How to write an office administration CV (with example)

Updated 30 June 2023

Office administration is the process of managing internal and external communications, handling documentation and maintaining office supplies. Office administrators can have a diverse set of responsibilities and contribute to the smooth workflows of others. If you're applying for a role in office administration, knowing how to write an effective CV can help you get the job you want. In this article, we explain what office administration involves, describe how to write an office administration CV and show you a useful template and sample.

Please note that none of the companies, institutions or organisations mentioned in this article are affiliated with Indeed.

What is office administration?

Office administration consists of multiple functions that facilitate the work of others. It also involves a lot of communication, both with internal members of the organisation and external parties. Administrators may also assist with communication between internal and external individuals. If they work in a reception area, they can greet visitors and guests, help them find what they're looking for and alert members of staff if someone has arrived. They can handle correspondence for particular individuals, including emails, letters and packages. An administrator might also have scheduling responsibilities, such as making appointments, scheduling meetings and filing documents.

Administrators may also manage access to certain areas, such as meeting rooms. They can perform data entry, maintain employee files, update records and handle bookkeeping tasks. For senior members of staff, an administrator might make travel, accommodation and itinerary arrangements and help organise events. Within the office itself, administrators can ensure that there are adequate office supplies, such as stationery and equipment, besides ordering new supplies. They can advise members of staff who have queries or direct them to the right person to handle an issue.

How to write an office administration CV

If you want to know how to write an office administration CV, consider the steps below:

1. Research the vacancy

A tailored CV is typically more effective than a generic one, so a good first step is to familiarise yourself with the vacancy in question. This includes learning about the specific requirements of the job and the hiring organisation that posted it. Carefully read the job advertisement to learn about key conditions, such as experience, skills and qualifications. You can also check for keywords, as they can be useful inclusions in your application documents. Administrative work can vary from one office to another, so ensure you're aware of the specific responsibilities of the role.

Next, you can review any information in the advertisement about the hiring organisation and check its website. Try to identify the kinds of people it employs, its internal culture and any other priorities. Other useful sources of information are the organisation's social media pages and employee review sites.

2. Write an attention-grabbing summary

The first section of your CV is the summary, just below your personal and contact details. The summary comprises a brief paragraph that highlights why you're the right candidate for the role. This is the first opportunity to use the information you gathered about the position and hiring organisation. Identify a few key points about yourself and use them as descriptors. For more entry-level office administration roles, you might focus on skills and qualifications. For more senior roles, you might showcase your years of experience in administration.

A useful approach is to think of your summary as a written version of your elevator pitch. This is also an opportunity to include some keywords you identified. Consider keeping your summary to around five lines or fewer.

3. Describe your experience

Your work experience is a key contributor to your eligibility for the role, particularly in more senior office administration positions. If you're applying for an entry-level role that requires little or no experience, consider starting with your qualifications section, and then provide any experience you have. For each job you've had in the past, create a separate entry in this section. Key details to mention are the job title, the time you worked there and the name and location of the employer. Treat these like sub-headers, and then add some bullet points below to describe your duties and accomplishments.

For your current or most recent job, you can insert around five bullet points. For all other entries, about three is sufficient. Use these bullet points to further tailor your CV, such as by mentioning tasks you performed that match those of the job for which you're applying. Where you lack an exact equivalent to a task or requirement, consider transferable examples and add these. Depending on the position you're applying for, relevant previous roles may include the following:

administrative assistant
office assistant
administrator
office administrator
clerical assistant
office clerk

4. List your skills

Showing you have a diverse and unique skill set is a good way of differentiating yourself from other candidates. For office administration roles, this can include both hard and soft abilities. Hard skills are technical competencies, such as using computer software, while soft skills are transferable abilities, such as multitasking.

Just like other sections of your CV, use the information you gathered about the job to identify which capabilities are the most relevant. Start by listing all the skills you possess that you found in the job requirements. You can then add other skills that you believe are useful for the job. Consider listing your abilities horizontally to make use of the space on the page, with commas or vertical bars as separators. Here are some useful skills for office administration work to consider:

organisation and time management
written and verbal communication
administration
multitasking
data entry and bookkeeping
problem solving
collaboration
customer service
competency with office software applications, including spreadsheets
ability to accept constructive feedback
thoroughness and attention to detail
ability to work independently
flexibility and adaptability

5. Provide your education and qualifications

Your education and qualifications may be another opportunity to distinguish yourself from other candidates. If you're applying for an entry-level position, consider swapping this portion with your experience section, placing education earlier. Just like the experience portion, create a separate entry for every educational or other qualification you have and list them in reverse-chronological order. For each of these entries, provide the name of the qualification, the issuing institution and the completion or expiry date. This can include university degrees, college courses and certifications. There's little opportunity to tailor this section, so focus on keeping it as comprehensive as necessary.

CV template for office administration

Here's a CV template for office administration roles that you can use to organise your document or adapt to your requirements:

[First name] [Last name], [Degree or certification if applicable]
[Phone number] | [Email address] | [City]

Professional Summary
[Two to three sentences that highlight your years of experience, relevant skills, education or certifications and achievements as a professional.]

Experience

(For the most recent role, list 5 experience items. For previous roles, list 3.)

[Job Title] | [Employment dates]
[Company Name] | [City]

(strong verb) + what you did (more detail) + reason, outcome or quantified results
[job duty]
[job duty]
[job duty]
[job duty]

[Job Title] | [Employment dates]
[Company Name] | [City]

(strong verb) + what you did (more detail) + reason, outcome or quantified results
[job duty]
[job duty]

Education
[Degree] | [Name of School or University]

Certifications (optional)
[Certification Name], [Host Organisation] - [Year completed or expiration date]

CV example for office administration

Here's a CV example for an office administration job application to help guide you when crafting your own:

Paula Magnusson 0743 963 8952 | paulamagnusson@email.co.uk | Port Talbot

Professional Summary
Diligent office administrator with more than three years of experience providing administrative support in dynamic office environments. Effective multitasker familiar with bookkeeping tasks, minuting and ensuring that work proceeds smoothly.

Experience
Office Administrator | August 2021–Current
Prospero & Co Contractors Ltd | Port Talbot

handling incoming and outgoing communication
performing bookkeeping
inputting data and maintaining records
ordering office supplies
making travel arrangements for staff

Administrative Assistant | January 2020–August 2021
Prospero & Co Contractors Ltd | Port Talbot

greeted and guided guests at the reception area
took meeting minutes
performed data entry

Education
T-level in Management and Administration | South Wales College

The model shown is for illustration purposes only, and may require additional formatting to meet accepted standards.