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Assistant vs executive

The differences between assistants and executives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an assistant, becoming an executive takes usually requires More than 10 years. Additionally, an executive has an average salary of $108,285, which is higher than the $37,363 average annual salary of an assistant.

The top three skills for an assistant include patients, customer service and patient care. The most important skills for an executive are customer service, digital transformation, and healthcare.

Assistant vs executive overview

AssistantExecutive
Yearly salary$37,363$108,285
Hourly rate$17.96$52.06
Growth rate-8%6%
Number of jobs557,90083,869
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 49%Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age5052
Years of experience2-

What does an assistant do?

An assistant intern is responsible for facilitating administrative and clerical tasks as assigned by the management. Assistant interns' duties include keeping records of meetings, receiving calls and handling customer inquiries, assisting on writing reports and data entry processing, cooperating and providing support for business events, and adhering to company policies and regulatory procedures. Successful assistant interns must have excellent time-management, multi-tasking, and communication skills. They must be a team player and fast-learner to handle various tasks in the corporate industry.

What does an executive do?

An Executive's responsibilities vary depending on an organization or company. However, most of the time, it involves a great deal of leadership and communication. An Executive must oversee and direct employees towards particular sets of goals and vision, create strategies and plans that will benefit the company's financial gains and workforce, and as well as evaluate and analyze the progress of various company departments. Moreover, an Executive holds the power of decision-making, such as in the aspects of budget, promotions, and policies.

Assistant vs executive salary

Assistants and executives have different pay scales, as shown below.

AssistantExecutive
Average salary$37,363$108,285
Salary rangeBetween $16,000 And $82,000Between $63,000 And $184,000
Highest paying CityBoston, MAProvidence, RI
Highest paying stateMassachusettsRhode Island
Best paying companyLatham & WatkinsCapgemini
Best paying industryEducation-

Differences between assistant and executive education

There are a few differences between an assistant and an executive in terms of educational background:

AssistantExecutive
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 49%Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeWestern Carolina UniversityUniversity of Pennsylvania

Assistant vs executive demographics

Here are the differences between assistants' and executives' demographics:

AssistantExecutive
Average age5052
Gender ratioMale, 40.7% Female, 59.3%Male, 56.0% Female, 44.0%
Race ratioBlack 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, 3.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 7.6% White, 76.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage6%12%

Differences between assistant and executive duties and responsibilities

Assistant example responsibilities.

  • Manage circulations, including educational textbooks and DVDS, video technology and supplies.
  • Manage branches providing information technology support, logistics, training and operational support.
  • Manage company's twitter account and communicate with multiple physical therapy providers around the country
  • Optimize productivity in prioritizing and managing special projects, PowerPoint presentations for classes, and proctore exams for undergraduate classes.
  • Assist in jewelry design and assembly, manage company Facebook page, participate in wholesale buying, and manage retail inventory
  • Manage and update company Facebook page with daily updates, finding/sharing relevant and interesting information, and encouraging fan engagement.
  • Show more

Executive example responsibilities.

  • Manage capital investments and operating costs to generate ROI, IRR and cash flow.
  • Facilitate KPI dashboard for actual performance to forecast/targets and drive action plans to achieve them.
  • Manage reputation for search engine optimization, and reputation of website and business as a whole through SEO.
  • Manage several multi-phase DoD programs and projects simultaneously.
  • Manage events for fundraising, donor recognition and alumni relations.
  • Delegate & execute human resources, payroll management, marketing/sales techniques training & development.
  • Show more

Assistant vs executive skills

Common assistant skills
  • Patients, 27%
  • Customer Service, 13%
  • Patient Care, 8%
  • CPR, 5%
  • Sales Floor, 5%
  • Scheduling Appointments, 3%
Common executive skills
  • Customer Service, 20%
  • Digital Transformation, 15%
  • Healthcare, 10%
  • Customer Satisfaction, 8%
  • Financial Statements, 5%
  • Business Development, 4%

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