Administrative Assistant resume keywords
Most administrative assistant applications are screened by software before a person reads them: the ATS ranks resumes by how many of the posting's words they contain. The lists below are the terms that show up most in administrative assistant job ads. Use the ones that are true for you, with the same spelling the ad uses.
Hard skills and ATS keywords
- Calendar management
- Microsoft 365
- Google Workspace
- Travel booking
- Event planning
- Minute taking
- Invoice processing
- Office management
- Calendar management
- Microsoft Office
- Travel arrangements
- Data entry
- Office management
- Meeting minutes
- Filing systems
- Expense reports
- Google Workspace
- Scheduling
Soft skills recruiters look for
- Organisation
- Discretion
- Multitasking
- Reliability
- Communication
Soft skills only count when a bullet proves them. "Team player" is ignored; "Manage calendars, travel and correspondence for 3 directors." shows it.
Action verbs to start your bullets
- Coordinated
- Managed
- Organised
- Scheduled
- Streamlined
- Supported
- Prepared
- Maintained
How to use these keywords
- Mirror the job ad: if it says "Calendar management", do not write a synonym.
- Put the top 6–8 in a skills section and repeat the key ones inside experience bullets with a number.
- Never list a skill you cannot talk about in an interview.
- Keep the file text-based (no skills inside images or tables), or the ATS cannot read it.
Which ones is your resume missing?
Every posting is different. Paste your resume and the job ad — free ATS Match Score Score your resume free (0-100)
No signup. It lists the keywords from the ad that your resume does not contain.
Need the resume itself? See the administrative assistant resume example and generate one free from rough notes.