Home
CV examples
Admin Assistant

Admin Assistant CV example and template (South Africa)

Updated November 2026 · Written for South African employers

An admin assistant (also called an administrative or office assistant) supports a whole team rather than one boss: typing letters and reports, keeping the team's paper and electronic files, setting up meetings, getting quotes and raising purchase orders, ordering supplies and capturing timesheets, leave and claims on the company's systems. Engineering and architecture firms, schools and universities, NGOs, property management companies, hospitals and government departments all hire admin assistants, and it is often a first office job after a learnership or a Youth Employment Service (YES) placement, which is a paid 12-month work experience programme for young people. The manager reading your CV checks three things first: how well you know Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook, whether you have an office qualification or learnership, and whether you can handle requests from several people at once without letting any of them slip.

The example below is for a junior admin assistant with almost five years of office work, now supporting a 14-person projects team at a consulting engineering firm in Bloemfontein. She started on a Business Administration learnership (NQF 4) and a YES placement, and is studying the Management Assistant N5 part-time. If you are newer, put your learnership or YES placement first, then your matric subjects (Computer Applications Technology helps) and any computer certificate such as ICDL. Say what you actually made in each program, such as mail merge letters in Word or a purchase order tracker in Excel, and give numbers: how many people you supported, how many purchase orders you raised a month and how many files you looked after.

Opens this CV in our free builder so you can put in your own details. No account needed.

Admin Assistant CV example

Reitumetse Mokhothu

Admin Assistant supporting a 14-person engineering projects team, Business Administration NQF 4

051 555 0142 · reitumetse.mokhothu@example.co.za · Bloemfontein, Free State

Profile

Reliable junior admin assistant supporting a 14-person engineering projects team in Bloemfontein. Types reports and letters in Word, runs the team's Outlook calendars, gets three quotes and raises about 40 purchase orders a month, and keeps project files in order on SharePoint and in the filing room. Handles client and staff information in line with POPIA. Holds a Business Administration Services learnership certificate (NQF 4) and the Management Assistant N4, and is studying N5 part-time.

Work experience

Admin Assistant, Projects

Naledi Consulting Engineers (Pty) Ltd, Bloemfontein | Mar 2024 – Present

Support 14 engineers, technologists and a project manager with typing, filing, meetings and purchasing
Type and format about 30 letters, reports and tender documents a month using company Word templates
Get three quotes and raise about 40 purchase orders a month, tracking each one until the invoice arrives
Collect B-BBEE certificates, SARS tax compliance PINs and bank letters for new suppliers
Set up a SharePoint folder structure and naming system for 60 active projects
Log about 80 outgoing document sets a month on the transmittal register
Book meeting rooms and Teams links and send minutes within one working day

Junior Office Assistant (YES placement)

Bainsvlei Agri Supplies, Bloemfontein | Feb 2023 – Feb 2024

Typed quotations and letters for the branch's sales team of eight
Captured delivery notes and stock requests in Excel and filed signed copies by month
Ordered stationery and cleaning supplies and checked deliveries against the order
Archived three years of customer files and shredded expired copies in line with POPIA

Business Administration Learner (NQF 4)

Bloem Freight and Logistics, Bloemfontein | Feb 2022 – Jan 2023

Scanned and indexed driver trip sheets and proof-of-delivery slips for the operations office
Captured staff leave forms and kept the leave register up to date
Completed all workplace tasks and the portfolio of evidence for the learnership on time

Education

National Certificate N4, Management Assistant (studying N5 part-time)

Motheo TVET College, 2025, NQF level 5

Further Education and Training Certificate: Business Administration Services (learnership)

Services SETA-accredited training provider, 2023, NQF level 4

National Senior Certificate (Matric)

Lereko Secondary School, 2021, NQF level 4

Subjects: Sesotho Home Language, English First Additional Language, Mathematical Literacy, Computer Applications Technology (71%), Business Studies, Accounting, Life Orientation

Skills

Microsoft Word, including mail merge and templates
Excel trackers and simple formulas
Outlook calendars and Teams meetings
Quotes and purchase orders
SharePoint and paper filing
Minutes and action lists
Timesheets and leave capturing
POPIA-aware records handling
Typing at 42 words per minute

Certificates

ICDL Workforce (Documents, Spreadsheets and Presentations), ICDL South Africa, 2022
POPIA awareness training, Naledi Consulting Engineers (in-house), 2024

Achievements

Asked by the projects manager to train two new admin staff on the SharePoint filing system in 2025
Passed all four Management Assistant N4 subjects while working full-time

Personal details

Driver’s licence:: Code B (Code 8)
Nationality:: South African
Languages:: Sesotho (Home language), English (Fluent), Afrikaans (Good), Setswana (Basic)
Notice period:: One month
Availability:: Full-time, with Saturday classes for N5 studies

References

Hennie Kruger

Projects Manager, Naledi Consulting Engineers (Pty) Ltd

051 555 0177

Lineo Lesia

Branch Administrator, Bainsvlei Agri Supplies

051 555 0118

Admin Assistant CV summary you can copy

Change the details so they are true for you.

Reliable junior admin assistant supporting a 14-person engineering projects team in Bloemfontein. Types reports and letters in Word, runs the team's Outlook calendars, gets three quotes and raises about 40 purchase orders a month, and keeps project files in order on SharePoint and in the filing room. Handles client and staff information in line with POPIA. Holds a Business Administration Services learnership certificate (NQF 4) and the Management Assistant N4, and is studying N5 part-time.

Skills to list on your Admin Assistant CV

Typing letters, memos and reports in Microsoft Word with templates, styles, tables and mail merge
Keeping Excel trackers with filters, sorting and simple formulas such as SUM and COUNTIF
Running shared Outlook calendars and setting up Microsoft Teams meetings and venue bookings
Getting three written quotes and raising purchase orders for a manager to approve
Collecting new supplier documents, such as a B-BBEE certificate and SARS tax compliance PIN
Paper and electronic filing, including project folders on SharePoint with a clear naming system
Typing minutes and action lists for team and client meetings
Capturing timesheets, leave forms and travel claims on the company's systems
Ordering stationery, printer toner and kitchen supplies within a monthly budget
Sending documents to clients with a transmittal, which is a signed list of what was sent
Booking pool vehicles, flights and accommodation for site visits
Handling personal information in line with POPIA, including locked cabinets and shredding
Typing at 42 words per minute with accurate spelling
Keeping a request list so tasks from several people are done in order of urgency

Duties written as strong bullet points

Supported a projects team of 14 engineers, technologists and a project manager with typing, filing, meetings and purchasing
Typed and formatted about 30 letters, reports and tender documents a month from the team's notes, using the company's Word templates
Got three written quotes and raised about 40 purchase orders a month for printing, survey equipment hire and courier services, and tracked each one until the invoice was received
Collected and checked the B-BBEE certificates, SARS tax compliance PINs and bank letters for 25 new suppliers before they were loaded
Set up a SharePoint folder structure and naming system for 60 active projects, so any document could be found in under a minute
Booked meeting rooms and Teams links for about 12 meetings a week and typed and sent minutes within one working day
Logged about 80 outgoing drawing and document sets a month on a transmittal register, with every client signature filed
Captured weekly timesheets for the team on the time system and followed up missing ones before the Monday cut-off
Ordered stationery and supplies every month and kept spending about 10% under the R3,500 budget
Archived three years of closed project files and locked away staff and client records in line with POPIA

Tips for a stronger Admin Assistant CV

Say who you support and how many

An admin assistant's job depends on the team. Write it plainly, such as "supported a 14-person projects team" or "assisted six teachers and the deputy principal". It tells a manager how busy you were and how many people's requests you can juggle at once.

Show what you can do in each Office program

"Computer literate" or "MS Office" says very little. Name the task instead: mail merge letters and tables of contents in Word, trackers with filters in Excel, shared calendars and Teams meetings in Outlook. Many employers give a short Word and Excel test at the interview, so only list what you can do on the spot.

Explain your purchasing steps

Raising purchase orders is a big part of many admin assistant jobs. Say how many you raise, whether you get three quotes first, and whether you collect supplier documents such as B-BBEE certificates and SARS tax compliance PINs. Companies that buy from approved suppliers want someone who will not skip a step.

Put your learnership or YES placement first if you are new

If this is your first or second office job, lead with your Business Administration learnership or YES placement, the host company and what you did there. Give the qualification name and NQF level, because employers who hire through the Services SETA or B-BBEE skills programmes check for it.

Show you can be trusted with personal information

Admin assistants handle staff files, CVs, clients' details and payment information. One line such as "kept staff and client records locked and shredded old copies in line with POPIA" shows you understand the Protection of Personal Information Act without making a big claim.

Questions people ask

What is the difference between an admin assistant, an admin clerk and a PA?

The titles overlap, and adverts mix them up. An admin assistant usually supports a team with typing, meetings, filing and purchasing. An admin clerk often does more capturing, such as invoices on Sage Pastel, petty cash and records. A personal assistant (PA) works for one senior person and runs their diary, travel and correspondence. Read the duties in the advert and move your matching experience to the top of your CV.

Which qualifications help me get an admin assistant job?

Matric is the minimum. Helpful next steps are the NC(V) Office Administration at a TVET college (NQF levels 2 to 4, which you can start after Grade 9), the N4 to N6 Management Assistant certificates (each at NQF level 5, leading to a National N Diploma at NQF level 6 once you add 18 months of work experience), the ICB Office Administration programme, where you earn a certificate for each subject, and Business Administration Services learnerships at NQF level 3 or 4. A computer certificate such as ICDL also helps.

How do I find a learnership or YES placement?

Watch the websites and social media pages of the Services SETA, large companies, banks and the Youth Employment Service (YES), and register on the SA Youth platform and with your nearest Department of Employment and Labour centre. Learners and YES youth are paid a monthly allowance or salary. Never pay anyone to get you a learnership, because real programmes do not charge you to apply.

How fast must I type?

There is no legal standard, but many admin adverts ask for about 30 to 40 words per minute, and some test you at the interview. Do a free online typing test a few times, write your honest average on your CV, and keep practising. Accuracy matters as much as speed, because every typing error has to be fixed before a letter goes out.

What does POPIA mean for an admin assistant?

The Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) sets rules for how organisations collect, use, store and destroy personal information. For an admin assistant this means keeping staff and client files locked or password protected, sharing information only with people who need it, checking the address before emailing a list, and shredding old copies when the retention period ends. Ask who your organisation's information officer is if you are unsure.