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The differences between department secretaries and service 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 secretary and a service secretary. Additionally, a department secretary has an average salary of $35,473, which is higher than the $30,948 average annual salary of a service secretary.
The top three skills for a department secretary include patients, customer service and data entry. The most important skills for a service secretary are patients, customer service, and data entry.
| Department Secretary | Service Secretary | |
| Yearly salary | $35,473 | $30,948 |
| Hourly rate | $17.05 | $14.88 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 80,303 | 25,307 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 30% |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A department secretary is responsible for providing administrative and clerical support to a specific department, ensuring smooth operations to maintain high-quality services to the customers and business partners. Department secretaries should have excellent knowledge of office management principles, especially on data processing procedures and customer service processes. They handle the scheduling of meetings and conferences, responding to customers' inquiries and concerns, directing visitors to the appropriate personnel and department, sorting files, and submitting business transactions and financial reports. A department secretary also recommends strategic procedures to generate more revenues and increase the company's profitability.
A service secretary performs administrative and clerical duties, such as maintaining databases and filing systems, coordinating meetings, and preparing documents. The core skills that a service secretary should possess to perform his/her or her responsibilities include strong interpersonal skills, knowledge of general office procedures, and the ability to operate office equipment. Service secretaries are employed in industries like business, law, and education. Having extensive experience in secretarial and clerical work is an advantage to qualify for the service secretary position.
Department secretaries and service secretaries have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Department Secretary | Service Secretary | |
| Average salary | $35,473 | $30,948 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $47,000 | Between $22,000 And $42,000 |
| Highest paying City | Oakland, CA | East Hartford, CT |
| Highest paying state | California | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Brigham and Women's Hospital | EastHartford Schools |
| Best paying industry | Government | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a department secretary and a service secretary in terms of educational background:
| Department Secretary | Service Secretary | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 30% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between department secretaries' and service secretaries' demographics:
| Department Secretary | Service Secretary | |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 7.0% Female, 93.0% | Male, 7.0% Female, 93.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |