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Administrative specialist vs administrative support

The differences between administrative specialists 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 specialist and an administrative support. Additionally, an administrative specialist has an average salary of $38,758, which is higher than the $37,692 average annual salary of an administrative support.

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

Administrative specialist vs administrative support overview

Administrative SpecialistAdministrative Support
Yearly salary$38,758$37,692
Hourly rate$18.63$18.12
Growth rate-8%-8%
Number of jobs71,227114,480
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 48%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age5050
Years of experience22

What does an administrative specialist do?

An administrative specialist is in charge of various clerical tasks to support supervisors and management staff. Their responsibility is to act as the main point of contact among clients through answering calls and responding to inquiries, managing schedules, arranging appointments and travel, addressing complaints and resolving internal issues, managing payroll, and keeping an organized database. Furthermore, an administrative specialist can also conduct research and analysis, prepare reports and other forms of documentation, and coordinate workflow in a particular area.

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 specialist vs administrative support salary

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

Administrative SpecialistAdministrative Support
Average salary$38,758$37,692
Salary rangeBetween $25,000 And $58,000Between $26,000 And $53,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCWashington, DC
Highest paying stateCaliforniaRhode Island
Best paying companyMetaPacific Investment Management Company LLC
Best paying industryTechnologyTechnology

Differences between administrative specialist and administrative support education

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

Administrative SpecialistAdministrative Support
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 48%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeWestern Carolina UniversityWestern Carolina University

Administrative specialist vs administrative support demographics

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

Administrative SpecialistAdministrative Support
Average age5050
Gender ratioMale, 24.4% Female, 75.6%Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratioBlack 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, 9.1% 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 specialist and administrative support duties and responsibilities

Administrative specialist example responsibilities.

  • Participate in committee meetings by preparing minutes and presentation summaries, planning meeting agendas, and organizing and managing meeting logistics.
  • Process incoming and outgoing medical records with newly implement HIPAA requirements.
  • Maintain personnel records, electronic databases, oversee and administer department SharePoint website.
  • Redesign and reformat PowerPoint presentations, customize individual client presentations for specific look & feel.
  • Create and successfully implement a new faculty form to collect necessary information for payroll forms.
  • Conduct training of new personnel using spreadsheets & PowerPoint presentations to ensure compliance of organizational policies & procedures.
  • Show more

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.
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Administrative specialist vs administrative support skills

Common administrative specialist skills
  • Customer Service, 14%
  • Data Entry, 6%
  • PowerPoint, 6%
  • Office Procedures, 5%
  • Patients, 5%
  • Payroll, 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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