Industry guide
Resumes for administration and office support roles
Office managers want to know which systems you have used and how much you handled without supervision.
What employers in this field look for first
- Software and systems: Microsoft 365, Xero, MYOB, practice or case systems
- Size of the team or number of staff you supported
- Reception volume: calls, visitors, bookings per day
- Records management, privacy and handling confidential information
- Finance tasks such as invoicing, reconciliations and payroll support
Put these near the top of your resume
- Named software rather than "computer literate"
- Typing or data entry accuracy if you have measured it
- Any certificate in business administration
- Working with Children Check if you have worked in schools or health
- Availability and whether you can work in the office, hybrid or remote
Only list tickets, licences and checks you actually hold, with their real expiry dates. An expired ticket listed as current is the fastest way to lose an employer's trust.
Wording that works
Replace "assisted with general administration" with the actual tasks and their frequency.
Scale reads well: "sole administrator for a 25-person engineering office" is concrete and verifiable.
If you improved a process, describe what it was before and after — without inventing a percentage.