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The differences between executive/personal assistants and administrative professionals 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/personal assistant, becoming an administrative professional takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an executive/personal assistant has an average salary of $64,511, which is higher than the $39,486 average annual salary of an administrative professional.
The top three skills for an executive/personal assistant include financial statements, powerpoint and calendar management. The most important skills for an administrative professional are customer service, powerpoint, and data entry.
| Executive/Personal Assistant | Administrative Professional | |
| Yearly salary | $64,511 | $39,486 |
| Hourly rate | $31.01 | $18.98 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 110,560 | 87,372 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Average age | 49 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
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.
An administrative professional specializes in performing administrative support and clerical tasks in a company or office, ensuring accuracy and smooth workflow. Their responsibilities typically revolve around managing schedules, arranging appointments and meetings, producing progress reports and presentations, delegating tasks, and attending meetings on behalf of executives or staff. There are also instances when an administrative assistant must answer calls and correspondence, respond to inquiries and concerns, welcome guests, relay messages, and provide staff with any support tasks or documents.
Executive/personal assistants and administrative professionals have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Executive/Personal Assistant | Administrative Professional | |
| Average salary | $64,511 | $39,486 |
| Salary range | Between $44,000 And $92,000 | Between $23,000 And $65,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | ONE Sotheby's International Realty | HomeOwners Advantage |
| Best paying industry | Finance | - |
There are a few differences between an executive/personal assistant and an administrative professional in terms of educational background:
| Executive/Personal Assistant | Administrative Professional | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between executive/personal assistants' and administrative professionals' demographics:
| Executive/Personal Assistant | Administrative Professional | |
| Average age | 49 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 15.5% Female, 84.5% | Male, 17.4% Female, 82.6% |
| 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, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 6% |