ATS keywords for an administrative assistant resume
Many employers keep applications in an Applicant Tracking System (ATS), where recruiters search and sort them by the skills the role needs. Use these terms where they honestly describe your experience, so your resume is easy to find and easy to read:
Key skills to highlight
- ▸Diary, inbox and travel coordination
- ▸Accurate data entry and record keeping
- ▸Confident with Microsoft Office and common business tools
- ▸Minute taking and document preparation
- ▸Discreet handling of confidential information
Credentials Australian employers screen for
- ▸Certificate III or IV in Business Administration where relevant
- ▸Proficiency in Microsoft Office and any named systems (Xero, SAP, a CRM)
- ▸Right to work in Australia
- ▸Touch-typing speed where it strengthens the application
Common mistakes to avoid
- ▸Listing 'admin duties' without naming the software or the scale.
- ▸No measure of workload, calendars managed, executives supported, volume handled.
- ▸Generic objective rather than a sharp profile of strengths.
- ▸Not matching the specific tools named in the job ad.
Administrative Assistant CV example: before and after
One experience entry, written twice. The numbers are illustrative, the structure is what matters.
Before
Administrative Assistant, 2020 to present. Responsible for general administration duties including answering the phone, filing, data entry and supporting the team. Assist with meetings, travel bookings and ad hoc tasks as required.
It names no software and no scale, so the screening software finds none of the exact product names the ad lists (Outlook, Excel, the CRM), and the office manager cannot tell whether you have supported one manager or twenty.
After
Administrative Assistant | Certificate IV in Business Administration | Advanced Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel), Xero and Salesforce CRM
Professional services office, 45 staff across two sites | February 2020 to present | Full time
- ▸Calendar and diary management for four senior managers, coordinating an average of 60 internal and client meetings a month across two sites and three time zones.
- ▸Travel coordination for domestic and occasional international trips covering flights, accommodation, itineraries and post-trip expense reconciliation of roughly $8,000 a month in Xero.
- ▸Data entry and document management across 1,200 client records in the Salesforce CRM, with a monthly audit that cut duplicate and incomplete entries by 30 per cent.
- ▸Minute taking for fortnightly leadership and monthly WHS committee meetings, with draft minutes circulated for approval within 24 hours.
- ▸Reception and phone handling on an average 40 call day, plus invoicing, expense claims and discreet handling of confidential HR and payroll paperwork.
Same job, same desk. The rewrite names the exact systems the ad asks for and puts numbers on the workload, so the screening software has something to match and the hiring manager can size the role in one glance.
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Frequently asked questions
Which software should an administrative assistant list?
Name the specific tools the job ad mentions first, typically Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel), plus any CRM, accounting or scheduling systems. ATS matches on the exact product names.
How do I make an admin resume stand out?
Quantify the work: number of executives supported, calendars managed, events coordinated, or volume processed. Specifics turn a generic admin resume into a credible one.
Do I need a qualification to be an administrative assistant?
Not always, though a Certificate III or IV in Business Administration helps. Strong software skills and demonstrated reliability often matter more to Australian employers.
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