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The differences between executive assistants and executive/personal assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an executive assistant and an executive/personal assistant. Additionally, an executive/personal assistant has an average salary of $64,511, which is higher than the $50,539 average annual salary of an executive assistant.
The top three skills for an executive assistant include powerpoint, customer service and phone calls. The most important skills for an executive/personal assistant are financial statements, powerpoint, and calendar management.
| Executive Assistant | Executive/Personal Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $50,539 | $64,511 |
| Hourly rate | $24.30 | $31.01 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 93,116 | 110,560 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 49 | 49 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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 executive/personal assistant is responsible for performing secretarial duties, including administrative and clerical tasks as needed, helping the business operations run smoothly and efficiently. Executive/personal assistants receive and respond to client's calls and inquiries, schedule and maintain an organized record of executive and staff meetings, sorting files and documents, and attending general meetings on behalf of the executives. They should also have excellent communication and critical-thinking skills, especially on providing recommendations for business decisions and profitable opportunities. An executive/personal assistant creates expense reports, monitors the adequacy of stock inventory, and coordinates with planning company events.
Executive assistants and executive/personal assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Executive Assistant | Executive/Personal Assistant | |
| Average salary | $50,539 | $64,511 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $71,000 | Between $44,000 And $92,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New York | Washington |
| Best paying company | Meta | ONE Sotheby's International Realty |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between an executive assistant and an executive/personal assistant in terms of educational background:
| Executive Assistant | Executive/Personal Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between executive assistants' and executive/personal assistants' demographics:
| Executive Assistant | Executive/Personal Assistant | |
| Average age | 49 | 49 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9% | Male, 15.5% Female, 84.5% |
| 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, 7.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 5.0% White, 71.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |