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The differences between department assistants 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 a department assistant and an assistant secretary. Additionally, an assistant secretary has an average salary of $107,366, which is higher than the $40,698 average annual salary of a department assistant.
The top three skills for a department assistant include patients, customer service and data entry. The most important skills for an assistant secretary are telephone calls, payroll, and scheduling appointments.
| Department Assistant | Assistant Secretary | |
| Yearly salary | $40,698 | $107,366 |
| Hourly rate | $19.57 | $51.62 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 88,268 | 52,165 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A department assistant is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support and ensure the smooth operations of an entire department. Department assistants manage meeting calendars, book travel appointments, assist with company events, respond to clients' inquiries and requests through phone calls or personal visits, update customer records, organize electronic files, create business proposals, and monitor supplies. A department assistant must have excellent organizational and communication skills, as well as the ability to multitask under minimal supervision.
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.
Department assistants and assistant secretaries have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Department Assistant | Assistant Secretary | |
| Average salary | $40,698 | $107,366 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $67,000 | Between $38,000 And $302,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Dorsey & Whitney | Elanco |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a department assistant and an assistant secretary in terms of educational background:
| Department Assistant | Assistant Secretary | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between department assistants' and assistant secretaries' demographics:
| Department Assistant | Assistant Secretary | |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 34.0% Female, 66.0% | Male, 21.7% Female, 78.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.2% 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% |