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Administrative assistant/communications vs staff assistant

The differences between administrative assistants/communications and staff assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an administrative assistant/communications and a staff assistant. Additionally, a staff assistant has an average salary of $41,778, 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 a staff assistant are customer service, patients, and data entry.

Administrative assistant/communications vs staff assistant overview

Administrative Assistant/CommunicationsStaff Assistant
Yearly salary$35,363$41,778
Hourly rate$17.00$20.09
Growth rate-8%-8%
Number of jobs63,399126,202
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 62%Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Average age5050
Years of experience22

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 a staff assistant do?

A staff assistant is a company employee who is tasked to support and help staff members to adequately fill their roles and assuring that the organization is running efficiently. Working under an administrative supervisor, an assistant's tasks include answering phone calls, scheduling meetings or appointments, and booking the necessary travels. Moreover, an assistant should have excellent skills in written and verbal communication and is highly organized with minimal supervision. An assistant may be able to work in a wide variety of settings, which includes healthcare facilities and government offices.

Administrative assistant/communications vs staff assistant salary

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

Administrative Assistant/CommunicationsStaff Assistant
Average salary$35,363$41,778
Salary rangeBetween $28,000 And $44,000Between $27,000 And $63,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CABridgewater, MA
Highest paying stateHawaiiConnecticut
Best paying companyNorthrop GrummanMassasoit Community College
Best paying industryNon ProfitsProfessional

Differences between administrative assistant/communications and staff assistant education

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

Administrative Assistant/CommunicationsStaff Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 62%Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeStanford UniversityWestern Carolina University

Administrative assistant/communications vs staff assistant demographics

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

Administrative Assistant/CommunicationsStaff Assistant
Average age5050
Gender ratioMale, 17.4% Female, 82.6%Male, 29.4% Female, 70.6%
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, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between administrative assistant/communications and staff 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.
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Staff assistant example responsibilities.

  • Manage, troubleshoot, install and resolve hardware, software configurations, and network relate issues.
  • Manage candidate Facebook page and facilitate other advertising.
  • Manage fireworks inventory through QuickBooks and process customer wholesale orders.
  • Orchestrate special events and reservations; manage customer relations and provide exemplary service to all customers.
  • Conduct weekly groups for newly refer veterans and potential landlords on the HUD VASH searching process.
  • Supervise the daily operations, office work and customer service in a windows replacement company).
  • Show more

Administrative assistant/communications vs staff 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 staff assistant skills
  • Customer Service, 15%
  • Patients, 10%
  • Data Entry, 7%
  • PowerPoint, 5%
  • Office Procedures, 5%
  • Veterans, 4%

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