Personal Assistant resume example & writing guide

What should your personal assistant resume include?
How can you create a professional summary?
How should you describe your work experience as a personal assistant?
Include a fitting personal assistant resume education and certifications section
Which key skills are relevant for a personal assistant resume?
How to select the most impactful personal assistant resume template
Personal assistant resume example
Key takeaways for writing a personal assistant resume

Proactive personal assistants ensure their bosses stay on track. These talented multi-taskers deliver 360 degree support, combining outstanding organizational skills and attention to detail to facilitate seamless operations. Having a well-written resume that showcases your skills, experience, and PA wins is the best way to attract the attention of your future boss.

This resume guide will cover the following topics:

What should a personal assistant resume include
Advice on each section of your resume (summary, work history, education)
Adding relevant key skills to your resume
Choosing the right resume template for a personal assistant

What should your personal assistant resume include?

Managers, executives, and individuals hire personal assistants when they’re swamped with organizational responsibilities and need someone to lighten the load. To that end, your resume should have details that show recruiters you can handle complex diary management, field calls, manage budgets, steer projects, and plan events.

Your personal assistant resume should contain the following elements:

The resume header with your contact information
The resume summary
The employment history section
The resume skills section
The education section

How can you create a professional summary?

As a personal assistant, you’ll need to introduce yourself as efficient, reliable, and trustworthy. The professional summary is the first thing a prospective employer will see, so it needs to be a short and sweet snapshot of why you’re the perfect PA for the job. Stick to three or four sentences that outline your core experience, top skills, and the unique value you can offer. This could include providing top-flight, executive-level support, delivering large-scale and successful events, or overseeing high-value property portfolios.

See our adaptable personal assistant resume summary below.

Personal Assistant summary example

Efficient, reliable, and trustworthy Executive Personal Assistant and Estate Manager with proven expertise overseeing portfolios of multimillion-dollar properties. Skilled in prioritizing and executing multiple schedules, projects, events, and oversight duties, while maintaining discretion and privacy for high-profile families with young children. Demonstrated strengths in empowering executives and families to streamline household management, focus on quality of life, and re-capture equilibrium and joy.

How should you describe your work experience as a personal assistant?

The work experience section is particularly important on a personal assistant resume. This section is the evidence that you really can deliver as a PA. Hiring managers will review this information to figure out whether you can hit the ground running and handle the demands of the job. Balancing short paragraphs detailing core responsibilities with bullet points of standout accomplishments is the best way to present your career to date, allowing the reader to quickly see what you have done and what you have achieved.

Personal assistants often don't have quantifiable achievements to showcase. Instead, you can focus on special projects, key contributions, and other ways you’ve performed above and beyond in terms of your job responsibilities. Any example that shows initiative and creativity is worth including.

Take a look at the adaptable personal assistant resume employment history section below.

Personal Assistant employment history example

Personal Assistant / Estate Manager, BRADY FAMILY, New York City, NY 2018 - Present

Directed operations at New York City townhouse and Southampton property while overseeing 10 employees and serving as Executive Personal Assistant for high-profile, two-child family.
Managed and maintained all family calendars, ensuring smooth execution of social events, travel arrangements, school activities, doctor’s appointments, and meeting logistics.
Liaised with vendors, contractors, and designers to implement principals’ project objectives and uphold household maintenance calendar.
Collaborated weekly with estate accountant to reconcile accounts payables and resolve discrepancies.
Received recommendation for service as Executive Assistant to Trustee of New York Public Library and The Shed New York.

Personal Assistant / Estate Manager, LORBER CAPITAL, New York City, NY 2016 - 2018

Administered eight properties in New York City, the Hamptons, and Florida, with over 20 employees.
Tracked property and employee expenses and prepared annual budgets for property of Chief Financial Officer. Created weekly payroll, hired and trained new staff, and coordinated work/vacation schedules with Human Resources department.
Managed vendors, contractors, and designers across remote and on-site locations. Facilitated private and political event planning and execution. Oversaw registrations, inspections, leases, and automobile acquisitions.
Expanded standard operating procedures manuals for all eight properties to guide resident managers in meeting principals’ service expectations.

Personal Assistant / Household Manager, GRIFFIN FAMILY SERVICES, LLC, New York City, NY & Miami, FL 2016 - 2018

Directed administrative and housekeeping support for dual-property household, managing $1.5M annual budget and seven employees, including nannies, housekeepers, chefs, and drivers.
Oversaw household maintenance, repairs, remodels, and construction projects. Managed correspondence and telephone communications.
Coordinated calendars, prepared itineraries, and administered logistical arrangements such as meals and travel. Organized parties/events and maintained inventory control of china/silverware/wine cellar.
Supervised payroll tracking and accounts payable. Guided resolution of expense discrepancies.
Solely organized party for over 100 guests; received high praise from household principals for outstanding execution.
Hired and trained new house manager/staff, supported seamless furniture move, and directed designers in property/household setup in Miami Beach in preparation for family's permanent relocation.

Expert Tip

Always be truthful on your resume

Securing your dream PA job can be a competitive experience, but don’t be tempted to lie on your resume to get ahead. Trustworthiness is the foundation of a positive professional relationship between you and your boss. Making false claims can lead (at best) to embarrassment and a damaged reputation. Worst case scenario, you could lose your job and even face legal consequences (if the lie directly harms the company or its clients).

Include a fitting personal assistant resume education and certifications section

Most personal assistant positions don’t have educational requirements stricter than getting a high school diploma or GED. Still, associate or bachelor degrees in business administration or communication are a real bonus and definitely worth highlighting on your resume. When crafting your education section consider this:

List your education in reverse order with the highest qualification first. If you’ve completed a degree in business administration, include those details as well as the school you attended and its location.
List any certifications you’ve completed or are working towards—administration, IT, event management courses, etc.—as they demonstrate your commitment to personal development.

Personal assistant education example

Associate Degree in Business Administration at NASSAU COMMUNITY COLLEGE, Garden City, NY

Which key skills are relevant for a personal assistant resume?

When the hiring manager is reviewing your resume during their initial first scan, they’ll be laser-focused on finding key skills that demonstrate your suitability for the role. So, how do you make these skills pop and catch their eye?

Including a key skills section on your resume, placed prominently between your professional summary and experience section, is the answer. Here you can include up to 12 keywords that highlight your PA superpowers. The job description is the best reference point for keywords for your personal assistant resume. Look out for terms that are repeated or emphasized as important as these will be the keywords you want to include.

Your resume will most likely be scanned by ATS systems that parse your resume for keywords and rank them by how closely they match the job description.

Also, don’t forget to sprinkle some keywords in your work history and professional summary. Here are some personal assistant keywords to give you some inspiration:

Personal Assistant key skills example

Diary management
Event planning
Project management
Travel coordination
Budgeting and cost control
Process optimisation
IT Skills (MS Office Suite, Zoom, Slack, Calendly)

How to select the most impactful personal assistant resume template

Your resume needs to be super organized, polished, and professional—also qualities of a good PA. A personal assistant resume should use a clean, crisp, and modern resume design that is straightforward for the hiring manager to read. Stick to one or two pages and reverse chronological format and focus on more recent and relevant roles.

Our sample personal assistant resume ticks all these boxes and is compact, simple, and legible.

When exploring our many resume templates in our resume builder, start by selecting the resume layout that fits your situation best. Find inspiration with our over 250 available resume examples.