Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between clerical specialists and account specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a clerical specialist, becoming an account specialist takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, an account specialist has an average salary of $42,586, which is higher than the $30,736 average annual salary of a clerical specialist.
The top three skills for a clerical specialist include patients, data entry and customer service. The most important skills for an account specialist are customer service, patients, and account management.
| Clerical Specialist | Account Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $30,736 | $42,586 |
| Hourly rate | $14.78 | $20.47 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 60,757 | 116,010 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 35% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Average age | 47 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
Clerical specialists are office assistants or executive secretaries offering administrative support. The specialists schedule conference meetings or calls, prepare statistical reports and correspondence, and maintain sensitive data. They manage both incoming and outgoing mails and the distribution of letters and packages to administrative offices and staff. Their job includes the redesign and reorganization of the existing filing systems of client and internal documents. They comply with corporate confidentiality, regulations, and guidelines. Skills in data entry, customer service, and medical records are necessary for this job.
An account specialist is responsible for reaching out to customers or potential clients through calls, emails, and other forms of correspondence to secure sales and strengthen business relations. An account specialist may also perform other tasks such as arranging appointment schedules with clients, providing price quotes and responding to further inquiries, process orders, generating sales leads, and handling complaints and resolving issues. Furthermore, an account specialist may also be involved in developing strategies, finding new opportunities, producing and completing necessary documents, and preparing reports, all in adherence to the company's policies and regulations.
Clerical specialists and account specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Clerical Specialist | Account Specialist | |
| Average salary | $30,736 | $42,586 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $38,000 | Between $28,000 And $62,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Jose, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | Virginia |
| Best paying company | Wayne County, Michigan | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Government | Finance |
There are a few differences between a clerical specialist and an account specialist in terms of educational background:
| Clerical Specialist | Account Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 35% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | - |
Here are the differences between clerical specialists' and account specialists' demographics:
| Clerical Specialist | Account Specialist | |
| Average age | 47 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 13.7% Female, 86.3% | Male, 32.2% Female, 67.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 7.5% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | Black or African American, 13.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 3.7% White, 60.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 8% |