Admin hiring managers skim for a few specific things: the software you can use, how organised and accurate you are, and whether you can be trusted with confidential information. A tidy, well-structured resume is itself a sample of your work, so presentation matters more here than in many fields.
What admin employers look for
Across administration assistant, office administrator, receptionist and data entry roles, the common themes are:
- Software skills — especially Microsoft Office, plus any booking or CRM systems.
- Organisation — managing diaries, tasks and competing priorities.
- Accuracy — clean data entry and attention to detail.
- Communication — a professional phone manner and clear writing.
- Discretion — handling confidential information appropriately.
Make these easy to spot in your skills list and summary.
Skills and software to highlight
List the programs you can use by name — software proficiency is often the first thing employers scan for. Strong choices include:
- Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook)
- Data entry with speed and accuracy
- Diary, calendar and meeting scheduling
- Reception and a professional phone manner
- Filing, records and document control
- Any booking, CRM or finance systems you have used
- Time management and prioritisation
Be specific. "Intermediate Excel (formulas, pivot tables)" tells an employer far more than "computer skills".
How to structure an admin resume
Keep it clean and predictable — the format itself signals you are organised:
- Contact details — name, phone, a professional email, suburb and state.
- Summary — two to four lines on your strengths and the role you want.
- Key skills — a scannable list, software included.
- Experience — roles in reverse order, framed around what you achieved.
- Education and certificates, then referees available on request.
One page is ideal. Our administration resume template already follows this order.
Quantifying your work
Numbers make admin experience concrete. Wherever you can, attach a figure:
Answered phones and entered data.
Managed reception and a 40-call-a-day phone line, and entered 200+ records a week with a high accuracy rate.
You do not need exact statistics — reasonable estimates of volume, frequency or size are enough to show scale.
A worked summary example
Open with a short summary that names your strengths and the role:
Organised and detail-focused administration assistant seeking an office support role. Confident across Microsoft Office, scheduling, data entry and reception, with strong written and phone communication. Reliable, discreet with confidential information, and able to juggle competing priorities to deadline.
Proofread carefully — a typo on an admin resume undermines the whole pitch — then run the resume checklist before you send.
Key takeaways
- Name your software by tool and level, not just "computer skills"
- Lead with organisation, accuracy and discretion
- Keep the format clean — it shows you are organised
- Quantify volume and scale where you can
- Proofread carefully and keep it to one page
Start from a ready-made template
A free, Australian-format administration resume template for admin assistant, reception and data entry roles — view it on screen and download in Word or PDF.
Get the administration resume template