How to Write an Admin CV, Administrator CV or Administration CV
The administrator's role is a demanding one. It requires training, strong personal qualities and a wide range of skills. It can include responsibility for administration, secretarial and reception services, payroll, information and data processing, mail, records management and telecommunications management, as well as staff supervision and general management.
As an administrator, you face a particular challenge when writing your admin CV. Making yourself stand out as someone who excels in a support position can be hard, because the better you do your job, the less other departments notice, because everything is running smoothly. Despite this, your Administration CV needs to highlight your vital contribution to organisational success.
It isn't easy trying to express yourself and to give the right impression on an administrator's CV. A good option is to look at using a professional CV Writer. Bradley CVs is a company that only employs the most experienced writers in all sectors, who know what employers are looking for in a top admin CV.
Profile for an Admin CV
These 3 or 4 sentences must sum you up as an accomplished all rounder, who is more than capable of handling every area of an organisation's administrative systems and services. This means identifying your outstanding experience, abilities and qualities on your admin CV. The way to approach this is to target your Profile according to each vacancy's requirements.
You need to identify your key areas of experience, such as what kind of organisation have you worked in (presumably this will be the same as the advertised position) and how many years' experience do you have?
You may struggle to analyse your own skills and experience, in which case you may benefit from our professional CV writing service. Bradley CVs employs very experienced CV writers that know exactly how to write an Administrator CV.
If you have experience in the same industry as the admin jobs you're applying for, mention this first. If you don't have direct experience of working as an administrator in this industry, but possess knowledge gained in another capacity, then mention this.
Take your lead from the advertisement and job description when pinpointing skills and abilities for your Administration CV. While you may be an all-rounder and this may be required for the position, it's likely that particular areas of responsibility are paramount. This may reflect the particular staffing structure used in the organisation you're applying to. For example, data management may sit within different departments in different types of organisations.
It is safe to focus on certain qualities though. Most organisations are going to value a team leader who works under pressure, remaining calm, patient and organised no matter what comes up at short notice. You should state on your Administrator CV that you're able to work at medium to fast paces, while remaining flexible enough to deal with unexpected events.
Achievements for an Administrator CV
High levels of organisation and efficiency are paramount in the delivery of administrative services, so these should be highlighted in your achievements section on your admin CV. Likewise, the ability to respond to changing circumstances without loss of standards is vital.
These 4 to 6 bullet points need to provide evidence that you have the related personal qualities and can utilise these strengths to produce results. Effects such as 'smooth running' are hard to substantiate, so the best way is to write down accomplishments that can be quantified - i.e., measured numerically.
Achievements are where you show how you've made a difference. For example, if you can identify the savings you've created through greater efficiency, the reader will recognise how you can save time, money, or labour for them too. A new or improved office system, the introduction of new software, or a change in an administrative process can all be listed as accomplishments in this way on your Administrator CV.
That's not all. You can show how you've dealt with changes beyond your control, such as changes to organisational structure, or software migration. Negative situations can be mentioned too, as these will show how you coped in a crisis by rising to a challenge such as staff sickness, technical failures, etc.
Do mention on your Administration CV if one of your recommendations was adopted by others. You can also mention praise for your achievements that you've received via a staff appraisal or in writing from a manager or customer.
In this way, you can mention your strengths in each achievement you write. Focus on your communication skills, ability to prioritise, patience, team leadership, interpersonal skills, time management and organisational abilities. All leadership skills, such as problem solving and staff management, are also worth including if you can.
Career History for an Administration CV
Your career history on your Admin CV needs to be listed in reverse date order, including your job title, the employer's name and town, inclusive dates of employment and a list of your key responsibilities beneath each job. Provide this level of detail for administration jobs from the past ten years, while providing just a one-line entry for jobs from before then.
The trick to making your work history powerfully effective in selling you to an employer is to write up your responsibilities as if they're all achievements. So when you describe managing staff, mention your good communication skills, which include listening as well.
Clearly define all your duties, stating not just what you did but how you did them. Always mention skills or personal strengths when writing these. You can refer to team leadership, excellent communication skills (including listening as well as writing and talking), running systems smoothly, supporting other departments, budgeting, meeting deadlines, task prioritisation, etc. The ability to communicate at every level throughout the organisation is vital.
It's also important that you mention your ability to handle 'ad hoc' tasks, as well as routine duties that need to be covered from time to time. The higher level or more demanding the areas you can fill in for, the better. Employers value flexibility, as there are frequently occasions when staff need to cover for one another or make decisions in the absence of another manager.
You can also mention technical skills in your responsibilities. Don't list these, but use your career history to ensure the most important points are mentioned higher up on your CV, so they get noticed.
Depending on the position, the responsibilities you list might include:
- Supervising administrative staff, including secretaries, on a daily basis;
- Delegating work and ensuring its timely completion;
- Conducting interviews for office staff and inducting new employees;
- Assisting office staff in maintaining files and databases;
- Preparing reports and presentations;
- Scheduling and taking minutes for upper level meetings and appointments;
- Managing office supply inventory for the organisation; etc.
Your challenge is to write these in an interesting way, using active language. If you can get it right, a sense of you as an individual is conveyed, rather than just a job description.
Qualifications and Training for an Admin CV
As an administrator, you will have undertaken training to develop your professional knowledge and technical skills.
If you completed an associates or Bachelor's degree before undertaking vocational training, you can list this first under your skills. Unless there is a direct relevance, there's no need to provide details of the subjects studied.
Next, list your administration qualifications awarded by Pitman Training, Reed, City & Guilds or The Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA).
If you have a Higher National qualification or National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) in Business and Administration, or City & Guilds Advanced Diploma, list this next.
Your technical skills are fundamental to your role, with IT and telecommunications being fundamental to almost every aspect. You can create a bullet-pointed list or table showing the systems you're familiar with (Mac, or PC with Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7), particular functions of different programs and different kinds of office equipment.
Detail your typing, short hand and audio transcribing skills last. At this level, it will be assumed you possess these skills, and your qualifications will speak for you.
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