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The differences between assistant secretaries and general assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an assistant secretary and a general assistant. Additionally, an assistant secretary has an average salary of $107,366, which is higher than the $37,718 average annual salary of a general assistant.
The top three skills for an assistant secretary include telephone calls, payroll and scheduling appointments. The most important skills for a general assistant are customer service, HR, and payroll.
| Assistant Secretary | General Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $107,366 | $37,718 |
| Hourly rate | $51.62 | $18.13 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 52,165 | 66,211 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
General Assistants are responsible for providing administrative assistance to department teams and executive management of an organization. Their duties include organizing meetings and event schedules, book meeting rooms, answer incoming phone calls, reply emails, and respond to queries. They are responsible for replenishing office supplies and undertaking clerical tasks such as printing, scanning, and photocopying. General Assistants also liaise with contractors and building managers to ensure maintenance work is handled promptly without inconvenience.
Assistant secretaries and general assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Assistant Secretary | General Assistant | |
| Average salary | $107,366 | $37,718 |
| Salary range | Between $38,000 And $302,000 | Between $22,000 And $64,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Greenwich, CT |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Elanco | Massachusetts General Hospital |
| Best paying industry | - | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between an assistant secretary and a general assistant in terms of educational background:
| Assistant Secretary | General Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between assistant secretaries' and general assistants' demographics:
| Assistant Secretary | General Assistant | |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 21.7% Female, 78.3% | Male, 52.1% Female, 47.9% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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 Percentage | 6% | 6% |