Administrative support specialist vs administrative office specialist

The differences between administrative support specialists 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 support specialist and an administrative office specialist. Additionally, an administrative support specialist has an average salary of $38,244, which is higher than the $35,177 average annual salary of an administrative office specialist.

The top three skills for an administrative support specialist include customer service, data entry and patients. The most important skills for an administrative office specialist are customer service, data entry, and word processing.

Administrative support specialist vs administrative office specialist overview

	Administrative Support Specialist	Administrative Office Specialist
Yearly salary	$38,244	$35,177
Hourly rate	$18.39	$16.91
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	139,654	96,945
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age	50	50
Years of experience	2	2

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.

What does an administrative office specialist do?

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 support specialist vs administrative office specialist salary

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

	Administrative Support Specialist	Administrative Office Specialist
Average salary	$38,244	$35,177
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $49,000	Between $28,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Alaska
Best paying company	King County	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	Government	Technology

Differences between administrative support specialist and administrative office specialist education

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

	Administrative Support Specialist	Administrative Office Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

Administrative support specialist vs administrative office specialist demographics

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

	Administrative Support Specialist	Administrative Office Specialist
Average age	50	50
Gender ratio	Male, 20.5% Female, 79.5%	Male, 14.3% Female, 85.7%
Race ratio	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%	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%

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

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 office specialist example responsibilities.

Participate in committee meetings by preparing minutes and presentation summaries, planning meeting agendas, and organizing and managing meeting logistics.
Develop PowerPoint presentations for seminars and workshops.
Prepare briefings for senior level management using Microsoft PowerPoint.
Prepare bi-weekly payroll reports and special cost analyses and forecasting.
Coordinate accessibility into main office building along with identification badge and process direct deposit via state guidelines for payroll.
Coordinate travel arrangements in DTS; schedule mode of transportation, prepare trip folders, arrange lodging reservations and develop itineraries.

Administrative support specialist vs administrative office specialist skills

Common administrative support specialist skills

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

Common administrative office specialist skills

Customer Service, 27%
Data Entry, 8%
Word Processing, 6%
Payroll, 3%
PowerPoint, 3%
Phone Calls, 3%

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Administrative Support Specialist
Administrative Support Specialist vs Administrative Office Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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