On this page
- Resume guide for an office secretary resume
- How to write an office secretary resume
- Choosing the best resume format for an office secretary resume
- Include your contact information
- Make use of a summary
- Right vs wrong: the same office secretary summary, twice
- Outline your office secretary experience
- The record you keep as an office secretary, and how long you must keep it
- Build a snapshot of your key office secretary skills
- List your education and certifications
- Choose the right layout and design
- Office secretary job market and outlook
- What salary you can expect as an office secretary
- Key takeaways for an office secretary resume
- Related administrative resume examples
- FAQ
An office secretary resume is a one to two page document showing that you hold custody of an organization's official record: the meetings you minute, the retention schedule you file against, the correspondence you log, and the requests you answer.
That is the difference between this job and the ones beside it. An administrative assistant supports people. An office administrator runs the office as a cost center. An office secretary keeps the record that proves what an organization decided, for exactly as long as the rules say.
Resume guide for an office secretary resume
This guide and the corresponding office secretary resume example will cover:
- How to write an office secretary resume, section by section
- Why minutes, retention and mail control belong on the page as named systems
- Three adaptable summaries: front office, municipal and board secretary
- The legal, medical and public sector variants, and how each is hired
- What the market pays and where the jobs are
How to write an office secretary resume
Six sections: contact header, summary, records and meeting custody, experience, education and certifications, and skills. The records block sits under the summary, because it is the only part of the page every other applicant cannot also write.
SectionWhat it is answeringWhere it goes
- Records and meeting custodyWhat record does this person hold, under what schedule?Under the summary
- ExperienceWhat did the record look like before and after they had it?Reverse chronological, with volumes
- CertificationsNotary commission, administrative credential, specialty trackIts own block, with numbers
Minutes are a legal record, so write them as one
Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised, the parliamentary authority most public boards adopt by name, is explicit that minutes record what was done rather than what was said: motions, movers, votes and disposition. That is what makes them evidence of a decision months later.
So do not write "took notes at meetings". Write what a reader can audit: how many meetings a year, whose, how fast the draft went out, and whether you produced the agenda and packet too.
Run the file through the free ATS resume checker first. Government and healthcare employers parse applications before a person opens them.
Choosing the best resume format for an office secretary resume
Reverse chronological. The reader is checking continuity of custody: which office, which record, how long you held it, and whether anything went wrong on your watch. A functional format hides the thing being checked. Two pages once you are a named custodian of record; one page below that.
Include your contact information
Odette Chiasson
Office Secretary and Records CustodianNotary Public, New Hampshire, #NH-NP-204418, exp. 2031(603) 555-0109, odette.chiasson@example.com, Manchester, NHOdette Chiasson
Hard-working administrative professionalNotary(603) 555-0109, odettec_secretary@example.comPut the commission number and expiry in the header: a commissioned notary in the building removes a recurring errand for everyone in it.
Make use of a summary
Four lines: what record you keep, for whom, the volume, and one number showing you keep it well.
Front office secretary adaptable resume summary example
Municipal office secretary adaptable resume summary example
Board secretary adaptable resume summary example
Right vs wrong: the same office secretary summary, twice
The right column describes a record somebody could ask to see. The left describes a person, and every file has one of those.
Outline your office secretary experience
Employer, office, dates, then three to five bullets, each naming a record and carrying a volume or a deadline.
- Instead of
Took minutes at meetings
UseProduced agenda, packet and minutes for 48 public meetings and 31 nonpublic sessions a year
- Instead of
Maintained filing systems
UseRebuilt the file plan to 340 record series mapped to the state retention schedule, retiring 61 boxes on their first eligible destruction date
- Instead of
Handled correspondence
UseLogged 4,100 incoming and 2,600 outgoing items a year, with a signed certified mail register
- Instead of
Answered public inquiries
UseProcessed 214 records requests a year to the statutory window, redactions reviewed by counsel before release
- Instead of
Typed documents for staff
UseTranscribed 310 hours of dictation and hearing audio a year at 78 wpm, 99% accuracy
Adaptable resume employment history example
Board Secretary and Records Custodian, Amoskeag School Administrative Unit, Manchester, NH, July 2021 to Present
Named custodian of record for a nine-member school board, producing agenda, packet and minutes for 48 public meetings and 31 nonpublic sessions a year.
Rebuilt the file plan to 340 record series mapped to the state retention schedule; retired 61 boxes on their first eligible destruction date and recovered 340 linear feet of storage.
Moved minutes turnaround from nine business days to three against a five day statutory limit.
Process 214 records requests a year, tracked to the statutory window, with redactions routed to counsel before release.
Hold the notary commission used for district affidavits, roughly 190 acts a year.
The record you keep as an office secretary, and how long you must keep it
This is what separates two office secretaries with identical titles, and almost nobody writes it. Put it under the summary as a short register.
Adaptable resume records custody register example
Meetings minuted: nine-member board, 48 public meetings and 31 nonpublic sessions a year, plus 4 standing committees. Agenda, packet, motion log, approved minutes.
Retention: file plan of 340 record series mapped to the state schedule, with destruction eligibility dates, annual disposition review and a signed certificate per box.
Correspondence and mail control: 4,100 incoming and 2,600 outgoing items a year on a logged register, certified mail signed for and reconciled monthly. The register proves a notice went out and who signed for it.
Version control: numbered policy versions, effective dates, superseded copies withdrawn.
Public records: 214 requests a year logged to the statutory window, redaction review by counsel.
Transcription: 310 hours a year of dictation and hearing audio, 78 wpm, 99% accuracy.
Notary: commissioned by the New Hampshire Secretary of State, roughly 190 acts a year, journal maintained.
The retention schedule is not yours to invent. Someone above you sets it: a state archives or secretary of state office for public bodies, a records manager or general counsel in a company, and in New Hampshire the periods for municipal records sit in statute under RSA 33-A. Know which schedule governs, map your series to it, and destroy on the eligible date rather than keeping everything forever. ARMA International calls that the difference between a file room and a records program.
Public records work is governed by statute. Name the law you worked under. New Hampshire's Right-to-Know Law, RSA 91-A, requires notice of a public meeting at least 24 hours in advance, excluding Sundays and legal holidays, posted in two public places, and minutes available within five business days. Nonpublic sessions under RSA 91-A:3 are entered by roll call vote against a listed statutory purpose and carry their own sealing rules. Redaction is exemption by exemption. Two clauses of that make you a visibly different candidate from one who writes "familiar with open meeting requirements".
The three hiring tracks inside one job title
Office secretary covers three tracks hired, trained and paid differently. Say which one you are in the first line.
| Track | What the employer is buying | Credential usually named |
|---|---|---|
| General and public sector | Meeting record, retention, mail control, records requests | Notary commission; Certified Administrative Professional (IAAP) |
| Legal secretary | Court filing formats, docket calendar, pleading and citation conventions | Accredited Legal Professional or Professional Legal Secretary examinations (NALS) |
| Medical secretary | Clinical correspondence, scheduling to a clinic template, patient record handling | Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (National Healthcareer Association) |
The Bureau of Labor Statistics treats that split as a training difference: general secretaries typically learn the job in a few weeks, while medical and legal secretaries need several months, because the terminology and document conventions have to be learned first (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025-35 projections, published 27 August 2026).
Build a snapshot of your key office secretary skills
Twelve to sixteen entries in four groups, because a grouped list gets read and a long line gets skipped.
Adaptable resume skills example
Records and compliance: Retention schedule mapping, File plan design, Destruction certification, Redaction review, Mail register and chain of custody, Confidential records handling
Meetings: Agenda and packet assembly, Minutes drafting to a motion template, Roll call and vote recording, Nonpublic session minutes, Public notice posting, Parliamentary procedure
Production: Transcription at 78 wpm, Dictation and hearing audio, Mail merge, Proofreading, Version control
Systems: Microsoft Outlook, Word and Excel, SharePoint, Laserfiche, DocuSign, BoardDocs
List your education and certifications
A high school diploma is the typical entry requirement here (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025-35 projections). What moves a file is the certification block underneath, with numbers and dates.
Adaptable resume education and certifications example
Associate of Science, Office Administration, Manchester Community College, Manchester, NH, 2011
Notary Public, State of New Hampshire, commission #NH-NP-204418, first commissioned 2016, renewed 2021 and 2026, five year term. Journal maintained for every act.
Certified Administrative Professional (CAP), International Association of Administrative Professionals, #CAP-118240, 2019, recertification current through 2028
Microsoft Office Specialist: Word Associate, Microsoft, 2023
Right-to-Know Law training, New Hampshire Municipal Association, 2024
Name the issuing authority every time: the International Association of Administrative Professionals for the Certified Administrative Professional, NALS for the legal examinations, the National Healthcareer Association for the Certified Medical Administrative Assistant. A credential without its authority cannot be checked.
Choose the right layout and design
Single column, 11 or 12 point, clear headings, no photograph, no text boxes. Government and hospital applicant systems parse most of these applications, and multi-column templates break that.
Do
- Name the retention schedule you work to and who sets it.
- Give meeting counts as a year figure, split public and nonpublic.
- State minutes turnaround as a before and after.
- Put the notary commission number and expiry in the header.
- Say which track you are applying to.
- Give transcription speed with an accuracy figure.
Don’t
- Do not write "took notes at meetings" when you produced the agenda, the packet and the approved minutes.
- Do not claim familiarity with open meeting law without naming the statute.
- Do not list a lapsed notary commission without marking it expired.
- Do not put case names, student names or patient details on a resume.
Office secretary job market and outlook
A very large occupation in slow decline, where hiring runs on replacement and pay depends on your specialty.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Secretaries and administrative assistants, jobs 2025 | 3,515,600 |
| Projected change, 2025-35 | -2% (-75,300) |
| Projected annual openings | ~314,400 |
| Typical entry-level education | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Typical training, general roles | A few weeks on the job |
| Typical training, medical and legal | Several months |
| Median annual wage, May 2025 | $48,310 |
One job title, four pay bands
The Bureau of Labor Statistics splits this occupation into four groups, and the May 2025 medians are far apart: executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants $76,590, legal secretaries $55,570, secretaries and administrative assistants except legal, medical and executive $47,540, and medical secretaries $45,930 (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2025).
That is a spread of roughly $30,700 inside one occupational family, among people who often describe their work in the same words. A file that says legal secretary, names its filing conventions and shows a docket calendar is read against the $55,570 band; the same person writing "provided secretarial support" is read against $47,540.
Where the jobs sit:
| Industry | Share of employment |
|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | |
| Educational services | |
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | |
| Government, excluding education and hospitals | |
| Religious, grantmaking, civic and professional organizations |
The 8 percent in government is small as a share and large in absolute terms, and it is the slice hiring most explicitly for records custody: clerks' offices, school boards, county registries and state agencies, all running statutory clocks.
What salary you can expect as an office secretary
The median annual wage for secretaries and administrative assistants was $48,310 in May 2025, with the lowest 10 percent earning less than $35,360 and the highest 10 percent more than $77,720 (BLS, May 2025).
The band you land in is set by specialty, not by negotiation. Legal secretaries had a median of $55,570 in May 2025 against $45,930 for medical secretaries and $47,540 for the general category, while executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants reached $76,590 (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2025). Moving from general to legal work is worth roughly $8,000 a year at the median.
Inside a band, what moves an offer is custody. A secretary who arrives holding a notary commission, who has mapped a file plan to a retention schedule and answered records requests against a statutory clock takes legal exposure off the employer's calendar.
Key takeaways for an office secretary resume
- Lead with custody of the record, not support of people; that is the job.
- Put a records register under the summary: meetings, retention, mail, requests, notary.
- Name the retention schedule and who sets it; no generic applicant can write that line.
- Quantify minutes: meetings a year, public and nonpublic, and turnaround before and after.
- Name the statute if you work for a public body, with its notice and minutes deadlines.
- Declare your track, general, legal or medical; each is a different pay band.
- Keep the notary commission number, authority and expiry in the header.
Related administrative resume examples
- Administrative assistant resume
- Office administrator resume
- Executive assistant resume
- Office clerk resume
- Office manager resume
- Administrative coordinator resume
- Receptionist resume
- Personal assistant resume
- Data entry specialist resume
- Office assistant resume
- Administrative resume
- Virtual assistant resume
Office secretary resume questions, answered
How long should an office secretary resume be?
One page for your first five years. Two once you are a named custodian of record or carry a legal or medical specialty. Never three, in a job where brevity is part of what is being assessed.
What is the difference between an office secretary and an administrative assistant?
Custody. An administrative assistant supports people: calendars, travel, expenses and delegated approvals. An office secretary keeps the official record: agendas, minutes, correspondence logs, the file plan and the retention schedule. Write the version you did; a hiring manager is recruiting for one of the two.
Do I need a notary commission for an office secretary job?
Rarely required, and the cheapest advantage on this list. A commission comes from a named state authority, runs for a fixed term, and lets an employer stop sending staff out to get documents notarized. Put the number and expiry in the header.
How do I write a legal or medical secretary resume differently?
Change the evidence, not the format. A legal secretary resume names courts and filing systems, pleading and citation conventions, the docket calendar and filing volumes, plus a NALS credential if you hold one. A medical secretary resume names clinical correspondence, the scheduling template and a credential such as the Certified Medical Administrative Assistant from the National Healthcareer Association.
What do I put on an office secretary resume with no office experience?
The record-keeping you have done elsewhere: minutes for a club or volunteer board, a membership register you kept accurate, delivery logs from retail work. Then take a typing test you can cite and state the score. The typical entry requirement here is a high school diploma (BLS, 2025-35 projections), so the file is judged on accuracy, not a degree.