Sharing my experience. I'm trying to find a position as an Admin Assistant in Central Indiana. No one will interview me or look at my resume. I have no experience other than teaching and low wage labor. Constantly reworking my resume and cover letter. All jobs on offered are incredibly easy yet they want years of experience....answering phones? Is it because no one can/wants to train admin assistants? What do assistants do that is so difficult that a college grad can't be interviewed?

I can give you my experience as an employer who recently hired for this position. We received over 400 resumes for this job posting. The posting was very specific about having previous experience as an administrative assistant and all of the tasks associated with this position, software experience, etc. Out of the 400 resumes only 20 had actual experience and/or the required skills/software knowledge. We do not have time to train and are always going to look at those with the experience that matches the job posting first. I believe that many of those that applied without experience did so because they assume the job is easy. An administrative assistant job is not easy and requires a lot skill in managing multiple tasks, budgets, excellent communication skills, software and technology skills and diplomacy. I spent many hours looking through each of the 400 resumes we received and in the end interviewed four people and found the person who best matched the requirements of the job. I would suggest taking courses to get the skills required for this type of position, taking assessments and working a temp job providing administrative support.

Hi, have you tried using a staffing agency to get a foot in the door? That may be a way to find something. I've been working in an office for several years and experienced in front and back office. Your job duties will vary depending on the company and atmosphere also. I've learned payroll, accounting and various softwares as well. Good luck!

Perhaps it's your attitude. Attitude will open doors where your skills might not meet. In your original post, you equated admin asst to answering phones. That statement itself shows your lack of experience being an admin asst.

Secondly, networking is more powerful than you think. The person who took the time, who has worked as an admin and supervises them, was a valuable asset to connect with. However your attitude closed that door.

You said in your original post - your experience contains being a teacher and labor jobs. That experience in now way transfers to being a secretary let alone an admin asst. What softwares are you proficient in? How are your verbal and written communication skills? What are your soft skills? What training have you taken to stay current with office proficiency software?

Answering these questions on your resume might open doors. However, your attitude, as displayed here, will not advance your cause once it's picked up by the interviewer.

Introspection and training may be your best next steps to enter the wonderful world of admin assists.

I can say in my 15+ year administrative career I have never once answered a phone at any admin job. I'm sure some do, but if that's the kind of work you equate to us having, maybe your resume doesn't show enough transferable skills. For what it's worth, my firm loves hiring teachers with no experience. They have been some of the best employees we've had. But for both, their resumes also reflected how they could transition quite easily.

As someone who supervises the admin team and is actively hiring, if I can't see from a resume how a person might fit on the team with minimal oversight, it's going to be a no from me. There's always needed training, but people want to hire those who won't need a time investment to get them where they need to be. And that's why people with more experience often get hired. It may help you get in the door if you start out with some temp experience or even a receptionist job (even though I said it's not about the phones!, there's a lot to be said about a receptionist doing the scheduling).

I worked for years as an admin and did much more than answer phones. I supported 1 VP and three directors, and their staff. I booked travel, managed calendars, created expense reports, ordered supplies, made PowerPoint presentations, ordered catering, helped project coordinators with special projects, and sent emails on behalf of the VP. Employers may not want to take the time to train someone on all this and would rather have someone who is already experienced with these tasks, software, and apps. They also want to know that you can support multiple people, are organized, and multitask while keeping calm. You can look into getting an administrative assistant certificate or even take courses on MS Office, MS Teams, Zoom, Concur, etc. Good luck!

Firstly, I bristled at your assumption that AA's jobs are "incredibly easy" (btw, you'll notice many AA postings require college degree) and all they do is answer phones, so to be blunt, it's probably your cavalier attitude that is hindering your chances. I've been an AA in varying degrees for over 30 yrs & have never worked phones, so against your judgmental attitude toward other AAs here, yes, we do exist. Work on making yourself clear, as your original post says you have no experience, but in a subsequent reply, you state you have 7 yrs of experience. Your posts are like watching a tennis match ... until I see where you attacked AAs trying to help. You're complaining you can't get the interview, but then post that you don't recommend for others to use a resume service? I was all ready to give advice, but it turns out you're the problem, not the AA industry.

I can totally relate to the frustration! I really don't get why they say they want tons of experience for entry-level jobs? If that's what you want, it's not entry-level. Maybe try reaching out to local temp agencies? They might help get your foot in the door!

There is more to being an admin assistant than answering phones. I think your misunderstanding of the job might be part of the problem. You should know what you are applying for and write your resume/cover letter in a way that shows how you are qualified. Do you have education/experience in HR, Payroll, Excel, Access? Do you have knowledge of federal/local records retention policies? Do you have experience in event coordinating? Have you maintained calendars, taken meeting minutes, created/updated/maintained websites? The actual responsibilities of an admin assistant will vary, but generally answering phones is one of the lesser responsibilities and not a main focus.

Sometimes people don't want to hire recent grads because they assume the person is ambitious and won't stay with the job very long. In other words, it's a case of being seen as overqualified. What you may need to do is convince them that you really want the job, so writing a personalized cover letter that indicates that you want to work for their particular company may be a good idea.

I have been doing the job since 2006 I am getting the interviews but not the jobs I don’t know what else I can I do I live in Birmingham have lived here all my life and I don’t know what else to do

I can totally relate. Over 55, have been looked past, past over for stupid reasons. Virtually no one stays in the same job for 20 years anymore unless they have a piece of the company. Heck, I was even rejected by a union who chose an almost 26 year old instead of a then 53 year old me. Everyone wants college, but I have 20 years of office experience from answering phones to being the manager. But will anyone higher me? NO! So I feel your pain

One of the biggest mistakes people make is that the support team requires no specific skills and is easy...anyone can do it. After 20 years and now supporting Executive Vice president's to C-level at fortune 50 companies, I promise you our career choice is not a piece of cake and is not a pit stop. Perhaps find someone you could shadow for a couple of days, perhaps a remote assistant. I guarantee you will understand why your resume is overlooked. These days a good AA can be paid very well, $50k to $70k is not unusual, with many EAs and Sr. EA's making $85 to $100k and more. Those salaries are EARNED with much time and hard work.

I’ve seen this topic a few times in different scenarios. A person with specific work experience will probably have the edge over somebody that doesn’t have experience even if it is just answering phones. It does seem overall like on the job training is fading away. As far as resume I just try to match up past experience/jobs with what they are asking me to do.

I used Top Resume to do my resume to get people to look at. They use the format and wording that companies are looking for with AI. I wrote down every task I had done at all of my jobs and how many years I did it. Then sent them my current resume and that list and they put together a great resume. At first I said, I do that? But it's the jargon that is needed. It cost $100 but was worth it.

I am so sorry you having a hard time.I have 27 years of HR no certifications just hands on have been applying for 67 months have only had 5 interviews. Have not landed a job. It's really sad. I'm a hard worker team player. Honest employee dedicated and getting nowhere. I'm about ready to lose everything. And be homeless

I completely understand your frustration. You may be overqualified and they will not exactly come out and say that. Don't give up, keep pushing.

Try applying to Pearson, they're looking for csr education graders for remote work. You have the experience they're looking for! Good Luck ;-)

Having the right keywords in a resume can make a huge difference in getting noticed by recruiters and applicant tracking systems (ATS). Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook), Google Workspace, Zoom, and Teams is crucial for an Executive Assistant (EA), especially at the C-level.

Beyond technical skills, showcasing expertise in calendar management, travel coordination, expense reporting, project management, and discretion with confidential information can help highlight qualifications. Strong communication, problem-solving, and multitasking abilities are also essential for standing out in a competitive job market.

They say they can find people to work. How about finding employers that actually answer to submitted resumes and actually hiring?

total agree. Just because recent experience is not administrative doesn't mean i
people don't know how to do it. They need to stop and give people a chance. they'll never know if loyalty is there.

You might should start out as a receptionist! That will give you a whole of experience especially since the receptionist usually works alongside the administrative assistant and you’ll probably get a lot of their tasks to do too