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The differences between administrative assistants/personal assistants and purchasing 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 purchasing administrative assistant. Additionally, an administrative assistant/personal assistant has an average salary of $40,751, which is higher than the $37,889 average annual salary of a purchasing 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 purchasing administrative assistant are purchase orders, data entry, and customer service.
| Administrative Assistant/Personal Assistant | Purchasing Administrative Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $40,751 | $37,889 |
| Hourly rate | $19.59 | $18.22 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 70,276 | 48,872 |
| 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.
Purchasing Administrative Assistants will require a high school diploma or GED, but an associate degree or higher is preferred, as well as three or more years in a purchasing role. This career will require skills in communication and negotiation, as well as a proven history of good supply management and the ability to create and administer task priority lists based on the needs of the respective company. Paying an average salary of $42K per year, but ranging between $37K and $49K, this career choice will demand the provision of support to the purchasing process and department staff, processing documents and materials and responding to inquiries, as well as maintaining information and inventories about vendors and sources.
Administrative assistants/personal assistants and purchasing administrative assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Administrative Assistant/Personal Assistant | Purchasing Administrative Assistant | |
| Average salary | $40,751 | $37,889 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $54,000 | Between $29,000 And $48,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Milpitas, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | - | Aspen Snowmass |
| Best paying industry | - | Construction |
There are a few differences between an administrative assistant/personal assistant and a purchasing administrative assistant in terms of educational background:
| Administrative Assistant/Personal Assistant | Purchasing 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 purchasing administrative assistants' demographics:
| Administrative Assistant/Personal Assistant | Purchasing Administrative Assistant | |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9% | Male, 8.3% Female, 91.7% |
| 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, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |