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Administrative assistant/technical vs administrative support

The differences between administrative assistant/technicals and administrative supports 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/technical and an administrative support. Additionally, an administrative assistant/technical has an average salary of $42,541, which is higher than the $37,692 average annual salary of an administrative support.

The top three skills for an administrative assistant/technical include patients, data entry and powerpoint. The most important skills for an administrative support are customer service, administrative tasks, and data entry.

Administrative assistant/technical vs administrative support overview

Administrative Assistant/TechnicalAdministrative Support
Yearly salary$42,541$37,692
Hourly rate$20.45$18.12
Growth rate-8%-8%
Number of jobs122,180114,480
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 47%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age5050
Years of experience22

What does an administrative assistant/technical do?

An administrative assistant/technical is primarily responsible for performing clerical and support tasks in a company, ensuring efficiency and timeliness. They must produce progress reports, process documentation, receive communication letters, manage schedules, and even greet visitors. There are also instances when an administrative assistant/technical has to answer calls and correspondence, respond to inquiries, address issues and concerns, and resolve them promptly and professionally. Furthermore, it is essential to maintain records of all transactions, coordinate with different departments, and adhere to the company's policies and regulations.

What does an administrative support do?

Administrative support specialists provide different types of governmental assistance. They carry out varied clerical duties in almost all industries. Most of these duties revolve around supervising and distributing information within an organization. This typically includes taking memos, answering phone calls, and managing, storing, and organizing files. They are also responsible for receiving and sending correspondence and greeting customers and clients. Some administrative support may be required to have vast professional knowledge as their duties are more specialized than the others.

Administrative assistant/technical vs administrative support salary

Administrative assistant/technicals and administrative supports have different pay scales, as shown below.

Administrative Assistant/TechnicalAdministrative Support
Average salary$42,541$37,692
Salary rangeBetween $31,000 And $58,000Between $26,000 And $53,000
Highest paying CityOlympia, WAWashington, DC
Highest paying stateConnecticutRhode Island
Best paying companyPlante & Moran PLLC.Pacific Investment Management Company LLC
Best paying industryManufacturingTechnology

Differences between administrative assistant/technical and administrative support education

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

Administrative Assistant/TechnicalAdministrative Support
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 47%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeWestern Carolina UniversityWestern Carolina University

Administrative assistant/technical vs administrative support demographics

Here are the differences between administrative assistant/technicals' and administrative supports' demographics:

Administrative Assistant/TechnicalAdministrative Support
Average age5050
Gender ratioMale, 19.0% Female, 81.0%Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratioBlack 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%Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between administrative assistant/technical and administrative support duties and responsibilities

Administrative assistant/technical example responsibilities.

  • Orchestrate special events and reservations; manage customer relations and provide exemplary service to all customers.
  • Perform numerous hardware/software installations, configuration/maintenance of windows OS systems and perpetual hardware.
  • Develop innovative PowerPoint presentation covers used by the cost engineers to market company services to clients.
  • Process patients upon arrival for schedule appointments, responsible for obtaining patients referral information and processing information into computer.
  • Implement a solution for staffing restructure that reduce overall salary expense while maintaining productivity for a rehabilitation inpatient nursing unit.
  • Schedule appointments to perform HUD require interviews making sure contractors/sub-contractors follow lead-safe rules and regulations.

Administrative support example responsibilities.

  • Manage company finances using QuickBooks software, including monitoring the operating budget and collecting on unpaid invoices.
  • Interview veterans to determine issues/concerns and recommend services.
  • Mail VA benefits correspondence to veterans and various organizations.
  • Prepare payroll packages for distribution and delivery, including collating and packing of documents.
  • Research and maintain reference library with ADAPCP in support of prevention and rehabilitation efforts.
  • Develop SharePoint training of project personal and create operating procedures, training documents and briefings.
  • Show more

Administrative assistant/technical vs administrative support skills

Common administrative assistant/technical skills
  • Patients, 11%
  • Data Entry, 8%
  • PowerPoint, 8%
  • Travel Arrangements, 5%
  • Access Database, 5%
  • Purchase Orders, 4%
Common administrative support skills
  • Customer Service, 18%
  • Administrative Tasks, 8%
  • Data Entry, 6%
  • Payroll, 6%
  • Phone Calls, 6%
  • Patients, 5%

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