Guide: Administrative Assistant Cover Letter (No Experience)

Updated 23 January 2023

Administrative assistants typically provide support to administrative professionals by scheduling appointments, organising paperwork, preparing documents for meetings and answering phone calls. When applying for new positions, attaching a cover letter to your resume may allow a hiring manager to develop a better understanding of your suitability for a role. Learning how to write a tailored cover letter can be beneficial if you're seeking an administrative assistant position.

In this article, we outline how to write an administrative assistant cover letter with no experience, detail what makes a good administrative assistant and provide an example of how to write a good cover letter.

How to write an administrative assistant cover letter with no experience

Writing a compelling administrative assistant cover letter with no experience can impress a hiring manager and lead to a job interview. A cover letter is typically a one-page document addressing the interviewer. It contains your contact details, highlights your interest in the role and explains why you might be a suitable candidate for the position you're seeking. Here are seven steps you can follow to write an effective cover letter for this role:

1. Format your cover letter

Start writing your administrative assistant cover letter by selecting a font like Times New Roman, Calibri or Arial and keep the font size between 10 and 12 points.

If you don't want to format the document yourself, you can choose a professional template that allows you to create well formatted and professional looking cover letters. If your cover letter uses a particular style or template, ensure these match other documents in your application such as your resume. This creates continuity and a professional appearance,

2. Include your contact information

Adding current contact information is important because the recruiter may want to contact you for further enquiries or to schedule an interview. Include your city, state, phone number and address. It may also mention the hiring manager's name, company name and company address.

3. Include a salutation

A cover letter's intent is to establish a rapport with the reader, so it can be beneficial to start by directly addressing the recruiter. Search the organisation website or LinkedIn to find the name of the hiring manager or even the team's name. You can also read the job description or call the organisation to ask for the hiring manager's details. If you can't find a specific name, you can simply write Dear Hiring Manager.

4. Express your interest

Even though you may not possess formal experience, the opening paragraph can still be your opportunity to introduce yourself and tell a potential employer why you're interested in the administrative assistant position. You can highlight your most relevant administrative skills attained in any clubs or associations at school or extracurricular activities and emphasise the value these can provide to the organisation. Make this paragraph specific for each job listing by stating why you're excited about the position and explaining what makes you a suitable candidate for the role.

5. Highlight relevant skills

In the body of your cover letter, address your most relevant experience and highlight specific skills and qualifications that make you a perfect candidate for the position. While you may not have specific experience as an administrative assistance, you may have developed skills in other roles, or while studying or volunteering. You can mention how these skills and experience could be used in the new role. For example, you may have experience using online tools to manage tasks like planning meetings, tracking events, or monitoring project milestones. Successfully presenting these skills may help the hiring manager visualise how you can improve the workflow within their team and organisation.

6. Create an effective closing paragraph

The main goal of a closing paragraph is to summarise your strengths and thank the reader for their time and consideration. Including a call to action may encourage the recruiter to contact you for an interview. Reiterate and summarise your passion for the role, express your confidence and demonstrate your connection to the company's goals. Also, adding a simple thank you in this section may effectively express gratitude and show your appreciation.

7. Proofread your submission

Before submitting your application, be sure to allow time for proofreading and editing your cover letter. Make sure the letter is clear and presents you as a professional candidate for the role. You can ask a close friend to help review the cover letter and look for any inconsistencies or missing punctuation. Reading the letter out loud or using online writing aids can also help you pick up awkward phrases or misspellings you may have overlooked.

What makes a good administrative assistant?

The responsibilities of an administrative assistant may vary depending on the organisation, but they usually include performing clerical duties and administrative tasks. Administrative assistants may perform the following duties:

Schedule appointments and meetings. Administrative assistants often support administrators by coordinating meetings and planning appointments. Professionalism and the ability to manage multiple tasks at the same time may be beneficial to pursue a career in this field.
Manage communications. Administrative assistants' job duties may include answering phone calls, responding to emails and taking messages on behalf of a company. Strong communication skills for managing and working with internal staff and clients are important for this role.
Prepare administrative documents. An administrative assistant's job may require them to prepare documents and materials for the administrator or other colleagues. These may include budgeting reports, agendas, letters and other documents to use during meetings and company engagements.

Administrative assistant cover letter template

Using a template can expedite your cover letter writing process, as you can adapt it by inputting your specific information and qualifications into the bracketed fields. Look below for a cover letter template you can use to create your own application document:

[Full name], [Degree or certification if applicable]
[Phone number] | [Email address] | [City], [State]

[Date]

[Company name]

Dear [Hiring manager's first title] [Hiring manager's last name],

[Introduce yourself and explain why you're applying for the role]. [Express your excitement about applying for the job and detail any elements of the hiring organisation that encouraged you to choose it]. [Try to impress the hiring manager with your goals and aspirations for the vacant role].

[Highlight your primary credentials, such as work experience, qualifications and skills that make you a suitable candidate]. [If you have any notable achievements, mention them, using facts and figures to portray the extent of your accomplishments]. [You can highlight any administrative assistant skills you've attained previously that relate to the job description]. [Optionally, address any employment gap].

[Express your appreciation to the hiring manager, summarise what makes you employable and include a call to action in three or four sentences].

[Complimentary close],

[Signature]

Administrative assistant cover letter example

Here you can examine an example cover letter for a candidate applying for the role of an administrative assistant:

Charlotte Jones, Bachelor of Arts (07) 4722 3341 | charlotte.jones@email.com Townsville, QLD

3 September, 2022

BetterMade

Dear Ms Lee,

My name is Charlotte Jones and I am writing to express my interest in the Administrative Assistant position at BetterMade. I am excited that BetterMade has recently shifted towards providing sustainable plant-based products, which strongly aligns with my position as a vegan fitness enthusiast. As a secretary of the Debate Club at my university for two years, I provided administrative support for the club, and I believe I can contribute value to BetterMade and improve the administrative experience.

Throughout my four years at the University of EastView, one of my most enjoyable aspects was the ability to collaborate with people from various backgrounds. I believe that my experience as a secretary of the Debate Club and also volunteering at other social clubs has provided me with strong multitasking, organisational and customer service skills.

I am grateful for your time and consideration. Please don't hesitate to contact me at (07) 4722 3341 or charlotte.jones@email.com if you have further inquiries or need any additional information. I eagerly anticipate hearing from you soon.

Regards,

Charlotte Jones