 10 years. For each position, highlight tasks relevant to office management. This could be your involvement in the bookkeeping process in an administrative support role or experience with filing systems as an administrative assistant.

Education

The education section is a vital part of the CV. This is especially true for candidates with limited professional experience. Use this section to mention any relevant qualifications or certifications, as well as your bachelor’s degree.

Keep the following tips in mind during the CV writing process for your next office administrator job. These tips will help you create the best CV possible and maximize your chances of securing your new job.

Do:

• Tailor your CV to the role. For each position you apply to, adapt your summary, work history and skills sections, addressing skills and duties mentioned in the job description.
• Cite specific examples in the work history section. For instance, this could be arranging company travel or assisting in the budgeting process.
• Use a CV builder. Our CV builder will help you create an eye-catching CV that draws attention to your best qualities, thanks to our job-specific suggestions.

Don’t:

• Use passive language. Active phrases like “Led,” “Created,” and “Organized” will help frame your previous experiences in a better light.
• Forget to proofread. As an office administrator, attention to detail is key. A formatting error or misspelling will lead the hiring manager to drop your CV.
• List your GPA. Unless your GPA is exceptionally high or you have graduated within the last year, there is no reason to include it on your CV.