Executive secretary resume examples from 2026
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How to write an executive secretary resume
Craft a resume summary statement
A resume summary is your opening statement that highlights your strongest skills and top accomplishments. It is your chance to quickly let recruiters know who you are professionally - and why they should hire you for the executive secretary role.
Step 1: Mention your current job title or the role you're pursuing.
Step 2: Include your years of experience in executive secretary-related roles. Consider adding relevant company and industry experience as relevant to the job listing.
Step 3: Highlight your greatest accomplishments. Here is your chance to make sure your biggest wins aren't buried in your resume.
Step 4: Again, keep it short. Your goal is to summarize your experience and highlight your accomplishments, not write a paragraph.
These four steps should give you a strong elevator pitch and land you some executive secretary interviews.Please upload your resume so Zippia’s job hunt AI can draft a summary statement for you.
List the right project manager skills
Your Skills section is a place to list all relevant skills and abilities. Here is how to make the most of your skills section and make sure you have the right keywords:
- Look to the job listing. You often need to include the exact keywords from the job description. Take note of the skills listed for the job.
- Put all relevant hard and soft skills in your skills section.
- Be specific. If you are too broad, you may not be giving the best picture of your skills and leave the hiring manager uncertain of your abilities.
- Be up to date. Software names change and companies merge. Don't look out of touch by being careless.
- Be accurate. Spelling and even upper or lowercase can dramatically change meanings. Make sure you are correctly listing your skills.
Here are example skills to include in your “Area of Expertise” on an executive secretary resume:
- Office Procedures
- Payroll
- Word Processing
- PowerPoint
- Financial Statements
- Scheduling Appointments
- Expense Reports
- Meeting Minutes
- Telephone Calls
- Office Equipment
- Secretarial Support
- Clerical Support
- Hotel Reservations
- Administrative Tasks
- Conference Calls
- Office Management
- Meeting Agendas
- Event Planning
- Administrative Functions
- Statistical Reports
- Office Operations
- Travel Itineraries
- Financial Reports
- Calendar Management
- Real Estate
- Administrative Assistance
- Routine Correspondence
- International Travel Arrangements
- Confidential Correspondence
- Executive Support
Zippia’s AI can customize your resume for you.
How to structure your work experience
Your employment history is arguably one of the most important parts of your resume. It shows you have experience and foundation in your field to successfully master the executive secretary position. Here is how to most effectively structure your work experience:
- List your most recent experience first, followed by earlier roles in reverse chronological order. Employers care about your most recent experience the most.
- Start with your job title, company name, city, and state on the left. Align dates in month and year format on the right-hand side.
- Include only recent, relevant jobs.
How to write executive secretary experience bullet points
Remember, your resume is not a list of responsibilities or a job description. This is your chance to show why you're good at your job and what you accomplished.
Use the XYZ formula for your work experience bullet points. Here's how it works:
- Use strong action verbs like Led, Built, or Optimized.
- Follow up with numbers when possible to support your results. How much did performance improve? How much revenue did you drive?
- Wrap it up by explaining the actions you took to achieve the result and how you made an impact.
This creates bullet points that read Achieved X, measured by Y, by doing Z.
Here are examples from great executive secretary resumes:
Work history example #1
Executive Secretary
Minnesota Historical Society
- Created, maintained, and updated records, databases, web pages, and surveys.
- Processed all payroll and personnel transactions as required, using AMS system accurately and in a timely manner.
- Prepared proposals, managed financial reports, payroll, evaluations, construction projects, legal contracts, billing and collections.
- Worked with new hires and trained them on procedures, standards and resources, enabling them to become productive quickly.
- Adhered to policy & procedures for compliance within the Directorate and the Association.
Work history example #2
Administrator Secretary
Arizona Department of Transportation
- Established procedures and timelines for report and information submittal from MVD office managers in accordance with management goals and objectives.
- Provided exceptional career counseling and coaching to agencies and employees.
- Managed payroll for 25+ employees.
- Negotiated vendor contracts through the competitive bid process resulting in significant cost savings for the City.
- Provided administrative support to the Payroll Director.
Work history example #3
Accounts Payable Clerk
GameStop
- Ensured all cash registers were accurately filled at the start of each day and provided change as necessary throughout the day.
- Prepared the payroll for 500+ employees.
- Promoted through a series of progressively responsible positions.
- Reviewed, analyzed and checked payroll forms and reports for accuracy and made necessary adjustments or corrections.
- Managed transition to JD Edwards PeopleSoft, including employee training and divisional IT support.
Work history example #4
Executive Secretary
Hilton Worldwide Holdings
- Processed payroll in Timesavers for the sales and marketing departments.
- Conducted research, compiled data, and prepared papers for consideration and presentation by SVP.
- Coded and reviewed invoices for the hotel, handled all cash on property, oversaw payroll for all departments.
- Developed complex PowerPoint presentations, Excel spreadsheets and other documents in support of team activities including quarterly/annual budget and sales presentations.
- Managed and maintained SVP's schedule.
Zippia’s AI can customize your resume for you.
Add an education section to your resume
- The highest degree you have achieved.
- TWhere you attended school, and the dates (Although if you graduated some time ago, leave the date off to avoid ageism)
- TField of study
- TAny honors, relevant coursework, achievements, or pertinent activities
Here are some examples of good education entries from executive secretary resumes:
High School Diploma
2003 - 2003
Highlight your executive secretary certifications on your resume
Certifications can be a crucial part of your resume. Many jobs have required certifications.
To list, use the full name of the certification and the organization that issued it, along with the date of achievement.
Here are some of the best certifications to have on executive secretary resumes:
- Word 2010 Certification
- Professional Legal Secretary (PLS)
- Certified Legal Secretary Specialist: Executive Legal Secretary
- Certified Manager Certification (CM)
- Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA)
- Microsoft Office Specialist: Expert (Office 365 and Office 2019)
- Certified Medical Office Manager (CMOM)
- Microsoft Office Specialist Master Certification (MOS)
- Microsoft Office 365
- Certified in Public Health (CPH)