Virtual Assistant Resume Example
A career as a virtual assistant typically involves managing email correspondence and scheduling client meetings. To succeed in your applications for virtual assistant roles, you'll need a resume that reflects your relevant skills and experience. In this article, we'll outline how to write a winning resume to boost your chances of success in your virtual assistant applications.
The aim of this article is to equip you with all the knowledge required to create a resume that positions you to succeed in your virtual assistant applications. You'll find valuable tips on writing a resume that best showcases your unique skills and achievements. There is also extensive guidance on how to structure your resume to match the job description, and to reflect your experience levels to impress HR specialists and employers. Continue reading to find expert tips and advice from Jobseeker that will help you with your virtual assistant resume.
What to include in a virtual assistant resume
Most resumes contain similar key sections, with a VA resume being no different. For junior candidates with little work experience, other sections of the resume take on more prominence and might be placed before the work experience section. These could include education, skills, projects, hobbies and volunteer work.
You will have some choice over your resume layout and structure, but be sure to include these sections as the core of your document:
Resume Header and Personal Information
Your virtual assistant resume header should contain your name and contact details. These include your email address and phone number. If you have a LinkedIn profile, you can also add that, to give employers the chance to learn more about your skills and experience. It's not necessary to include a photo or any other personal information. Create a clear, well-structured header that acts as the headline of your resume. Use color accents and blocks to help this section stand out and catch the eye of the reader.
Opt for a professional-looking email address based on your name. If your email address could be construed as unprofessional or inappropriate because it contains nicknames or unsuitable language, create a new, more professional email address for your job applications. Always check your contact details to make sure they're up-to-date before you send your resume.
Isla Hill
isla.hill@example.com
(111) 222 33 444 55
13 Elm Street, Springwood, OH
linkedin․com/in/isla–hill123
Resume Summary
In your resume summary, write a short paragraph that highlights two or three of your key achievements and skills for virtual assistant roles. You could also call this section 'resume objective' or 'personal profile'. A resume summary covers your career experience to date, while a resume objective focuses more on your ambitions for the future. Furthermore, when writing your profile, focus on two or three key skills and achievements that showcase your suitability for virtual assistant roles.
Alternatively, you could use this section to reference your objectives and ambitions, and how this role would fit into your career journey.
A good resume summary is short and snappy, and focused on the skills and experience listed in the job description, with evidence to back it up. It will also help the reader to form their first impressions of you by providing an insight into your personality and unique qualities. See below for some great examples of how to approach your virtual assistant resume.
Experienced Virtual Assistant with a background as a Remote Administrative Support Specialist, adept at managing schedules, handling correspondence, and providing comprehensive support to ensure smooth operations. Proficient in various administrative tasks, including data entry, document preparation, and client communication. Skilled in utilizing digital tools and software to enhance productivity and streamline workflows. Known for exceptional organizational abilities, attention to detail, and a proactive approach to problem-solving. Reliable and adaptable, committed to delivering high-quality assistance in a virtual environment
Virtual assistant with some experience in remote administrative tasks and helping with schedules and emails. Worked in roles where I did data entry and prepared documents. Have used various digital tools to try and improve productivity. Known for being organized and paying attention to details. Reliable and adaptable, focused on providing support in a virtual setting
Alternatively, a poor resume summary would include bland, generic information that does little to prove your suitability for the role, while failing to provide any useful insights on you as a person or as a candidate. See above for some examples of things to avoid when writing your virtual assistant resume summary.
Skills
The skills section is one of the main ways to show employers you've got the skills required for virtual assistant roles. Whether your skills include CRM management, problem-solving abilities or any other useful skills for the role, you'll want to list them here. Once more, review the job description and pick out any key virtual assistant skills listed that match yours. Focus on these skills and any other key transferable skills that make you a strong candidate for the job.
How to list hard skills on your virtual assistant resume
Under hard skills, add any specialist skills you possess that are specifically required for virtual assistant jobs. These tend to be technical skills and industry knowledge essential to the position. Furthermore, it's important to show these skills in a virtual assistant resume as they provide a strong indication of your experience in the sector. It's best to aim for four or five key hard skills that match the job description. These can really showcase your suitability for the job.
You'll make more impact with your resume hard skills list if you focus on technical skills that reflect your unique expertise and specialism, and that match the key requirements in the job description. See the graphic below for some tips on hard skills for a virtual assistant resume.
- Data entry proficiency
- CRM management
- SEO optimization
Soft skills on your virtual assistant resume
In your soft skills list, include any personal characteristics that make you a good fit for a virtual assistant job. Soft skills tend to be more universal than hard skills, but they're no less important. In fact, as technology develops, soft skills are growing in importance for recruiters and employers, so be sure to add several of these to your resume. Aim to include approximately five soft skills that reflect the skills listed in the job description.
Your soft skills section should make the most of your unique personal qualities and strengths, while also reflecting the requirements laid out in the job description. See below for some examples of useful soft skills for a VA resume.
- Communication skills
- Time management
- Problem-solving abilities
Education
Your resume's education section provides space for you to list your highest and most relevant qualifications for virtual assistant roles.
Candidates aren't usually required to have a degree for virtual assistant positions, but it's still worth listing your highest or most relevant qualifications. If you have a recognized certification or qualification, such as Certified Virtual Assistant, be sure to include this. You might also want to include any educational achievements that showcase SEO optimization or CRM management.
Include any qualifications relevant to the role. For each, add the name and level of the award, the institution name, its location and your dates of study. You could also add one or two bullet points to draw attention to your grades if they were particularly good, as well as any specialist subjects you studied. This will help the hiring manager understand your knowledge and special skills better.
Membership or leadership of any societies, clubs or causes while studying can also make a positive impression on hiring managers. Consider adding these to your education section for more insight into how you used your time as a student.
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, 2017 - 2020
University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas
Certifications and Training
In your certifications section, list any professional certifications or licenses that are relevant to working as a virtual assistant. These could be official licenses required for the job or certifications that improve your employability. Therefore, add any professional licenses or certifications, along with valid dates that show they're still valid.
Read on to see some relevant example certifications for a VA resume:
- Virtual Assistant Certification, 2022
- Administrative Professional Certification, 2022
- Certified Virtual Assistant, 2022
Work Experience
In your work experience section, list any previous relevant roles you've worked in, as well as your key achievements as a virtual assistant. List each relevant role in reverse-chronological order starting with your current or most recent role. Add your job title, the organization name, its location and the dates you worked there.
Also include some bullet points for each job mentioned, showcasing your achievements so the employer can see the impact you made on the company. Pay attention to the job description and make sure each point is relevant to virtual assistant roles.
An effective resume work experience section is one that constantly echoes the skills and experience listed in the job description, and shows how you used your skills to positive effect in each job. Each bullet point should be carefully crafted to showcase a particular skill or achievement relevant to virtual assistant jobs, with evidence to show the value you added. See below for some good examples of what to include in your resume work experience section.
Remote Administrative Support Specialist, January 2022 - Present
VirtuZen Solutions, Baton Rouge
- Successfully managed scheduling and administrative support for a team of 20+ professionals, improving efficiency and reducing scheduling conflicts by 30%
- Implemented a new digital filing system, reducing document retrieval time by 50% and increasing overall team productivity
- Coordinated and executed virtual meetings and webinars, achieving a 95% attendee satisfaction rate through effective communication and technical support
Remote Administrative Support Specialist, January 2022 - Present
VirtuZen Solutions, Baton Rouge
- Managed team schedules and administrative tasks, enhancing overall efficiency and reducing conflicts
- Improved document organization, leading to faster retrieval and increased productivity
- Organized virtual meetings, ensuring high attendee satisfaction through effective communication
In the graphic above, you'll see some examples of less effective resume work experience sections. Ineffective work experience sections tend to focus too much on everyday responsibilities over skills and achievements. If you use vague descriptions of activities and fail to back up your achievements with evidence, you're likely to fail to make an impact on the reader.
Hear from experts:
Tailor your resume to the job by including keywords from the job description and focusing on skills that align directly with the role’s requirements. (1) Use a professional layout with consistent headings and formatting to ensure your resume stands out visually. (2)
Additional Information
There are several additional sections you could add to a VA resume, to improve your chances of success. Choose any optional sections that showcase essential or desirable skills or experience for virtual assistant jobs.
Personal Hobbies and Interests
Add any hobbies and interests that reinforce your credentials for the position. They also help to show a different side of your personality, and can help your resume create a more memorable impression on hiring managers. If you're short on real world work experience, hobbies and interests can be a useful way of providing more information about your qualities. Just make sure any hobbies and interests you include in your resume add genuine insight into your personality, in ways other sections of the resume can't.
Volunteering
Listing volunteer work is another useful way to prove your relevant experience for virtual assistant roles. Include the title of your volunteer role, who you volunteered for, as well as the dates you carried out the work. Provide brief details of your responsibilities and the impact you made.
References
Although it's rare to include references on a virtual assistant resume, some employers may ask for it. Don't add references unless they're specifically mentioned by the employer in the job advert. Before adding any referees to your resume, ask them for their assistance and prepare them for contact by the employer.
Please contact me for a list of references.
Best action words for your virtual assistant resume
Action words can help illustrate to the hiring manager the difference you made in each of your previous jobs. Choose from the list of words below for best words and synonyms to increase the impact of your work experience section.
- Manage
- Coordinate
- Organize
- Schedule
- Communicate
- Research
- Support
- Facilitate
- Implement
- Streamline
If you want to create a resume that stands out from the crowd, use Jobseeker's expert-designed resume templates. You can also find cover letter templates that work to get you noticed by employers.
Sample virtual assistant resume
Now we've covered the main sections to include in your virtual assistant resume, let's take a look at how it all comes together in the example below:
13 Elm Street, Springwood, OH
•
isla.hill@example.com
•
(111) 222 33 444 55
•
linkedin․com/in/isla–hill123
Experienced Virtual Assistant and former Remote Administrative Specialist with a strong background in managing schedules, coordinating communications, handling data entry, and providing comprehensive administrative support. Skilled in utilizing various software tools, maintaining high levels of organization, and delivering efficient, detail-oriented service to meet client needs. Proven ability to work independently and collaboratively in remote settings to achieve optimal results.
Remote Administrative Specialist
2020
-2022
EfficientOps Solutions (Nashville)
- Streamlined office operations, reducing administrative costs by 25% through efficient task management and process automation
- Coordinated and managed scheduling for a team of 50+, ensuring optimal resource allocation and a 95% on-time project completion rate
- Implemented a new digital filing system that improved document retrieval speed by 40%, enhancing overall team productivity
Data entry proficiency
CRM management
SEO optimization
Communication skills
Time management
Problem-solving abilities
Virtual Assistant Certification
Administrative Professional Certification
English - Fluent
Spanish - B2
Tips for virtual assistant resumes
- Showcase your key skills throughout your resume, as well as in your dedicated skills list, with each skill reflecting the job description.
- Order your work experience in a reverse-chronological timeline, starting with your most recent position.
- Proofread your resume to ensure it's free from spelling and grammar errors. Even minor errors can make a difference to your chances.
- Keep your virtual assistant resume as brief as possible. A single page is ideal for junior applicants, while two sides is acceptable for senior jobs.
- Quantify your successes by providing figures and other evidence that shows how your skills have made a difference to your employer.
- Don't use passive language - steer away from phrases like 'I was asked to' and use action words instead.
- Don't use an email address with offensive, funny or casual connotations. Instead, create a professional email address based on your name.
- Don't forget to keep your contact information up to date, to ensure the employer can contact you if necessary.
- Don't include any personal details, such as a photo, your age or marital status. These can create unwanted bias in the recruitment process.
- Don't fill your resume with unnecessary details. Focus everything on showing you're right for the job.
Making an ATS-friendly resume
Applicant tracking systems (ATS) are increasingly taking responsibility for the management and processing of job applications, helping hiring practices to become more efficient. This can include screening resumes by scanning and ranking each application according to how closely it matches the job description. There are several things you can do when writing your virtual assistant resume, to give yourself the strongest chance of ranking highly in the ATS stage and progressing through the recruitment process.
Follow these simple rules when writing your resume, to make sure it's ATS compliant:
- Adopt a traditional structure for your resume, such as a reverse-chronological format or a functional format. These are likely to be the easiest layouts for ATS software to scan.
- Include keywords throughout your resume that align with the job description. ATS software tends to compare your resume to the job description for points of similarity, so careful, considered use of keywords should help your chances of success.
- Using clear, simple headings makes it easier for an ATS application to scan your resume, as it can easily identify what's in each section of your document.
- Adopt a clean, unfussy design that gives your content enough white space to breathe. Use professional, readable fonts and subtle use of color and other design elements.
- Use concise language to keep the length of your resume to between one and two pages. This will make it easier to scan for ATS applications.
If you're looking for inspiration for your resume, discover our comprehensive resume examples and in-depth, expert career blog.
Frequently Asked Questions about a VA resume
After writing your virtual assistant resume, you'll want to write an accompanying cover letter that helps your application stand out.
Check the job description to see whether a full, formal cover letter is necessary. In some situations, it might be more suitable to simply send a brief email to introduce yourself and accompany your resume.
If you choose to write a full cover letter, follow traditional letter-writing conventions surrounding greetings, sign-offs and use of professional language. The body of the cover letter tends to be three paragraphs. The first introduces yourself and the role you're applying for, giving reasons for your application. The second briefly covers your key skills and achievements that are most relevant to virtual assistant roles. Finally, the third paragraph re-emphasizes your interest in the role and leaves a call to action, encouraging the employer to reach out to you.
For help creating an eye-catching cover letter that impresses recruiters and hiring managers, use Jobseeker's professional cover letter templates.
If you're an experienced virtual assistant, your resume should focus on your extensive work experience and the achievements in your career to date. Your virtual assistant resume is likely to have a longer work experience section than resumes for less experienced candidates, any you may wish to go back further than the standard 10 to 15 years of employment history, depending on your experience levels. Consider adding any optional sections that show employers the impact you've made in your career to date. These include awards, successful projects or a dedicated achievements section.
If you want to create a strong first impression in your virtual assistant application, a resume headline can help. A well-constructed resume headline can help your resume rank highly with ATS screening tools by referencing some of the key information from the job description. Write a few words to set the tone for your resume, including the job title, your experience or track record and one or two key skills that make you stand out.
Here's an example of a strong resume headline:
- Aspiring Junior Virtual Assistant
- Expert Virtual Assistant Services Provided
- Experienced Senior Virtual Assistant
The top resume format for your applications will vary according to a couple of factors. First, how much professional experience you have. Second, what type of job you're applying for and its seniority level. For entry-level roles, or situations where you're changing to a new career, a functional resume is often the best option. This places your skills and education above your work experience. If, however, you have relevant work experience in the industry, it's typically best to use a reverse chronological resume format. This highlights your achievements in work, which is probably the most important factor for hiring managers to consider.
Key points for your virtual assistant resume
If you want to catch the eye of employers and recruiters, you need a professional resume that showcases your best skills and career achievements. Choose a resume structure that makes the most of your relevant experience, whether through work or other activities, and be sure to tailor your resume to match the job description.
Use Jobseeker's resume templates, other tools and resources to create an application that impresses employers. Sign up today to access a wealth of valuable resume and cover letter resources. Whether you're a junior or senior candidate, a professional cover letter can help to grab the attention of the employer. Jobseeker's cover letter examples were created by careers experts to provide useful tips and ideas for your cover letter.
Sources:
(1) Writing a Resume, California Department of Human Resources: https://www.calhr.ca.gov/employees/Pages/resume-tips.aspx
(2) Resume Tips, Duke University: https://careerhub.students.duke.edu/resources/resume-tips/
