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Departmental assistant vs administrative assistant/personal assistant

The differences between departmental assistants and administrative assistants/personal assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a departmental assistant and an administrative assistant/personal assistant. Additionally, an administrative assistant/personal assistant has an average salary of $40,751, which is higher than the $39,690 average annual salary of a departmental assistant.

The top three skills for a departmental assistant include HR, chemistry and data analysis. The most important skills for an administrative assistant/personal assistant are payroll, scheduling appointments, and financial statements.

Departmental assistant vs administrative assistant/personal assistant overview

Departmental AssistantAdministrative Assistant/Personal Assistant
Yearly salary$39,690$40,751
Hourly rate$19.08$19.59
Growth rate-8%-8%
Number of jobs34,48070,276
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 68%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age5050
Years of experience22

Departmental assistant vs administrative assistant/personal assistant salary

Departmental assistants and administrative assistants/personal assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Departmental AssistantAdministrative Assistant/Personal Assistant
Average salary$39,690$40,751
Salary rangeBetween $28,000 And $55,000Between $30,000 And $54,000
Highest paying CitySanta Barbara, CA-
Highest paying stateHawaii-
Best paying companyUniversity of Massachusetts Boston-
Best paying industryManufacturing-

Differences between departmental assistant and administrative assistant/personal assistant education

There are a few differences between a departmental assistant and an administrative assistant/personal assistant in terms of educational background:

Departmental AssistantAdministrative Assistant/Personal Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 68%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityWestern Carolina University

Departmental assistant vs administrative assistant/personal assistant demographics

Here are the differences between departmental assistants' and administrative assistants/personal assistants' demographics:

Departmental AssistantAdministrative Assistant/Personal Assistant
Average age5050
Gender ratioMale, 29.5% Female, 70.5%Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.6% 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, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between departmental assistant and administrative assistant/personal assistant duties and responsibilities

Departmental assistant example responsibilities.

  • Manage and develop the daily clinical schedule for the in-patient rehabilitation staff taking into consideration Medicare guidelines and staffing ratios.
  • Input appointments into HRIS (HCM- PeopleSoft) and maintain all HRIS records; process student and limit payroll in
  • Attend various meetings, take dictation, write up and distribute minutes.
  • Process employee time and payroll - records, adjustments, travel and other reimbursable payments.
  • Create and curate social media presence of the department on Instagram, Facebook and Tumblr.
  • Tutor primarily engineering students in the subjects of engineering, physics, math, chemistry, and biology.
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Administrative assistant/personal assistant example responsibilities.

  • Manage local office administrative functions including payroll, invoicing and budget.
  • Perform full accounting cycle using QuickBooks accounting software including budgeting and managing personal and company bank accounts.
  • Manage and develop the daily clinical schedule for the in-patient rehabilitation staff taking into consideration Medicare guidelines and staffing ratios.
  • Record customer records and relevant job/note information in QuickBooks.
  • Organize and prepare materials & PowerPoint presentations for seminars that AutoOwners host.
  • Calculate, prepare, and accurately process payroll and investigate and resolve payroll issues.
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Departmental assistant vs administrative assistant/personal assistant skills

Common departmental assistant skills
  • HR, 20%
  • Chemistry, 19%
  • Data Analysis, 12%
  • Word Processing, 9%
  • Routine Correspondence, 6%
  • Scheduling Appointments, 4%
Common administrative assistant/personal assistant skills
  • Payroll, 10%
  • Scheduling Appointments, 10%
  • Financial Statements, 7%
  • Front Desk, 4%
  • Real Estate, 4%
  • PowerPoint, 4%

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