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The differences between administrative assistants/personal assistants and front desk administrative 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/personal assistant and a front desk administrative assistant. Additionally, an administrative assistant/personal assistant has an average salary of $40,751, which is higher than the $33,037 average annual salary of a front desk 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 front desk administrative assistant are customer service, patients, and data entry.
| Administrative Assistant/Personal Assistant | Front Desk Administrative Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $40,751 | $33,037 |
| Hourly rate | $19.59 | $15.88 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 70,276 | 95,732 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
A front desk administrative assistant is responsible for performing administrative duties to support daily business functions and operations. Front desk administrative assistants assist guests, respond to their inquiries and concerns, and direct them to the appropriate personnel for their needs. They also monitor office inventories, write purchase requests, and distribute mails across the departments. A front desk administrative assistants review business and financial transactions to generate reports, update information on the company's database, and sort documents for reference.
Administrative assistants/personal assistants and front desk administrative assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Administrative Assistant/Personal Assistant | Front Desk Administrative Assistant | |
| Average salary | $40,751 | $33,037 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $54,000 | Between $27,000 And $39,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Springfield, MA |
| Highest paying state | - | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | - | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | - | Professional |
There are a few differences between an administrative assistant/personal assistant and a front desk administrative assistant in terms of educational background:
| Administrative Assistant/Personal Assistant | Front Desk Administrative Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between administrative assistants/personal assistants' and front desk administrative assistants' demographics:
| Administrative Assistant/Personal Assistant | Front Desk Administrative Assistant | |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9% | Male, 10.0% Female, 90.0% |
| 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, 9.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |