Administrative functional support vs administrative support specialist

The differences between administrative functional supports and administrative support specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an administrative functional support, becoming an administrative support specialist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an administrative functional support has an average salary of $54,677, which is higher than the $38,244 average annual salary of an administrative support specialist.

The top three skills for an administrative functional support include generate reports, human resources and functional unit processes. The most important skills for an administrative support specialist are customer service, data entry, and patients.

Administrative functional support vs administrative support specialist overview

	Administrative Functional Support	Administrative Support Specialist
Yearly salary	$54,677	$38,244
Hourly rate	$26.29	$18.39
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	103,296	139,654
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age	47	50
Years of experience	6	2

What does an administrative functional support do?

Administrative functional supports generally work on clerical activities like preparing documents and reports, scheduling meetings, analyzing data for budgetary expenditures, etc. These professionals keep their organization's confidential information, act as middlemen between internal and external contacts, and organize special events or programs. They assist in the production, designing, and development of company publications. Also, they are in charge of cascading routine and general information about process updates and standard procedures to the staff. There are four levels of work on this job, each requiring a different degree of experience and education.

What does an administrative support specialist do?

An administrative support specialist is an individual who is involved in the office management, clerical tasks, and back-office duties of an organization. To run the office smoothly, administrative support specialists must manage the purchasing and inventory of office supplies as well as schedule the maintenance of office equipment. They serve as a liaison for executives by screening incoming calls and emails, sorting mails, and setting appointments with employees, customers, and vendors. Administrative support specialists must also be able to draft memos and edit report proposals and other business documents.

Administrative functional support vs administrative support specialist salary

Administrative functional supports and administrative support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Administrative Functional Support	Administrative Support Specialist
Average salary	$54,677	$38,244
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $84,000	Between $29,000 And $49,000
Highest paying City	-	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	-	Connecticut
Best paying company	-	King County
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between administrative functional support and administrative support specialist education

There are a few differences between an administrative functional support and an administrative support specialist in terms of educational background:

	Administrative Functional Support	Administrative Support Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	California State University - Bakersfield	Western Carolina University

Administrative functional support vs administrative support specialist demographics

Here are the differences between administrative functional supports' and administrative support specialists' demographics:

	Administrative Functional Support	Administrative Support Specialist
Average age	47	50
Gender ratio	Male, 30.0% Female, 70.0%	Male, 20.5% Female, 79.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 5.1% White, 60.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	8%	6%

Differences between administrative functional support and administrative support specialist duties and responsibilities

Administrative functional support example responsibilities.

Assist SVP with managing transition to effectively disband correspondent department and close office.
Register new patients and update existing patient's demographics by collecting patient detail patient's information including personal and financial information.
Process subpoenas and unemployment claims.

Administrative support specialist example responsibilities.

Create PowerPoint presentations, manage spreadsheet information/graphs and provide reports as necessary.
Participate in committee meetings by preparing minutes and presentation summaries, planning meeting agendas, and organizing and managing meeting logistics.
Assist SharePoint intranet creation and documentation.
Generate PowerPoint presentations for meetings and training.
Maintain and post unit documents utilizing SharePoint.
Maintain files on all division civilian personnel, submit accurate payroll sheets for assign civilian personnel.

Administrative functional support vs administrative support specialist skills

Common administrative functional support skills

Generate Reports, 16%
Human Resources, 13%
Functional Unit Processes, 9%
Word Processing, 7%
SharePoint, 6%
Business, 5%

Common administrative support specialist skills

Customer Service, 16%
Data Entry, 8%
Patients, 6%
PowerPoint, 5%
Administrative Functions, 4%
Office Equipment, 4%

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Administrative Functional Support
Administrative Functional Support vs Administrative Support Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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