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The differences between executive assistant to chief executive officers 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 to chief executive officer and an executive secretary. Additionally, an executive assistant to chief executive officer has an average salary of $70,995, which is higher than the $46,594 average annual salary of an executive secretary.
The top three skills for an executive assistant to chief executive officer include powerpoint, financial reports and calendar management. The most important skills for an executive secretary are office procedures, payroll, and word processing.
| Executive Assistant To Chief Executive Officer | Executive Secretary | |
| Yearly salary | $70,995 | $46,594 |
| Hourly rate | $34.13 | $22.40 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 10,371 | 103,802 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Average age | 49 | 49 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
The primary role of executive assistants to the chief executive officer (CEO) is to provide support to the CEO. They serve as the first point of connection for both external and internal constituencies on all affairs related to the CEO. They also serve as a liaison to senior management teams and board of directors. They have varied roles and responsibilities, which include planning and coordinating the CEO's schedule, communicating directly with board members, foundation and others, and completing important aspects of deliverables.
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 to chief executive officers and executive secretaries have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Executive Assistant To Chief Executive Officer | Executive Secretary | |
| Average salary | $70,995 | $46,594 |
| Salary range | Between $49,000 And $101,000 | Between $31,000 And $69,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | New York |
| Best paying company | Pure Storage | InfosysPublicService |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Government |
There are a few differences between an executive assistant to chief executive officer and an executive secretary in terms of educational background:
| Executive Assistant To Chief Executive Officer | Executive Secretary | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | 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 to chief executive officers' and executive secretaries' demographics:
| Executive Assistant To Chief Executive Officer | Executive Secretary | |
| Average age | 49 | 49 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 12.7% Female, 87.3% | 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% |