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Administrative specialist vs assistant secretary

The differences between administrative specialists and assistant secretaries 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 assistant secretary. Additionally, an assistant secretary has an average salary of $107,366, which is higher than the $38,758 average annual salary of an administrative specialist.

The top three skills for an administrative specialist include customer service, data entry and powerpoint. The most important skills for an assistant secretary are telephone calls, payroll, and scheduling appointments.

Administrative specialist vs assistant secretary overview

Administrative SpecialistAssistant Secretary
Yearly salary$38,758$107,366
Hourly rate$18.63$51.62
Growth rate-8%-8%
Number of jobs71,22752,165
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 48%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
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 assistant secretary do?

An assistant secretary is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support the daily operations of various departments and management personnel and ensure the efficiency of business functions. Assistant secretaries usually assist in business communications, responding to customers' inquiries and concerns, reaching out to existing clients to schedule appointments, welcoming guests on the office, and routing calls to the appropriate department. They also handle data entry procedures, updating customer information on the database, as well as creating reports on business and financial transactions.

Administrative specialist vs assistant secretary salary

Administrative specialists and assistant secretaries have different pay scales, as shown below.

Administrative SpecialistAssistant Secretary
Average salary$38,758$107,366
Salary rangeBetween $25,000 And $58,000Between $38,000 And $302,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCWashington, DC
Highest paying stateCaliforniaRhode Island
Best paying companyMetaElanco
Best paying industryTechnology-

Differences between administrative specialist and assistant secretary education

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

Administrative SpecialistAssistant Secretary
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 48%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeWestern Carolina UniversityWestern Carolina University

Administrative specialist vs assistant secretary demographics

Here are the differences between administrative specialists' and assistant secretaries' demographics:

Administrative SpecialistAssistant Secretary
Average age5050
Gender ratioMale, 24.4% Female, 75.6%Male, 21.7% Female, 78.3%
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, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between administrative specialist and assistant secretary 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

Assistant secretary example responsibilities.

  • Manage and oversee all STO relate actions task to OSD impacting future and current operations in STO.
  • Assist main accountant with extra jobs and are trained in QuickBooks.
  • Proofread, edit & type legal briefs, business letters, case notes.
  • Book keeping, answer phone calls, run errands and handle billing using Quickbooks.
  • Assist in contacting and informing the parents of upcoming graduates about alumni programs and donations.
  • Serve as first point of contact for students, faculty, and alumni calling or visiting the main administrative office.
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Administrative specialist vs assistant secretary skills

Common administrative specialist skills
  • Customer Service, 14%
  • Data Entry, 6%
  • PowerPoint, 6%
  • Office Procedures, 5%
  • Patients, 5%
  • Payroll, 4%
Common assistant secretary skills
  • Telephone Calls, 13%
  • Payroll, 9%
  • Scheduling Appointments, 9%
  • Financial Statements, 9%
  • Office Equipment, 7%
  • Computer System, 5%

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