Business Administrator CV Guide

What to include in a Business Administrator CV

The information you include in your CV is vitally important, as it can help you get to the next stage of the application process. You should provide a snapshot of your professional life, showcasing your most relevant experience, education, skills, and achievements that match the business administrator role.

Knowing what to include in your CV to maximise your chances of success can be daunting, but it is not once you know what most employers look for. First, decide on the main sections in your CV. Most CVs will have separate sections for contact information, professional summary, education, work experience, key skills, achievements and references. Some will also have additional sections for relevant volunteer work, awards, languages or hobbies that align with the role.

Once you have sorted the main sections, you have a framework to work to. Let us look at what you can include to help you write a stand-out CV.

Contact information

The first and probably easiest section of your CV is your contact information. Here, you will provide accurate and concise details to make it possible for potential employers to contact you.

Your contact information should go at the very top of your CV, and you should include the following details:

• Full name – use your formal name as you would on official documents. Do not worry about including your middle name(s).
• Professional title – some people add their previous or current title, e.g. “Business Administrator”, but this is optional.
• Location – include your town, city or county so employers know how close you would be to their workplace.
• Phone number – add a number where you are easy to reach. If you have a voicemail, ensure it sounds professional.
• Email address – add a professional email address (e.g. [email protected]). Avoid ones with nicknames or those that are overly casual.
• LinkedIn profile – if applicable, add a hyperlink to your LinkedIn profile showcasing your professional experience.
• Website/portfolio – if you have one that highlights your work or achievements, you can add it to this section if relevant.

There are some types of information you should avoid adding for security, privacy and potential bias reasons, such as:

• Personal details – do not include irrelevant information, such as your age, date of birth, nationality, gender, religion, marital status or national insurance number.
• Full home address – avoid sharing your full address. Your town, city or county is sufficient.
• A photo – there is no need to add a photo unless the job posting asks for one.
• Social media accounts – exclude any personal social media accounts. You can include any professional ones related to business administration if they add value.

Ensure all contact details are current and clear to make a strong initial impression. You may also want to add them in bold and slightly larger font sizes.

Professional summary

A professional summary typically comes after your contact information at the top of your CV. It is a brief paragraph or bullet points, usually 3-5 lines, highlighting your key qualifications, skills, experience, achievements and career goals. It is essentially a quick snapshot of who you are professionally and what value you bring to potential employers.

While all of the information in your CV is important, your professional summary is one of the most crucial sections, as it will often be one of the first things prospective employers will read. If your summary is compelling, it will create a strong first impression, set the tone for the rest of your CV and help you stand out from other candidates.

Before writing your summary, review the job description and identify what the organisation wants in a business administrator. You can tailor it to the job you are applying for, emphasising the most relevant skills and experiences. Here are some elements to consider including in your paragraph or bullet points:

• Professional title – begin with a brief statement of who you are and use action verbs to be impactful (e.g. “Experienced Business Administrator” or “Dynamic Operations Specialist”).
• Years of experience – mention how long you have worked in business administration or related fields.
• Qualifications – showcase your credentials (e.g. degrees, diplomas, certifications, etc.) that align with the job requirements, as it builds credibility and demonstrates your expertise.
• Key skills – focus on skills that relate to business administration, such as project management, financial planning, stakeholder engagement, team leadership or business strategy.
• Achievements – highlight accomplishments that showcase measurable impact (e.g. “Led a cost-saving initiative that reduced expenses by 15%”).
• Career goals – express what you want in your next role and how you plan to add value to an employer.
• Passion – convey genuine enthusiasm for business administration and show you are motivated to contribute to an employer’s success.

Here is an example of a professional summary for a business administrator:

“Dedicated Business Administration professional with a BA in Business Management and over 5 years of experience in streamlining operations and improving efficiency. Passionate about optimising workflow, driving business growth, and fostering strong stakeholder relationships. Adept at financial analysis, strategic planning, managing budgets and team leadership, committed to delivering measurable results.”

Education

After your professional summary, you can add your education or work experience section. If you lack direct experience as a business administrator but have more information on your academic background, it may be worth adding your education first.

The education section in a CV is where you highlight your qualifications, training and certifications relevant to business administration. It is important because it provides employers with a clear understanding of your academic background, supports your suitability for the role and gives you a competitive edge over other candidates.

When adding your education to your CV, you want to focus on aspects of your academic background most relevant to the business administrator role and tailor it to the job description. You should also add your qualifications in reverse chronological order (most recent first). Here are some pointers on what you can include:

• Qualification title – clearly state your qualification, e.g. “BA (Hons) Business Administration” or “Diploma in Business Management”.
• Institution name – mention the university, college or training provider you studied with.
• Years attended – list the years you were on the course (e.g. “2019–2022”).
• Relevant modules or specialisations – if applicable, mention key subjects relating to the job you are applying for (e.g. “Finance & Accounting, Project Management, Leadership & Strategy”, etc.).
• Grade(s) (optional) – you can include your grades if they are strong (e.g. “First- Class Honours” or “Distinction”).
• Certifications (if applicable) – include any extra qualifications, such as leadership training, business-related courses, or relevant accreditations.

Do not worry about adding lower qualifications, such as GCSEs, if you have higher qualifications and more work experience. However, you may want to add them if you are early in your career, do not have higher qualifications, or the job posting mentions them.

Work experience/employment history

If you already have plenty of experience as a business administrator, you may want to add your work experience (employment history) section after your professional summary. You should showcase your previous roles, responsibilities, skills and achievements. The roles you include should be relevant to the job you are applying for and tailored to the job posting. Here are some pointers on what to include:

• Job title – clearly state the role you held or currently hold, e.g. “Business Administrator”.
• Company name and location – give the organisation name and where it is based.
• Dates of employment – use a format like “Jan 2020 – Present” to show how long you worked there.
• Key responsibilities
  • Highlight relevant duties that demonstrate your administrative and organisational skills.
  • Keep your descriptions concise but impactful.
  • Aim for three to five bullet points and try to start each one with an action verb, e.g. “Improved”, “Developed”, “Achieved”, etc.
  • Add achievements here or in a separate section to showcase measurable contributions (e.g. “Improved operational efficiency by 20%”).
  • Include skills here or with achievements, and ensure they align with the job posting.

If you have limited work experience in business administration, choose roles where you developed transferable skills. You can also include unpaid voluntary jobs, apprenticeships, internships and other placements.

Here is an example of how you can add your work experience:

Work Experience

Business Administrator. XYZ Ltd, London. Jan 2020 – Present.

• Managed day-to-day administrative operations, improving efficiency by 15%.
• Led financial planning initiatives, reducing overhead costs.
• Streamlined internal processes, optimising workflow and productivity.
• Coordinated cross-department collaboration, ensuring deadlines were met.

Key skills and achievements

You can include your key skills and achievements in the work experience section, combine them in a separate section or have two different ones. It is your choice, but you may want to add them to a standalone one if you have many impressive skills and achievements.

Key skills are the abilities and competencies that make a person effective in a particular role or industry. Employers will consider your key skills to determine whether you are a good fit for the business administrator job. They are essential as they highlight your strengths, make you stand out from other candidates and demonstrate your value to the company.

Before adding your skills, check the job description to see the ones the company has mentioned and choose the most relevant to align with the role. Many companies use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), which scan for keywords in CVs, so incorporating the same language in your CV as the job posting can increase your chances of passing ATS filters.

When adding your key skills to your CV, you should include hard and soft skills:

• Hard skills (technical abilities) – are measurable, job-specific skills that require training, certification or practice. Some examples of hard skills for a business administrator include:
  • Office management – handling administrative tasks efficiently.
  • Data entry – maintaining accurate records and databases.
  • Financial administration – basic budgeting, invoicing or bookkeeping.
  • Microsoft Office & business software – proficiency in Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
  • Report writing – creating professional documents and presentations.
• Soft skills (personal traits) – are interpersonal and behavioural traits that influence how you interact with others and handle tasks. They are trickier to measure but equally vital and can also be transferable. Some examples of soft skills for a business administrator include:
  • Communication – clear and professional interaction with colleagues and clients.
  • Problem-solving – finding solutions to business challenges.
  • Time management- prioritising tasks to meet deadlines effectively.
  • Adaptability – handling change and new processes efficiently.

If you incorporate your skills in your work experience, showcase how you have applied these skills in previous roles. Here is an example:

• “Managed office schedules and coordinated meetings efficiently using Outlook and Google Calendar” – this statement covers:
  • Hard skills, e.g. office management and use of scheduling tools.
  • Soft skills, e.g. organisation, time management, coordination and leadership.

You can combine your key skills with achievements by showing how your abilities led to measurable success in previous roles. We will look at how to focus on your achievements later.

Other information

The main sections within a CV tend to be contact information, professional summary, education, work experience, key skills, achievements and references. However, these are not set in stone, and you can tweak your CV and add other sections and information if you think it will increase your chances of getting that all-important interview invite. Here are some examples of additional sections you could include:

• Certifications and training – you may want to leave your education section for formal qualifications and have a separate one for any relevant courses you have attended on business administration, Microsoft Office, accounting and customer service.
• Projects and initiatives – you could highlight any contributions to key projects that made a difference in your workplace, such as system upgrades or workflow improvements.
• Publications or presentations – if you have written articles, reports or led business-related talks, you could have a stand-out section for these achievements.
• Professional development – if you have attended workshops, seminars, conferences, and other events to develop professionally, you could include this information in a separate section.
• Volunteer experience – you could include any relevant volunteering in your work experience section or have a dedicated one to demonstrate initiative and leadership outside of work. You could add where you volunteered, your role, duties and the dates.
• Languages – if you can speak other languages, especially if proficient, it can be particularly beneficial if you work with international teams or clients.
• Professional memberships – perhaps have a section detailing your memberships to professional bodies and associations, e.g. Chartered Association of Business Administrators (CABA), Chartered Management Institute (CMI), Institute of Administrative Management (IAM), etc.
• Hobbies and interests – focus on activities that highlight skills valuable in an administrative role, e.g. website management, blogging, project management, networking and business events, public speaking, technology, software, etc.

Only include additional sections if they add value to your CV and are relevant to the business administrator job you are applying for. Try not to have too many separate sections on your CV, as it can make the document look cluttered and more difficult for recruiters to read. Merge sections where possible. For example, instead of having separate headings for “Volunteering” and “Extracurricular Activities”, you could combine them into “Additional Experience.

References

The reference section in a CV is usually the last one. It is where you provide the contact details of 2-3 professionals (referees) who can vouch for your skills, experience, character and work ethic. These are usually former employers, managers or colleagues who can provide positive feedback about your abilities.

Having strong references and a clear section on your CV is crucial, as it enables prospective employers to verify your qualifications and skills and reassures them about your suitability. It can also set you apart from other candidates if recommended by respected professionals.

Before adding your references to your CV, check whether the job posting asks for specific details at this stage. If not, you can state “References available upon request” rather than listing names, especially if space is limited. If you need to add referees to your CV, choose individuals who can specifically speak to your experience in business administration and always ask their permission first. Here are some pointers on the information to include in this section:

• Full name – their first and last name.
• Job title – their position when they worked with you (e.g. Office Manager, Supervisor).
• Company name – the business or organisation they were part of.
• Contact information – phone number and professional email address.
• Relationship to you – a brief note on how they know you, e.g. “Former Manager at XYZ Company”).

Here is an example:

• Jane Smith. Office Manager, ABC Ltd. Email: [email protected]. Phone: 01234 567890 Relationship: Former Manager.

Always ensure your referee’s information is accurate and up-to-date so potential employers can contact them.