Position Overview
Secretaries play a vital role in any organization.
They handle correspondence between departments of the company and also maintain liaison with external agencies.
Their work is mainly administrative as they are expected to maintain diaries, arrange appointments, answer telephone calls, manage filing duties and assist various departments in implementing new procedures and regulatory systems.
Secretaries dominate every industry including businesses, financial institutes, law firms, hospitals, and universities. They are essential players in the success of any organization.
While formal academic qualifications are not always a prerequisite for this position, recruiters prefer candidates with a high school diploma at the very least, along with strong interpersonal, organizational and communication skills.
Many schools offer specialized secretarial courses and people who have these courses to their credit, have a better chance of acquiring employment.
Secretary Resume Format and Writing Tips
Candidates need to consider many aspects when writing a resume for the position of a secretary – regardless of the industry, they are applying for. Since the whole image of any organization depends on secretaries, they are hired following much scrutiny. Writing a resume for a secretary’s position requires the applicant first to organize the information s/he expects to use.
Make use of the following sections when writing a resume for a Secretary position:
Career Objective / Profile
A career objective, profile statement or professional overview will go a long way in piquing the reader’s interest which is why this first statement/paragraph need to be flawless.
Qualifications/Areas of Expertise
You must highlight all your relevant qualifications – which may include your ability to prioritize workload, word processing expertise and maintaining schedules in a time efficient manner – which will force the reader to stay interested.
Key Accomplishments
Specifying accomplishments in a resume can take you on the road to successful employment, so always spell out what you achieved in a previous position. You can either make a separate section of your achievements or include your accomplishments in a sub-section under each job title in the experience section.
Professional Experience
Your work history is just as important as it gives the recruiter insight into what work you are trained for and gives him a chance to compute how you would work in a similar environment mentally.
Education
Information regarding formal training is also essential even though you may just be hired for your skills and experience. However, if you have taken any particular secretarial courses, you must highlight them specifically.
Types of Resumes for Secretary Position
There are three different types of resume formats, i.e., chronological, functional, or combination resume that you can use when writing a resume for a secretary’s position.
Recruiters usually prefer chronological resumes because they list your work experience in reverse chronological order and makes it easy for them to see which companies you have worked for and what duties you have performed.
However, a functional resume will work better if you are an entry-level secretary having no experience in hand or changing your career or have taken a pause/gap in your employment history. This type of resume will let the recruiter focus more on your skills and experience and less on your work history.
Secretary Resume Examples
As a secretary can work in many industries under different job titles, you need to pick your relevant resume from the samples below:
➜ Office Secretary Resume Sample