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The differences between executive assistants and assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an executive assistant, becoming an assistant takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an executive assistant has an average salary of $50,539, which is higher than the $37,363 average annual salary of an assistant.
The top three skills for an executive assistant include powerpoint, customer service and phone calls. The most important skills for an assistant are patients, customer service, and patient care.
| Executive Assistant | Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $50,539 | $37,363 |
| Hourly rate | $24.30 | $17.96 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 93,116 | 557,900 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 49 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
Executive assistants are employees who are assigned to work under the supervision of company executives. They manage the activities of the executives they are assigned to by manning the executive's calendar, scheduling appointments, setting meetings, ensuring that the executives are familiar with their schedule for the day, and taking note of any deliverable that may be needed. They are also responsible for taking care of any document or paperwork that the executive needs, as well as preparing presentation materials or briefers for meetings. Executive assistants are also usually exposed to actual company operations to further understand how the business works and to be of better help to the executive.
An assistant intern is responsible for facilitating administrative and clerical tasks as assigned by the management. Assistant interns' duties include keeping records of meetings, receiving calls and handling customer inquiries, assisting on writing reports and data entry processing, cooperating and providing support for business events, and adhering to company policies and regulatory procedures. Successful assistant interns must have excellent time-management, multi-tasking, and communication skills. They must be a team player and fast-learner to handle various tasks in the corporate industry.
Executive assistants and assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Executive Assistant | Assistant | |
| Average salary | $50,539 | $37,363 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $71,000 | Between $16,000 And $82,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Meta | Latham & Watkins |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Education |
There are a few differences between an executive assistant and an assistant in terms of educational background:
| Executive Assistant | Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between executive assistants' and assistants' demographics:
| Executive Assistant | Assistant | |
| Average age | 49 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9% | Male, 40.7% Female, 59.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 5.0% White, 71.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 6% |