Administrative assistant/personal assistant vs clerk's assistant/administrative assistant

The differences between administrative assistants/personal assistants and clerks's assistant/administrative assistant 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/personal assistant and a clerk's assistant/administrative assistant. Additionally, an administrative assistant/personal assistant has an average salary of $40,751, which is higher than the $33,551 average annual salary of a clerk's assistant/administrative assistant.

The top three skills for an administrative assistant/personal assistant include payroll, scheduling appointments and financial statements. The most important skills for a clerk's assistant/administrative assistant are data entry, customer service, and telephone calls.

Administrative assistant/personal assistant vs clerk's assistant/administrative assistant overview

	Administrative Assistant/Personal Assistant	Clerk's Assistant/Administrative Assistant
Yearly salary	$40,751	$33,551
Hourly rate	$19.59	$16.13
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	70,276	54,831
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Average age	50	50
Years of experience	2	2

What does an administrative assistant/personal assistant do?

An Administrative Assistant/Personal Assistant performs daily and time management tasks, meeting schedules, note-taking, and correspondence. Administrative Assistants answer and direct phone calls to the appropriate staff. They are in charge of ordering and purchasing office supply stocks. Their duties and responsibilities depend on the company and the industry they are working for. They serve as the point of contact for external stakeholders and staff. They must develop professionalism, inventory control, and administrative writing skills.

What does a clerk's assistant/administrative assistant do?

A clerk's assistant/administrative assistant is responsible for supporting the company's operations and customers' needs by performing administrative and clerical duties as needed. Clerk's assistants/administrative assistants respond to customers' inquiries and concerns, acknowledging and processing orders, and posting their payments. They also sort company documents, manage office supply inventory, submit business transaction reports, schedule appointments, and operate office equipment. A clerk's assistant/administrative assistant must be very organized. They must also have excellent time-management and multitasking skills to perform office duties with high accuracy and efficiency under minimal supervision.

Administrative assistant/personal assistant vs clerk's assistant/administrative assistant salary

Administrative assistants/personal assistants and clerks's assistant/administrative assistant have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Administrative Assistant/Personal Assistant	Clerk's Assistant/Administrative Assistant
Average salary	$40,751	$33,551
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $54,000	Between $27,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	-	Simi Valley, CA
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	ADM
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between administrative assistant/personal assistant and clerk's assistant/administrative assistant education

There are a few differences between an administrative assistant/personal assistant and a clerk's assistant/administrative assistant in terms of educational background:

	Administrative Assistant/Personal Assistant	Clerk's Assistant/Administrative Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

Administrative assistant/personal assistant vs clerk's assistant/administrative assistant demographics

Here are the differences between administrative assistants/personal assistants' and clerks's assistant/administrative assistant' demographics:

	Administrative Assistant/Personal Assistant	Clerk's Assistant/Administrative Assistant
Average age	50	50
Gender ratio	Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9%	Male, 13.4% Female, 86.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between administrative assistant/personal assistant and clerk's assistant/administrative assistant duties and responsibilities

Administrative assistant/personal assistant example responsibilities.

Manage local office administrative functions including payroll, invoicing and budget.
Perform full accounting cycle using QuickBooks accounting software including budgeting and managing personal and company bank accounts.
Manage and develop the daily clinical schedule for the in-patient rehabilitation staff taking into consideration Medicare guidelines and staffing ratios.
Record customer records and relevant job/note information in QuickBooks.
Organize and prepare materials & PowerPoint presentations for seminars that AutoOwners host.
Calculate, prepare, and accurately process payroll and investigate and resolve payroll issues.

Clerk's assistant/administrative assistant example responsibilities.

Manage and update social media outlets including Facebook and LinkedIn.
Reconcile claim and ACH payments.
Mail out/process ACH payments to vendors.
Assist with presentation set up and document distribution on HIPPA guidelines and regulations.
Prepare weekly payroll for all employees per week using QuickBooks and excel, payroll reports and customers invoices.
Prepare and create customer invoices utilizing QuickBooks.

Administrative assistant/personal assistant vs clerk's assistant/administrative assistant skills

Common administrative assistant/personal assistant skills

Payroll, 10%
Scheduling Appointments, 10%
Financial Statements, 7%
Front Desk, 4%
Real Estate, 4%
PowerPoint, 4%

Common clerk's assistant/administrative assistant skills

Data Entry, 19%
Customer Service, 15%
Telephone Calls, 8%
Purchase Orders, 7%
Financial Reports, 4%
Front Desk, 4%

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Administrative Assistant/Personal Assistant
Administrative Assistant/Personal Assistant vs Clerk's Assistant/Administrative Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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