What does a departmental assistant do?
Departmental assistant responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real departmental assistant resumes:
- 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.
- Sustain current medical terminology as well as interventional radiology medical procedures.
- Coordinate between student, local and national political movements by issuing departmental briefings for the political science and economics departments.
- Type correspondence from shorthand dictation, answer all incoming calls, provide general answers with regards to higher education environment.
- Manage and develop the daily clinical schedule for the in-patient rehabilitation staff taking into consideration Medicare guidelines and staffing ratios.
- Verify Medicare, Medicaid and other insurance for payments.
- Maintain attendance records for Medicaid representatives.
- Schedule appointments to perform HUD require interviews making sure contractors/sub-contractors follow lead-safe rules and regulations.
Departmental assistant skills and personality traits
We calculated that 20% of Departmental Assistants are proficient in HR, Chemistry, and Data Analysis. They’re also known for soft skills such as Interpersonal skills, Organizational skills, and Writing skills.
We break down the percentage of Departmental Assistants that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- HR, 20%
Receive promotion from Administrative Secretary to HR Representative for outstanding teamwork and job performance.
- Chemistry, 19%
Tutored primarily engineering students in the subjects of engineering, physics, math, chemistry, and biology.
- Data Analysis, 12%
Provided clerical services for the department faculty Performed data analysis with SPSS
- Word Processing, 9%
Assisted Communications Department (consisting of nine employees) with word processing, copying, mailing and filing.
- Routine Correspondence, 6%
Provided administrative support with bids, composition of routine correspondence, status reports for review and edit by department personnel.
- Scheduling Appointments, 4%
Perform routine clerical and administrative functions such as drafting correspondence, scheduling appointments, organizing and maintaining paper and electronic files.
Common skills that a departmental assistant uses to do their job include "hr," "chemistry," and "data analysis." You can find details on the most important departmental assistant responsibilities below.
Interpersonal skills. The most essential soft skill for a departmental assistant to carry out their responsibilities is interpersonal skills. This skill is important for the role because "secretaries and administrative assistants interact with clients, customers, or staff." Additionally, a departmental assistant resume shows how their duties depend on interpersonal skills: "demonstrate excellent interpersonal, customer service and office etiquette. "
Organizational skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling departmental assistant duties is organizational skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "secretaries and administrative assistants keep files, folders, and schedules in order so that an office runs efficiently." According to a departmental assistant resume, here's how departmental assistants can utilize organizational skills in their job responsibilities: "position required great attention to details, organizational skills, data tracking and customer service. "
Writing skills. This is an important skill for departmental assistants to perform their duties. For an example of how departmental assistant responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "secretaries and administrative assistants write memos and emails when communicating with managers, employees, and customers." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a departmental assistant: "performed day to day administrative tasks such as photocopying, faxing, answering phones, writing emails, and filing. ".
The three companies that hire the most departmental assistants are:
- University of Massachusetts Amherst18 departmental assistants jobs
- University of Massachusetts Boston9 departmental assistants jobs
- Textron2 departmental assistants jobs
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Compare different departmental assistants
Departmental assistant vs. Administrative assistant/technical
An administrative assistant/technical is primarily responsible for performing clerical and support tasks in a company, ensuring efficiency and timeliness. They must produce progress reports, process documentation, receive communication letters, manage schedules, and even greet visitors. There are also instances when an administrative assistant/technical has to answer calls and correspondence, respond to inquiries, address issues and concerns, and resolve them promptly and professionally. Furthermore, it is essential to maintain records of all transactions, coordinate with different departments, and adhere to the company's policies and regulations.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, departmental assistant responsibilities require skills like "chemistry," "data analysis," "routine correspondence," and "graphic design." Meanwhile a typical administrative assistant/technical has skills in areas such as "patients," "data entry," "access database," and "purchase orders." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Administrative assistant/technicals earn the highest salaries when working in the manufacturing industry, with an average yearly salary of $42,925. On the other hand, departmental assistants are paid more in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $44,148.The education levels that administrative assistant/technicals earn slightly differ from departmental assistants. In particular, administrative assistant/technicals are 5.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a departmental assistant. Additionally, they're 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Departmental assistant vs. Assistant to the dean
In an academic institution, the dean's assistant is the first to speak on student and faculty concerns. As the school dean's right hand, you are responsible for running the faculty, event-planning, and other administrative duties. The Assistant is also the person who will help in resolving problems and emergencies and help the dean in organizing activities and calendar events and meetings. The Assistant is one of the single-most important positions in a school, and many institutions require a master's degree to fill the position.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real departmental assistant resumes. While departmental assistant responsibilities can utilize skills like "chemistry," "data analysis," "graphic design," and "computer lab," assistants to the dean use skills like "alumni," "financial aid," "provides administrative support," and "strategic plan."
Assistants to the dean earn a higher average salary than departmental assistants. But assistants to the dean earn the highest pay in the education industry, with an average salary of $48,769. Additionally, departmental assistants earn the highest salaries in the manufacturing with average pay of $44,148 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Assistants to the dean tend to reach similar levels of education than departmental assistants. In fact, they're 3.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Departmental assistant vs. Assistant secretary
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.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a departmental assistant is likely to be skilled in "chemistry," "data analysis," "routine correspondence," and "administrative functions," while a typical assistant secretary is skilled in "telephone calls," "financial statements," "computer system," and "front desk."
When it comes to education, assistant secretaries tend to earn similar degree levels compared to departmental assistants. In fact, they're 1.2% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.9% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Departmental assistant vs. Contract administrative assistant
A contract administrative assistant works on a contractual basis at offices where they are in charge of performing support tasks. Among their responsibilities include answering calls and correspondence, filing and organizing documents, coordinating with different departments, arranging appointments and schedules, preparing and processing files, and running errands as needed. They may also monitor the inventory of office supplies, processing procurement requests when necessary. Furthermore, a contract administrative assistant must maintain an active communication line with staff for a smooth and efficient workflow.
Updated January 8, 2025
