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The differences between executive secretaries and assistant office managers 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 secretary, becoming an assistant office manager takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an executive secretary has an average salary of $46,594, which is higher than the $43,074 average annual salary of an assistant office manager.
The top three skills for an executive secretary include office procedures, payroll and word processing. The most important skills for an assistant office manager are customer service, patients, and financial statements.
| Executive Secretary | Assistant Office Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $46,594 | $43,074 |
| Hourly rate | $22.40 | $20.71 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 103,802 | 56,866 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Average age | 49 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
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.
An assistant office manager's role is to perform administrative and management support-related tasks. Most of the responsibilities revolve around gathering information and maintaining a database, preparing presentations and processing necessary documents, arranging schedules and appointments, and taking charge of the procurement of office supplies. Furthermore, an assistant office manager may take part in maintenance activities and decisions, devise plans to maximize space, improve the office environment, and even attend meetings on behalf of the manager.
Executive secretaries and assistant office managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Executive Secretary | Assistant Office Manager | |
| Average salary | $46,594 | $43,074 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $69,000 | Between $31,000 And $59,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Campbell, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Alaska |
| Best paying company | InfosysPublicService | Cambridge Associates |
| Best paying industry | Government | Finance |
There are a few differences between an executive secretary and an assistant office manager in terms of educational background:
| Executive Secretary | Assistant Office Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | California State University - Bakersfield |
Here are the differences between executive secretaries' and assistant office managers' demographics:
| Executive Secretary | Assistant Office Manager | |
| Average age | 49 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 7.7% Female, 92.3% | Male, 17.8% Female, 82.2% |
| 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, 10.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 5.2% White, 60.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 8% |