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The differences between executive assistant/office managers and executive secretaries 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/office manager and an executive secretary. Additionally, an executive assistant/office manager has an average salary of $59,405, which is higher than the $46,594 average annual salary of an executive secretary.
The top three skills for an executive assistant/office manager include customer service, financial reports and office equipment. The most important skills for an executive secretary are office procedures, payroll, and word processing.
| Executive Assistant/Office Manager | Executive Secretary | |
| Yearly salary | $59,405 | $46,594 |
| Hourly rate | $28.56 | $22.40 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 119,266 | 103,802 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Average age | 49 | 49 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
An executive assistant/office manager specializes in administrative support tasks within an office or an organization. One of their primary responsibilities includes assisting the director or head of an office by responding to calls and inquiries, handling correspondence, arranging appointments and meetings, managing schedules, and reporting necessary updates. They must also monitor inventory and procure necessary supplies, process documentation, and perform other tasks to support staff. Furthermore, an executive assistant/office manager may take part in the preparations and approval of the payroll, budget, and other necessary databases concerning employees and departments.
The primary role of executive secretaries is to provide clerical support to an executive or a high-level administrator. They are the ones who conduct the different administrative support tasks for executives which include managing the calendar of executives, answering phone calls, conducting research and sorting important files, preparing and proofreading monthly reports and industry documents that are relevant to the role of executives, and performing some bookkeeping activities such as invoice creation and office inventory tracking.
Executive assistant/office managers and executive secretaries have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Executive Assistant/Office Manager | Executive Secretary | |
| Average salary | $59,405 | $46,594 |
| Salary range | Between $39,000 And $89,000 | Between $31,000 And $69,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | New York |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | InfosysPublicService |
| Best paying industry | Real Estate | Government |
There are a few differences between an executive assistant/office manager and an executive secretary in terms of educational background:
| Executive Assistant/Office Manager | Executive Secretary | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between executive assistant/office managers' and executive secretaries' demographics:
| Executive Assistant/Office Manager | Executive Secretary | |
| Average age | 49 | 49 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 11.9% Female, 88.1% | Male, 7.7% Female, 92.3% |
| 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, 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% |