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The differences between administrative officers and administrative office specialists 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 officer and an administrative office specialist. Additionally, an administrative officer has an average salary of $64,338, which is higher than the $35,177 average annual salary of an administrative office specialist.
The top three skills for an administrative officer include veterans, human resources and rehabilitation. The most important skills for an administrative office specialist are customer service, data entry, and word processing.
| Administrative Officer | Administrative Office Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $64,338 | $35,177 |
| Hourly rate | $30.93 | $16.91 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 98,238 | 96,945 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
An administrative officer is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support the company's operations and maintain efficient production. Administrative officers should have excellent office management principles, handling various tasks under minimal supervision and strict deadline. They must be detail-oriented, especially on data processing systems, to encode information and update the company's documents. An administrative officer should be highly-communicative to respond to customers' inquiries and concerns, negotiate with suppliers and third-party vendors, scheduling meetings, and creating business transaction reports.
An administrative office specialist helps offices to run efficiently and smoothly by performing clerical support tasks. Their responsibilities often include preparing and processing documents, arranging meetings and appointments, monitoring the budgets and expenditures, answering calls and correspondence, handling the inventory and procurement of office supplies, and developing strategies to optimize office operations. They may also address issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and professionally. Furthermore, as an administrative office specialist, it is essential to coordinate staff, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Administrative officers and administrative office specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Administrative Officer | Administrative Office Specialist | |
| Average salary | $64,338 | $35,177 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $103,000 | Between $28,000 And $43,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | Alaska |
| Best paying company | UBS | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between an administrative officer and an administrative office specialist in terms of educational background:
| Administrative Officer | Administrative Office Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between administrative officers' and administrative office specialists' demographics:
| Administrative Officer | Administrative Office Specialist | |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.8% Female, 57.2% | Male, 14.3% Female, 85.7% |
| 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, 10.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 4.0% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |