10 Things I Don’t Want to See on an Executive Assistant’s Resume
As an Executive Assistant recruiter, I look at a lot of resumes.
And because I come from the administrative profession myself, I probably look at them a little differently than the average recruiter. I know the work. I know what strong executive support looks like. And I know that your resume is often my first glimpse into your attention to detail, communication, and judgment.
So, here are 10 things you should check for before submitting your resume to a job application—because I really don’t want to see them.
1. Misspellings, typos, and sloppy formatting
This might sound harsh, but I’m not known for sugar-coating things…
Misspellings, typos, and sloppy formatting are unacceptable to me in 2026, especially for an administrative professional.
This includes punctuation errors, inconsistent fonts, strange spacing, run-on sentences, words breaking awkwardly between lines... all of it.
Truthfully: 99.9% of the time, it’s an automatic disqualifier.
Why? Because as an Executive Assistant, you’re going to write emails to internal teams, draft correspondence, prepare documents, and very likely write on behalf of your executive. If I see obvious errors on your resume, I immediately lose confidence that you’re going to catch them before something goes out under your executive’s name.
And no, you don’t have to be the world’s greatest speller, but there are a plethora of tools available to you: Grammarly, spellcheck, AI, another human being. There is no excuse for missing these mistakes.
Your resume is one of the most important documents you will create when you’re looking for a job. Review it like it matters, because it does.
Attention to detail is part of the job. Your resume is where you prove you have it.
2. Six-point font because someone told you to keep it to one page
I personally believe that, as a society, it’s time to let the one-page resume rule go.
If you’re over the age of 35, you likely have more experience than can reasonably fit on one sheet of paper. That is okay! In fact, it’s preferred for most of the roles I recruit for. I love seeing lots of experience!*
What I don’t want is a resume crammed with tiny font and no margins because somebody told you in 2004 that two pages was forbidden.
I’m 47. I need to be able to read it. Help a girl out.
Use the space you need, keep it relevant, and make it readable.
*P.S. The opposite is also true. I don’t need a manifesto, personal brand guide, or 29-page pamphlet about you either. If I have 250 people applying for the same role, I simply do not have time to read it. Keep your resume to 1–3 pages. Give me what I need to understand your experience without giving me your autobiography.
3. The same generic “calendar, travel, inbox, and expense” bullets
Yes, Executive Assistants manage calendars, travel, inboxes, and expenses. Those are foundational parts of the job.
But “managed complex calendars” and “coordinated domestic and international travel” tell me almost nothing. If you’re going to include those responsibilities, give me enough information to understand the scope and differentiate you from other candidates.
What made the calendar complex? How much ownership did you have? Were you making decisions, solving problems, managing constant changes?
Did you plan one domestic or international flight this year or 20? For one person or for the whole Board?
I don’t need fancy wording and I don’t need a paragraph. I just don’t want the exact same bullets I have already read on 75 other resumes.
4. Copying and pasting the same bullets under multiple jobs
Even if you performed similar responsibilities, the jobs were not identical.
The executives were different. The companies were different. The challenges were different. The pace was different.
So when I see the exact same bullets copied from one job to the next, it feels lazy.
You do not need to reinvent your entire resume every time, but you do need to show what was actually different about each role.
Your experience should not look like you did the exact same job for 15 years in four different buildings for four different humans. I want to see evidence of growth.
5. One enormous paragraph underneath each job
Please do not give me a 12-line paragraph under every position with two word duties separated by periods.
I mean something hypothetically like this that I may have received at one point in time…(deep breath)
Managed complex executive calendars including domestic and international travel. Meetings, conferences, and speaking engagements. Expense reports. Correspondence, briefing materials, and agendas. Stakeholder communications. Office operations and project tracking. Presentations and meeting minutes to support senior leaders. Research and data analysis based on senior leadership requests. Administrative projects. Program support. Records management. Event coordination. Policy implementation. Plan, analyze, track, and monitor tasks and projects to ensure deadlines are met. Manage the flow of information to and from the senior leadership team. Receive and make phone calls. Open and sort mail. Review and summarize memos and documents. Respond to guests and inquiries in person, on the phone, and via email within the timeframe and manner as required by the applicable office. Demonstrate expert-level knowledge and skills to support office and day-to-day operations covering tasks like: formatting information for internal task distribution.
My eyes have left the building.
If all of your responsibilities are packed into one giant block of text, it becomes much harder to understand what you actually did and what was important.
Use bullets. Use white space. Break up the information. Make my eyes happy. (They’re 47, remember.)
A cramped resume is not impressive. It is exhausting.
6. A technology section that is either too vague or ridiculously detailed
This section has gotten much harder than it used to be.
When everyone used Windows 95 and there were only a handful of major systems, listing your technology was simple. Now? There are endless CRMs, project management tools, communication platforms, AI tools, scheduling systems, expense platforms, and collaboration software.
And here’s the problem: if you start listing software individually, I’m going to assume the list is complete.
So if you list Microsoft 365 but not Google Workspace, and my company runs on Google, I may assume you don’t know it.
If you list Salesforce, HubSpot, and Constant Contact, but my team uses Zoho, I may assume you have never worked in it.
That may not be true at all. But that is how the list can read.
Sometimes a better approach is to show both breadth and examples:
Experienced across multiple CRM platforms, including Salesforce, HubSpot, and Constant Contact.
Or:
Highly proficient in Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, with experience across multiple CRM, project management, communication, and AI platforms.
Then add the specific tools that actually matter. Especially if there are tools outlined in the job description!
The goal is not to inventory every piece of software you have ever opened, it’s to show me that you are technologically capable, adaptable, and able to learn the system my company happens to use.
7. Dates and titles that don’t match internet research
I check LinkedIn. And company websites.
If your resume says you worked somewhere from 2021–2024 and LinkedIn says 2022–2023, I notice.
If your title is different, I notice that too.
If, on your resume, you are “Senior Executive Assistant to the CHRO” with a list admin duties, but then on Linkedin, you’re an “HR Generalist” with only HR duties… that is not a minor discrepancy. That looks like you are tailoring your title and responsibilities to fit the job you want, and now I’m questioning which version is accurate. Or worse, I think you’re lying.
There may be a perfectly good explanation. But when the information doesn’t match, you immediately create a credibility problem that doesn't need to exist.
Before applying, compare your resume to internet sites and LinkedIn. Dates, titles, companies, promotions. Make sure they match.
8. Strange gaps or multiple very short jobs with no explanation
Hey, I get it—life happens.
People get laid off. Companies restructure. Executives leave. People relocate. Sometimes you take a job and quickly realize it was completely different from what you were promised.
I understand all of that.
But if I see four jobs in a row that lasted six months each and then a one year gap, and there is no explanation, I’m going to fill in the blanks.
You do not need a dramatic explanation. Sometimes a simple note in parenthesis such as Position eliminated, Companywide layoff, Temporary contract, or Relocated is enough.
Here is a quote you need to think about before sending in your resume: “I can’t hear what you don’t say. Thinking isn’t communicating.”
Trust me—do not make the recruiter guess. You won’t agree with our analysis.
9. The wrong email address… Or a very questionable one.
Please double-check your own email address before submitting an application.
I cannot tell you how often candidates mistype their own email address in an application and then wonder why nobody contacted them. If I get a bounced email, I’m moving on.
Also, if your email address is something you created when you were 19 and it is remotely similar to BigBooty2002@Gmail.com or PhillyGirl4Eva@aol.com…
Get a professional email address.
Your name works beautifully.
P.S. You also need to check the inbox of the email address you gave me. I have had candidates respond months after an interview request with, “Sorry, I don’t check this email very often.”
Then WHY is it on your resume??? Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!
If you are actively job searching, please use an email address you actually monitor.
10. A cover letter that repeats your resume
I already read the resume.
I do not need the cover letter to walk me through every job again: “At Company A, I did this. Then at Company B, I did this. Then at Company C... I did this.”
I can read. (You know… when the font’s big enough.)
Use the cover letter for information that is not already sitting directly in front of me.
Explain something that needs context. Tell me why you are interested in the role. Tell me why a career move makes sense. Tell me your philosophy on working or the unique skillset you bring. Tell me something relevant that the resume does not capture.
Repeating the resume is a waste of your space and my time.
In conclusion…
I promise, none of these things are complicated.
Most of them simply come down to slowing down, reviewing your work, and thinking about the person on the other side of the application.
Your resume does not need to be flashy. It just needs to be clear, accurate, easy to read, and thoughtfully put together.
That alone will put you ahead of more candidates than you probably think.
Want more resume and interview advice for Executive Assistants? Check out my articles [10 Things I Don’t Want to Hear in an Interview] and [4 Interview Questions Every Assistant Should Be Prepared to Answer].
Or learn more about my Executive Assistant resume and interview coaching services.