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Administrative assistant/communications vs executive assistant

The differences between administrative assistants/communications and executive assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an administrative assistant/communications, becoming an executive assistant takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an executive assistant has an average salary of $50,539, which is higher than the $35,363 average annual salary of an administrative assistant/communications.

The top three skills for an administrative assistant/communications include data entry, powerpoint and provides administrative support. The most important skills for an executive assistant are powerpoint, customer service, and phone calls.

Administrative assistant/communications vs executive assistant overview

Administrative Assistant/CommunicationsExecutive Assistant
Yearly salary$35,363$50,539
Hourly rate$17.00$24.30
Growth rate-8%-8%
Number of jobs63,39993,116
Job satisfaction-4.4
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 62%Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age5049
Years of experience24

What does an administrative assistant/communications do?

An administrative assistant for communications is responsible for handling administrative duties to ensure that corporate communications and announcements are disseminated across the organization and media platforms appropriately. Administrative assistants for communications review documents and files to check for accuracy and conduct revisions as needed before publication. They also manage media relations, create promotional campaigns, and coordinate with clients for any important updates regarding business performance. An administrative assistant for communications must be highly reliable and organizational to work under minimal supervision and meet strict deadlines.

What does an executive assistant do?

Executive assistants are employees who are assigned to work under the supervision of company executives. They manage the activities of the executives they are assigned to by manning the executive's calendar, scheduling appointments, setting meetings, ensuring that the executives are familiar with their schedule for the day, and taking note of any deliverable that may be needed. They are also responsible for taking care of any document or paperwork that the executive needs, as well as preparing presentation materials or briefers for meetings. Executive assistants are also usually exposed to actual company operations to further understand how the business works and to be of better help to the executive.

Administrative assistant/communications vs executive assistant salary

Administrative assistants/communications and executive assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Administrative Assistant/CommunicationsExecutive Assistant
Average salary$35,363$50,539
Salary rangeBetween $28,000 And $44,000Between $35,000 And $71,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateHawaiiNew York
Best paying companyNorthrop GrummanMeta
Best paying industryNon ProfitsFinance

Differences between administrative assistant/communications and executive assistant education

There are a few differences between an administrative assistant/communications and an executive assistant in terms of educational background:

Administrative Assistant/CommunicationsExecutive Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 62%Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeStanford UniversityWestern Carolina University

Administrative assistant/communications vs executive assistant demographics

Here are the differences between administrative assistants/communications' and executive assistants' demographics:

Administrative Assistant/CommunicationsExecutive Assistant
Average age5049
Gender ratioMale, 17.4% Female, 82.6%Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 5.0% White, 71.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage6%10%

Differences between administrative assistant/communications and executive assistant duties and responsibilities

Administrative assistant/communications example responsibilities.

  • Manage department's intranet through SharePoint.
  • Manage all employee payroll records/files and process all accounts payable/receivable.
  • Manage and coordinate complex internal and external meetings and/or events via videoconferencing, WebEx and teleconference calls.
  • Perform full-charge bookkeeping functions - accounts payable, account receivable, bank account reconciliation, payroll and payroll taxes.
  • Implement strategies that integrate IntraConnect with SharePoint intranet and collaboration.
  • Create executive PowerPoint presentations and develop campaigns for campus broadcasting system.
  • Show more

Executive assistant example responsibilities.

  • Manage and maintain AVP calendar and schedule using independent judgment.
  • Manage and review WinStar (KRONOS) time clock hours for hourly union employees.
  • Organize and manage administrative, audio/visual (WebEx, GoToMeeting), and catering of department meetings.
  • Manage the scope of accounting processes including billing, bookkeeping and expense data management with strong oversight of A/R and A/P.
  • Create and manage executive presentations using Visio and PowerPoint.
  • Compile, manage and organize travel and expense reports processing and submitting reports using PeopleSoft for reimbursement.
  • Show more

Administrative assistant/communications vs executive assistant skills

Common administrative assistant/communications skills
  • Data Entry, 8%
  • PowerPoint, 7%
  • Provides Administrative Support, 7%
  • Office Equipment, 4%
  • Expense Reports, 4%
  • Travel Arrangements, 4%
Common executive assistant skills
  • PowerPoint, 13%
  • Customer Service, 8%
  • Phone Calls, 6%
  • Calendar Management, 6%
  • Administrative Tasks, 3%
  • Financial Reports, 3%

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