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Administrative assistant/personal assistant skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
5 min read
Quoted experts
Dr. Mike Peterson Ph.D.,
Anne McConnell Ph.D.
Administrative assistant/personal assistant example skills
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical administrative assistant/personal assistant skills. We ranked the top skills for administrative assistants/personal assistants based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 10.3% of administrative assistant/personal assistant resumes contained payroll as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills an administrative assistant/personal assistant needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 administrative assistant/personal assistant skills for your resume and career

1. Payroll

Payroll is the sum of all the compensation that an organization has to pay to employees at a specified time. Payroll is managed by the finance or HR department while small business owners may handle it themselves. Payroll isn't fixed as it varies every month due to sick leaves, overtime, etc.

Here's how administrative assistants/personal assistants use payroll:
  • Processed commission based payroll Managed accounts payable and accounts receivable Responsible for daily operations and functions in office Reconcile monthly bank statements
  • Calculated, prepared, and accurately processed payroll and investigated and resolved payroll issues.

2. Scheduling Appointments

Scheduling appointments is the practice of finding a free slot with the person(s) you want to meet. The process of scheduling appointments involves finding mutually free time, negotiating follow-ups, sending reminders, and creating new appointments. Scheduling appointments is important to ensure that the timings of consecutive meetings do not clash with each other.

Here's how administrative assistants/personal assistants use scheduling appointments:
  • Perform general administrative and support functions for the office including maintaining files, preparing correspondence, running reports and scheduling appointments.
  • Support included answering incoming phone calls, responding to incoming emails, scheduling appointments, travel and maintaining her calendar.

3. Financial Statements

A financial statement is a report of an individual or a company that includes all the information about the declared assets, the use of money, income, and also the contribution of shareholders over a certain period.

Here's how administrative assistants/personal assistants use financial statements:
  • Prepared and filed data entry reports, financial statements, letters, and invoices using the Microsoft Office Suite.
  • Prepare reports, memo, financial statements and other documents, using word processing and spreadsheets.

4. Front Desk

Here's how administrative assistants/personal assistants use front desk:
  • Point person for 3 psychologists, keep filing, consents current, work front desk, answer phones.
  • Scheduled and communicated on the director's behalf, Front Desk Agent & Concierge, Sales & Marketing,

5. Real Estate

Real estate is land that has buildings on it. This kind of property consists of permanent improvements either natural or man-made, which include, houses, fences, bridges, water trees, and minerals. There are 4 types of real estate namely; residential real estate, commercial real estate, industrial real estate, and vacant land.

Here's how administrative assistants/personal assistants use real estate:
  • Provided administrative & clerical support to top residential real estate agent in a fast-paced environment working w/ limited direction.
  • Input extremely detailed, confidential and time-sensitive information into real estate intranet database and affiliated applications.

6. PowerPoint

Here's how administrative assistants/personal assistants use powerpoint:
  • Created PowerPoint presentations, utilized Microsoft Excel for data management, constructed advertisements using Microsoft Publisher and Word.
  • Created interactive and graphic presentations using Microsoft PowerPoint for new business pitches and reports.

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7. Expense Reports

Here's how administrative assistants/personal assistants use expense reports:
  • Provide administrative/secretarial support for the office such as answering phones, expense reports, organization and scheduling.
  • Travel arrangements, itineraries and preparation of expense reports.

8. Event Planning

Here's how administrative assistants/personal assistants use event planning:
  • Managed schedule of lead surgeon, coordinated domestic & international travel and event planning
  • Coordinated event planning for company functions and personal celebrations.

9. Office Equipment

Here's how administrative assistants/personal assistants use office equipment:
  • Maintained office environment: assisted in the ordering of supplies/equipment, arranged for office equipment repairs and coordinated company events.
  • Coordinate the purchasing of any office equipment, marketing materials and any other business-related supplies and materials.

10. Telephone Calls

Telephone calls are a communication means through which a caller is connected to the called party. The call is done through a telecommunications device called a telephone. The caller can use a landline, mobile phone, or satellite phone to make the call.

Here's how administrative assistants/personal assistants use telephone calls:
  • Field a continuous stream of telephone calls and provide superior customer support while maintaining the daily flow of activities.
  • Receive, screen and /or route incoming telephone calls, phone messages, mail, and correspondence.

11. QuickBooks

Here's how administrative assistants/personal assistants use quickbooks:
  • Worked frequently in office and excel and have some experience in QuickBooks, as well as helped in accounting when needed.
  • Input accounting information (QuickBooks) and maintain customer database (Microsoft Excel) along with monthly invoicing (Quicken).

12. Word Processing

Here's how administrative assistants/personal assistants use word processing:
  • Perform administrative duties including word processing, developing spreadsheets and databases.
  • Developed and presented in-house word processing seminars.

13. Clerical Support

Clerical support performs activities that must be done in every workplace in order to support the company going forward. These duties, which come within the category of clerical support, are typically delegated to entry-level employees since they are simple and easy to learn. Even though clerical duties like printing and filing are easy, they require time and in many instances, other workers are preoccupied with other activities and unable to keep up with all that needs to be accomplished. As a result, many businesses employ clerical support staff who are solely responsible for these duties.

Here's how administrative assistants/personal assistants use clerical support:
  • Provided private client with varied administrative and clerical support including concierge services.
  • Provide administrative and clerical support requiring independent judgment with speed and accuracy.

14. Administrative Tasks

Here's how administrative assistants/personal assistants use administrative tasks:
  • Managed all executive level administrative tasks, scheduled meetings, and participated in conference calls.
  • Perform highly responsible, confidential and complex secretarial and administrative tasks.

15. HR

HR stands for human resources and is used to describe the set of people who work for a company or an organization. HR responsibilities revolve around updating employee records and carrying out management processes like planning, recruitment, evaluation, and selection processes. HR is a key contributor to any company or organization's growth as they are in charge of hiring the right employees, processing payrolls, conducting disciplinary actions, etc.

Here's how administrative assistants/personal assistants use hr:
  • Implemented the departmental processes & tracking, built relationships with Financial Controller, HR, Staffing Agencies, & Divisional Administrator.
  • Administered employee benefits, prepared life insurance forms, and responded to and effectively resolved HR inquiries from employees.
top-skills

What skills help Administrative Assistants/Personal Assistants find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on administrative assistant/personal assistant resumes?

Dr. Mike Peterson Ph.D.Dr. Mike Peterson Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Department Chair and Associate Professor of English, Dixie State University

Writing skills have always been valued by employers, but anything that shows an ability to write, produce, or communicate in digital spaces will stand out. While employers are becoming increasingly comfortable having employees work and collaborate digitally (from home or elsewhere), they may still be reluctant to train employees how to do that. They want to see evidence that applicants will know how to use technology and stay productive without extensive training and without a supervisor having to stand behind them. That isn't to say training won't take place, but employers want to use their valuable time and resources training employees on their own systems, policies, and procedures; they don't want to have to show new-hires how to use Zoom, how to format a memo, how to write an email, or how to co-edit a document using OneDrive.

What administrative assistant/personal assistant skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Anne McConnell Ph.D.

Professor, West Virginia State University

I would encourage someone taking a gap year to branch out, seeking work experiences and employment situations that expose them to new skills and allow them to interact with a diverse set of people. Sometimes we find ourselves in a bubble-communicating with the same people, who tend to share the same ideas-and a gap year provides the opportunity to extend beyond that. Employers value employees who have open, flexible minds, and seeking out experiences that demonstrate that openness can be helpful.

What type of skills will young administrative assistant/personal assistants need?

Angela Robbins Ph.D.Angela Robbins Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Associate Professor of History, Meredith College

History majors are in high demand in government, business, and non-profits because of the knowledge and skills they gain in the classroom. History majors, in particular, are especially good at contextualizing-that is, explaining how an event or discussion fits within the big picture. This includes how things that are going on today-such as the Capitol riot on January 6-connects to the Constitution, the balance of powers, the way democracy works, and related issues such as the implications of propaganda and misinformation. This goes well beyond merely expressing an opinion or debating two sides of an issue. Students of history do their research and practice skills of analysis, collecting and scrutinizing evidence rather than taking something at face value or only relying on a single source. We take sources apart to evaluate the credentials of their creators and search for bias. We examine sources from various creators so we take into account multiple experiences and points of view. Then we synthesize-or bring the sources together-in order to communicate what it all means. These skills are desired by employers and translate well into many careers and work environments. Seeking good evidence to answer questions and solve problems, whether that's in the classroom today or working with clients later, is a skill that employers highly value.

Students are practicing other skills that are necessary to success in the workplace, whether that will be in person or online. Time management, seeing a project through from start to finish, hosting and contributing to meetings, working on a team-whether it's two people or ten-and creating appropriate types of presentations to communicate ideas are all things our students can tell their employers they will come in with so they can hit the ground running. In addition, our majors develop self-awareness, empathy, and an appreciation of diverse opinions and approaches to problems through investigation of the life experiences of historical figures and their classroom discussions with classmates. Certainly, every employer wants you to learn the specifics within their sector, but these skills are fairly universal and will benefit majors as they move from the classroom to career.

What technical skills for an administrative assistant/personal assistant stand out to employers?

Christi Patton Luks

Professor (NTT) and Associate Chair for Academic Affairs, Missouri University of Science & Technology

I've always felt that the most important thing we teach our students is problem-solving skills. The students who can readily relate the theory to their practical experience to develop new solutions are the most valuable. Engineering students that are active on design teams or took advantage of internships and co-ops are in great position for this.

What soft skills should all administrative assistant/personal assistants possess?

Brandy BaileyBrandy Bailey LinkedIn profile

Career Coach, Ohio University - Lancaster Campus

Soft skills may vary depending on the employer, industry, and personal opinions. My biggest ones are communication skills, adaptability, self-awareness, teamwork, problem-solving, intercultural competency, creativity or innovation, and time management.
Do you want to know more?
Read more about what experts have to say about administrative assistant/personal assistant

List of administrative assistant/personal assistant skills to add to your resume

Administrative assistant/personal assistant skills

The most important skills for an administrative assistant/personal assistant resume and required skills for an administrative assistant/personal assistant to have include:

  • Payroll
  • Scheduling Appointments
  • Financial Statements
  • Front Desk
  • Real Estate
  • PowerPoint
  • Expense Reports
  • Event Planning
  • Office Equipment
  • Telephone Calls
  • QuickBooks
  • Word Processing
  • Clerical Support
  • Administrative Tasks
  • HR
  • Bank Deposits
  • RUN Errands
  • Office Management
  • Data Management
  • Calendar Management
  • Conference Calls
  • Meeting Minutes
  • Administrative Functions
  • Office Systems
  • Travel Itineraries
  • International Travel Arrangements
  • Property Management
  • Office Operations
  • Facebook
  • Direct Calls
  • MLS
  • Accounts Receivables
  • Bill Payments
  • Ground Transportation
  • Social Events
  • Open Houses
  • Office Organization
  • Fax Machines
  • Client Relations
  • Administrative Assistance
  • Customer Relations
  • Phone Lines
  • FedEx

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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