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How to Write a Administrative Assistant CV That Gets Interviews (UK)

A administrative assistant CV lives or dies on writing 'provided support' instead of naming the seniority, the tools, the volume and the specific deliverables you produced. Most administrative assistant applications never reach a human: the ATS filters them on missing keywords, and recruiters bin the rest in seconds. Here's how to tailor a Administrative Assistant CV to the specific job ad in front of you.

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What a Administrative Assistant CV needs to pass the ATS

Applicant Tracking Systems screen administrative assistant CVs on exact-match keywords. Stuffing backfires (the recruiter still has to read it), but missing the obvious terms gets you binned before anyone sees the document. The keywords most administrative assistant job ads scan for in law firms, accountancy practices, financial services, the public sector and corporate head offices:

  • diary management
  • meeting coordination
  • minute-taking
  • document preparation
  • expense processing
  • travel booking
  • stakeholder communication
  • Microsoft 365
  • confidentiality
  • prioritisation

Hand-curated for this role, not auto-generated. Use the exact words from the specific job ad you're applying to, that's what the ATS is scanning for.

What recruiters look for in a Administrative Assistant CV

Past the ATS, a recruiter gets seven seconds with your CV before deciding whether to read further. The top third (the title, professional summary and key competencies) has to answer their screening questions instantly. For a Administrative Assistant, that means:

  • Seniority you've supported (director, board, C-suite, partner team)
  • Tools used (Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, expense systems like Concur)
  • Geographic scope (UK-only, international travel coordination)

Before and after: one Administrative Assistant bullet

Weak

Provided administrative support to the team including diary management and document preparation.

Strong

Administrative Assistant to a 6-partner team at a London law firm; managed 6 partner diaries in Outlook, processed 80+ monthly expenses in Concur and produced board packs for the firm's monthly partnership meeting using Word and Excel with full confidentiality protocols.

The weak version is generic admin boilerplate. The strong version names the firm type (London law firm), the seniority supported (6 partners), the tools (Outlook, Concur, Word, Excel) and the deliverable (board packs). Admin hiring screens for breadth; naming what you actually touched is what proves it.

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Tailor your Administrative Assistant CV in 30 seconds

Paste your CV and a administrative assistant job ad. TAILOR scores it against the ATS, the recruiter and the hiring manager, then tells you exactly what to fix.

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Administrative Assistant CV FAQ

How do I describe confidentiality work without breaching confidentiality?

Name the type of work, not the content. 'Maintained confidentiality on partner-level client matters including M&A and contentious disputes' is fine; naming the deal isn't.

Should I list every system I've used (Outlook, Concur, ServiceNow, DocuSign, Coupa)?

Yes, in a clean tools section. ATS scans for these. Group them: 'Productivity: Microsoft 365, Google Workspace; Expense: Concur; eSign: DocuSign.'

How do I move from Administrative Assistant to Executive Assistant?

Reframe your bullets at the EA level. 'Diary management' becomes 'gatekeeper for executive time, triaging 60+ inbound meeting requests per week and protecting strategic-thinking blocks'. Same work, different reader.

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