Check your administrator CV against the job advert
Admin adverts ask for skills that are easy to claim and hard to prove: organisation, accuracy, IT skills. The trick is to show them with what you actually handled.
Start with your advert
Every administrator advert is different. The list below is what adverts for this job usually ask for, not what yours does. So start with your advert:
- Read the advert and copy out every "must have" or "essential" line, then the "desirable" ones.
- For each one, find the line in your CV that proves it. If you can't point to a line, that's a gap.
- Fill the gap with something true: a duty, a setting, a qualification or a result you really have. If you don't have it, say what you have that's closest, or leave it out.
Our guide to matching your CV to a job description goes through this in more detail.
What administrator adverts usually ask for
Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, especially Excel
Why they askNearly every admin advert asks for Word, Outlook and Excel (or Google equivalents). Some ask for specific Excel skills.
How to show itName the programs and the tasks you used them for. Say which Excel features you really use.
Example lines: fill the gaps with your own facts- Kept [type of] records in Excel using [filters, lookups, pivot tables], and produced a [weekly / monthly] report for [audience].
Accuracy and attention to detail
Why they askAdmin errors cost time and money, so adverts often ask for accuracy with data entry, invoices or records.
How to show itDescribe the kind of data you handled and how you kept it accurate.
Example lines: fill the gaps with your own facts- Entered and checked [type of data, such as orders or invoices] on [system], about [number] a [day / week].
Diary, inbox and phone
Why they askMany roles include managing a shared inbox, booking meetings and answering calls.
How to show itSay whose diary or inbox and what that involved.
Example lines: fill the gaps with your own facts- Managed the shared inbox and diaries for [team or people], booking meetings and rooms.
Systems and processes
Why they askAdverts may name a CRM, finance or booking system. Familiarity with one makes others easier to learn.
How to show itName the systems you've used.
Example lines: fill the gaps with your own facts- Raised purchase orders and processed invoices on [finance system].
- Updated customer records on [CRM].
Organisation and prioritising
Why they askAdmin roles juggle many small tasks and deadlines.
How to show itGive an example of handling competing priorities, or an improvement you made.
Example lines: fill the gaps with your own facts- Set up [a tracker / a filing system / a template] that [what it improved].
Confidentiality and GDPR
Why they askMany admin roles handle personal data.
How to show itMention the type of confidential information you've handled.
Example lines: fill the gaps with your own facts- Handled confidential [staff / customer / patient] information in line with data protection rules.
Only use a line if it's true for you. Swap each [gap] for your own detail: the setting, the number, the tool or the result. If you can't fill a gap honestly, cut that part of the line.
Mistakes that cost administrator applications
- "Excellent IT skills" with no programs named.
- "Attention to detail" claimed in a CV with typos. Proofread twice.
- Listing duties with no scale: how many, how often, for whom.
Questions
How do I show admin skills with no office experience?
Use any organising you've done: rotas in retail or hospitality, bookings, stock records, club treasurer duties. Name the tools you used.