How to write an executive assistant CV that gets you interviews

A good executive assistant CV shows the level you operate at and the difference you make for the people you support, rather than listing the duties in your job description. In my experience that is the single change that moves a CV from the maybe pile to the interview list, and it is the one most EAs have never been shown how to make.

I have been recruiting Executive Assistants, PAs and business support professionals for over a decade through our sister company, Lily Shippen, so I read a great many CVs every week and I see the same patterns in the ones that get interviews and the ones that do not. This is what I would do with yours.

What a recruiter is looking for in an EA CV

When I read a CV, I want to understand as much as possible about what the role and the environment have actually looked like, and what you have done yourself within them. Who did you support, what was going on in the business while you were there, what did you own, and what did you make happen because you were in the seat. A list of responsibilities tells me what the job description said, which is the one thing I already know.

The CVs that get interviews bring the role to life. They show impact rather than activity, they put numbers against it wherever the numbers are real, and they make it clear which results were yours rather than the team’s. That is what the rest of this article is about.

Open with a short profile, not an objective

Three or four lines at the top, written in the first person without the word “I”, is enough. Say who you have supported, in what kind of organisation, what you are known for and what you are looking for next. A profile that says “Executive Assistant to the CEO and Chair of a listed retailer for six years, trusted with board preparation, investor diaries and confidential projects, now looking for a Chief of Staff style role in a growing business” tells me far more than “a highly motivated, organised professional with excellent communication skills”, which could describe almost anyone.

Turn duties into evidence

This is where most EA CVs lose their interview. A bullet point that reads “Diary management for the CEO” describes the job, and every other candidate has the same line. What the reader wants to know is how you did it and what changed because you were there.

The simplest way to rewrite a bullet is to add the scope and the outcome. “Diary management for the CEO” becomes “Managed the CEO’s diary across three time zones, protecting time each week for the priorities agreed with the board and acting as the first point of contact for the leadership team.” “Organised board meetings” becomes “Ran the board and executive committee cycle, from papers issued a week ahead to actions tracked to completion.” The duty has not changed, but the second version shows judgement, ownership and the level you work at.

Go through every bullet under your current and previous roles and ask whether it shows what you did or only what you were responsible for. Where you can add a number, do, but only one you can stand behind in an interview, because a good interviewer will ask.

The details that quietly cost interviews

• I am not fussed about length if the content is good. A CV that runs to a third page because every line shows what you did is far better than two pages of padding, so cut anything that does not tell the reader something about your level or your impact.
• Put dates on everything, in months and years, and explain any gap of more than a few months in a single line. A gap is rarely a problem, but an unexplained one makes the reader wonder.
• Name the tools you actually use well, including any AI tools, rather than listing every piece of software you have ever opened.
• Keep the design simple. A clean Word document with clear headings reads better than a designed template, and it survives the applicant tracking systems many employers use.
• Leave out your photograph, your date of birth and your full address. A town or city is enough.
• Check it twice and ask someone else to check it once. Attention to detail is the first thing an EA is judged on, and a typo on a CV is the one mistake that is hard to come back from.

Tailor it, every time

You do not need a new CV for every application, but you do need to read the job advert properly and make sure the things it asks for are visible on your first page. If the role is in a founder-led business, show the breadth and the pace. If it supports a board, move the governance experience up. Recruiters notice when a CV has been shaped for the role, and so do hiring managers.

Your LinkedIn profile should tell the same story as your CV, because most employers will look at both, and it is worth spending an hour making sure the dates and titles match.

If you are moving towards Chief of Staff

A Chief of Staff is not a senior EA, and a CV written for an EA role will not get you a Chief of Staff interview however strong it is. If that is the move you are planning, the CV needs to show the outcomes you have owned across the business, the projects you have delivered and the decisions you have shaped, with the EA responsibilities in the background rather than the foreground. I have written about the difference between the two roles and how to make the move if that is where you are heading.

If you would like to work through it together

Most of the EAs and PAs I work with already have the content. What they have rarely had is help to package it, and that is what we do together in the session, taking the roles and environments you have worked in and turning them into a CV that reads at the level you operate at. Sometimes it is confidence rather than content that is limiting someone, and they undersell what they have done, so we work through that together too and break it down.

Our CV and Market Session is a 90-minute one to one with me, where we go through your CV line by line so it reflects the level you operate at, and then talk through the market you are applying into, which roles and sectors suit your experience and how to approach recruiters and interviews with confidence. You leave with an updated CV and a plan for your search. It costs £295 plus VAT, and if you are at a career crossroads rather than actively applying, the Career Pivot Session may suit you better.

If you would rather talk it through first, book a free 30-minute Discovery Call. Our guide to the skills a modern Executive Assistant needs is also a useful checklist for what to show on the page.

Frequently asked questions