Executive / Personal Assistant resume

Name who you support, at what level, and the strengths that make their working life easier. Executives hire assistants for trust, judgement and organisation, so show all three.

Include:

• Years of experience and the level of executive: CEO, managing director, board, several VPs.
• Industry and setting: multinational, family business, private office.
• Two strengths with evidence: complex calendars, international travel, board papers, confidential projects.

Example (fictional): "Executive assistant with eight years supporting C-suite leaders in a regional bank. Manages complex calendars across three time zones, prepares board papers and coordinates executive travel. Trusted with confidential HR and M&A matters."

Example (fictional): "Personal assistant to a business owner and family, managing diaries, household staff and private travel."

List skills that show you can manage time, information and relationships for a senior leader, plus the tools you use.

Common groups:

• Diary and calendar management across time zones.
• Travel planning: flights, visa document coordination, itineraries, expenses.
• Communication: drafting emails and letters, minute taking, presentations.
• Meetings and events: board meetings, offsites, executive dinners.
• Discretion: confidential documents, HR and legal matters.
• Tools: Outlook, Teams, Google Workspace, PowerPoint, Excel, expense and travel tools.

Prove the main ones in bullets, for example (fictional): "Managed the CEO's calendar of around 40 meetings a week across London, Dubai and Singapore."

Strong EA bullets show the level of executive, the complexity of the task and the effect on their time or outcomes.

Examples (fictional):

• "Supported the CEO and two board members, managing calendars, inbox priorities and meeting preparation."
• "Coordinated international travel for 25 trips a year, including multi-city itineraries and short-notice changes."
• "Prepared board packs and took minutes for quarterly board and committee meetings."
• "Organised a two-day leadership offsite for 40 senior managers, from venue to agenda."
• "Screened and prioritised incoming requests, freeing the CEO's diary for strategic meetings."
• "Tracked action items from leadership meetings and followed up with owners until closed."

Choose the bullets that fit the role and keep each to one or two lines.

Measure time saved, volume handled, events delivered and improvements to processes. EA work is measurable when you describe scale and outcomes.

Ideas:

• Number of executives supported and meetings per week.
• Trips and events organised.
• Processes you introduced, such as meeting templates or expense workflows.
• Time freed for the executive.

Example (fictional): "Introduced a weekly priorities briefing that cut ad-hoc requests to the CEO and gave her two extra focus blocks a week."

Example (fictional): "Reduced expense report backlog to zero by submitting the executive's claims weekly instead of monthly."

An executive assistant resume focuses on business support for senior leaders, while a personal assistant resume may also include personal and household matters for an individual or family. Use the language of the role you want.

EA focus:

• Board papers, business travel, leadership meetings, corporate tools.

PA focus (private or family office):

• Personal diaries, household staff, private travel, property and family logistics.

Example PA bullet (fictional): "Managed household staff schedules, private travel and family events for a business owner across two countries."

Many people do both; label your title accurately and add a short line explaining the scope.

Describe the type of confidential work in general terms and how you handled it. Never mention names, deals or private details.

Example bullets (fictional):

• "Handled confidential HR, legal and board documents with restricted access."
• "Coordinated logistics for a confidential acquisition project, including secure meeting rooms and NDAs."
• "Managed the executive's personal correspondence and private appointments discreetly."

The fact that you were trusted is the point; the details stay private.

Show times you supported senior people, handled complex scheduling and acted with independence. The step up is about judgement and seniority of the people you support.

Steps:

• Summary naming the EA goal.
• Bullets about supporting directors or leaders, not just teams.
• Examples of anticipating needs or solving problems without being asked.
• Any EA training or courses.

Example (fictional): "Covered the CEO's EA during leave for 4 weeks, managing his diary and preparing for a board meeting."

Example (fictional): "Supported 3 department directors with diaries, travel and monthly reports."

Name the board or committee, your tasks and the result for the governance process.

Example bullets (fictional):

• "Prepared and distributed board packs one week before each quarterly meeting."
• "Took minutes for board and audit committee meetings and tracked agreed actions."
• "Coordinated board member travel and hospitality for meetings in three countries."
• "Maintained the board calendar and document archive."

If you worked with the company secretary, say so. This experience is valued for senior EA and governance support roles.

EA adverts often repeat terms about scheduling, travel, communication and discretion. Use the ones that match your work.

Typical keywords:

• Executive support, C-suite, CEO, senior leadership
• Diary management, calendar management, inbox management
• Travel arrangements, itineraries, expense management
• Board meetings, minutes, board papers
• Confidentiality, discretion, gatekeeping, stakeholder management
• Microsoft Office, Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel

Put the key terms in your summary and skills and back them with bullets. The job-description comparison in the builder can show which advert terms are missing.

A clear order:

• Contact details
• Summary
• Key skills
• Professional experience
• Education
• Certifications and training
• Languages

If you support very senior executives, consider stating that in the first line of each role, e.g. "Executive Assistant to the CEO". One to two pages is normal. Keep it polished, because your resume is itself an example of your work.

Use their title rather than their name in most cases, e.g. "Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer". Naming a person can raise privacy issues, especially in private offices.

If the executive is public and agrees, you can mention them, but titles are usually enough. Your reference can confirm the details later.

Show the volume, complexity and your problem-solving when things changed.

Example bullets (fictional):

• "Planned multi-city travel for the CEO and leadership team, including flights, hotels, ground transport and itineraries."
• "Rebooked a delegation of 8 within hours after a flight cancellation, keeping all meetings on schedule."
• "Coordinated visa document preparation with the travel agency for business trips."

Keep it about logistics and organisation. Do not describe visa rules on your resume.

The biggest mistake is a resume that only lists tasks, with no sign of the executive's level or the value you added.

Check for:

• "Managed calendar, booked travel, answered phones" with no detail.
• No mention of who you supported (title and level).
• Missing examples of judgement, such as handling a crisis or prioritising requests.
• Typos or inconsistent formatting, which are especially damaging for an EA.
• Confidential names or details.

Fix these and your resume will show the care you bring to your work.

Add bullets or a Projects section for initiatives you led or coordinated beyond routine support. Many EAs run projects for their executive.

Example bullets (fictional):

• "Coordinated the CEO's 100-day plan meetings with all department heads after his appointment."
• "Project-managed the company's annual leadership awards, from nominations to the event."
• "Led the migration of the executive team's files to a new document management system."

Projects show that you can work strategically, which helps for senior EA and chief of staff roles.

Highlight strategic work: projects, reporting, stakeholder coordination and decisions you influenced. Make your summary point to the new role.

Steps:

• Summary naming chief of staff, operations or project roles.
• Bullets on leadership meeting preparation, KPIs, cross-team projects and communications.
• Any courses in project management or business.

Example summary (fictional): "Executive assistant to the CEO for six years, moving into chief of staff roles, with experience running leadership meetings, tracking company priorities and leading cross-functional projects."

State how many executives you support, their levels and how you balanced competing priorities.

Example bullets (fictional):

• "Supported 4 vice presidents with diaries, travel and expense claims."
• "Used shared priority lists and a weekly check-in to manage conflicting meeting requests."
• "Coordinated joint leadership meetings and team offsites for 30 people."

Supporting several leaders is a strong skill; make it clear in the first bullet.

Only if the job asks for it or it is genuinely strong. Many EA roles today care more about judgement, writing and tools than typing speed.

If you include it, keep it short and accurate, e.g. "Typing: 70 words per minute (tested 2025)" or "Teeline shorthand, 100 wpm" (fictional). If you take minutes regularly, a bullet about minute-taking shows the skill better than a number.

Show the documents you draft and who reads them. Writing is a core EA skill.

Example bullets (fictional):

• "Drafted correspondence, speeches and briefing notes for the CEO."
• "Edited and formatted presentations for board and investor meetings."
• "Wrote the monthly internal newsletter from the CEO's office."

If you work in more than one language, add it: "Drafted correspondence in English and Arabic" (fictional).

Show experience supporting senior leaders in multicultural organisations, language skills and the ability to coordinate VIP visits and events.

Example bullets (fictional):

• "Supported the Group CEO of a family business with operations in five GCC countries."
• "Coordinated VIP visits, delegations and protocol arrangements with the communications team."
• "Drafted correspondence in English and Arabic."

Include languages with levels. Nationality, visa status and notice period are optional; include them where the employer asks or it helps.

Describe the family's needs in general terms, the services you managed and how you handled them discreetly.

Example bullets (fictional):

• "Managed diaries, travel and events for a family across homes in two countries."
• "Supervised a household team of 6, including drivers and housekeeping staff."
• "Coordinated school schedules, medical appointments and property maintenance."
• "Handled personal accounts and bills with the family office."

Never name the family or share private details. Use "Private Household" or "Family Office" as the employer name if needed.

Yes, if they are relevant and recent. They show commitment to the profession, though most EA jobs do not require them.

Examples to list:

• Executive or personal assistant courses from recognised training providers.
• Microsoft Office Specialist certificates.
• Project management basics.
• Minute-taking or business writing courses.

Format: "Advanced Diploma for Executive Assistants, Fictional Training Institute, 2024."

Name the events, their size and your responsibilities, focusing on executive or VIP events.

Example bullets (fictional):

• "Planned a leadership offsite for 50 people, managing venue, travel, agenda and budget."
• "Organised client dinners and executive receptions for up to 80 guests."
• "Coordinated the annual shareholder meeting logistics with the legal team."

Events show organisation and calm under pressure.

Describe how you filtered, prioritised and responded so that the executive only saw what needed them.

Example (fictional): "Managed the CEO's inbox of around 150 emails a day, replying to routine messages, flagging urgent items and preparing a daily summary."

Example (fictional): "Set up folders, rules and a shared tracking list for pending decisions."

This shows judgement and trust, which are central to the role.

Emphasise strategic support, team leadership of other assistants, and the trust given to you by top executives.

Example bullets (fictional):

• "Lead EA to the CEO, coordinating a team of 4 assistants supporting the executive committee."
• "Set standards for executive support across the company, including meeting templates and travel policies."
• "Acted as liaison between the CEO's office, the board and external stakeholders."

Keep early admin roles short.

Yes, but adjust it to show remote tools, self-management and supporting clients across time zones.

Changes to make:

• Mention remote collaboration tools you use.
• Show reliability with deadlines and response times.
• Highlight work with clients in other countries.

Example summary (fictional): "Experienced executive assistant now working as a remote assistant for three founders in Europe and the Middle East, managing calendars, travel and invoices."

If you freelance, list clients by type rather than name unless they agree.