Help with resume - Admin Assistant vs. Executive Assistant

[eebadeeba]

I am applying for a job as an Executive Assistant. They are asking for 8 years experience as an Executive Assistant or Senior Administrative Assistant. Also note that this is at a "small" office and includes being the receptionist.

I recently got my Masters in a very specific field (environmental management) after being home with kids for 7 years. This builds on my BS, which I never got more than a year of experience using. I then just worked mostly as an admin after that, knowing I would eventually be staying home with the kids.

So now, I have been unable to find work because of my lack of experience. There is a listing for a job at a consulting company in this field as an Executive Assistant. I have done all aspects in the job description, but have always listed my previous jobs as Administrative Assistant without much thought. Since I had been looking for a job other than admin work, I had never thought much about the difference in the title and don't remember what the specific title of the positions were to begin with.

In one position I was a the direct assistant of the CEO of a small company (also acting as receptionist)- so this would be executive assistant. (2 years)

In another position I was the assistant to the whole office (company in multiple locations), which contained two project managers, with one who would have been a senior project manager. Not sure on that one. (1.5 years)

My other experience is doing all of the admin stuff - invoicing, expenses, travel, calendar - for my husband while he was an independent consultant for 4 years. Since this is a consulting company, that is part of the job description. I haven't listed this before on my resume, but the experience exactly fits the job description. The title of the company also includes my last name, so I think it is obvious this is associated with family. Would that be executive assistant?

I have always learned so much about the industry through my admin jobs, and would love the opportunity to do that in this industry. I just don't want to mess up the titles on the experience, since this specifically asks for executive assistant experience. Everything this job description lists is what I have done at the other positions.

Thank you for any thoughts on this. I don't want to put anything misleading, but also don't want to understate my experience.

 

[sue and co]

My advice would be to not list any title - just give the dates and the name of the company and then on the next line give the duties involved which from what you have said would exactly match what they are looking for.

My job title is administrator but I have not yet found another administrator job which does what I do, it was just the title someone made up when they created the job.

 

[Maridw]

My advice would be to not list any title - just give the dates and the name of the company and then on the next line give the duties involved which from what you have said would exactly match what they are looking for.

I agree with this. I recently got hired for a job as a Secretary, but I am doing all the accounting for this small company. The other person that worked in the office recently left and so now I am doing everything. When I was working at United Way, one of the other employees used to call me the Office Manager because I was the one who handled not only the bookkeeping but a lot of other things too.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I worked for several years as an Executive Assistant to a Bank President/CEO. After I had a child and didn't want to work full time, I worked part time in the same bank's HR Dept. In that job, I read quite a few resumes and helped fill open positions.

Here's how the titles/desired experience worked for us. An Executive Assistant was someone who directly reported to and supported a person at the executive level of a company. This included handling the person's schedule, travel arrangements, dealing with others on the executive level, dealing with board members, and handling very confidential information.

An Admin Assistant was someone who supported a group of employees (not at the executive level), or a department. They would handle incoming calls, mail, correspondence, travel arrangements, ordering supplies, and whatever else it took to keep the department running smoothly. Executive Assistants in our bank generally had more experience, most had bachelor's degrees, some were previously admins. who had been promoted.

Most larger companies also classify their admins. in this way. Smaller companies operate much differently and titles and job responsibilities will vary greatly.

When I moved to HR, I helped with the hiring process for Exec and Admin Assistants, reviewing resumes and interviewing candidates. We looked for solid experience for the number of years required. While I believe your actual job responsibilities are the most important thing on a resume, I also believe that it's important to include the job titles. An HR person with a stack of resumes on their desk is not going to dig very far for information. They want to take a quick glance and look at job titles and dates of employment to determine if the person meets the requirements. After that, they'll take a closer look at the entire resume.

Also remember that the hiring company may call your previous employers and ask them to verify your job title and dates of employment. You'll want to list the job titles that will match up with what the company will say.

My best advice is to just be truthful and list your titles and exactly what you did at each previous job. Let your enthusiasm for the industry, company and position show in your cover letter and convice them that they should give you an interview. Hope this helps. Good luck!

 

[eebadeeba]

Thank you so much for the advice.

I will list the one job as "Executive Assistant/Administrative Assistant" since I did both functions at that job. This job ended 10 years ago, and now that I think about it more, I did change positions during this time. It was a small company and I have been in contact with the person who would verify my employment. She does remember me and would give a positive review. I don't think that they would have a record of my title. There is no human resources department. The other I will list as Administrative Assistant.

I do not expect to get this job by my resume being picked out of a pile, and the only advantage I have is the advanced degree in the field. I am going to try to get my resume and cover letter into the hands of someone who works there via contacts I have made.

Thank you again.

 

[Robmom]

I agree with the PP to be honest with your titles. I am an Executive Assistant myself. Fingers crossed that you get the job!