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Executive secretary vs department secretary

The differences between executive secretaries and department secretaries 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 a department secretary takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an executive secretary has an average salary of $46,594, which is higher than the $35,473 average annual salary of a department secretary.

The top three skills for an executive secretary include office procedures, payroll and word processing. The most important skills for a department secretary are patients, customer service, and data entry.

Executive secretary vs department secretary overview

Executive SecretaryDepartment Secretary
Yearly salary$46,594$35,473
Hourly rate$22.40$17.05
Growth rate-8%-8%
Number of jobs103,80280,303
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 44%Bachelor's Degree, 39%
Average age4950
Years of experience42

What does an executive secretary do?

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.

What does a department secretary do?

A department secretary is responsible for providing administrative and clerical support to a specific department, ensuring smooth operations to maintain high-quality services to the customers and business partners. Department secretaries should have excellent knowledge of office management principles, especially on data processing procedures and customer service processes. They handle the scheduling of meetings and conferences, responding to customers' inquiries and concerns, directing visitors to the appropriate personnel and department, sorting files, and submitting business transactions and financial reports. A department secretary also recommends strategic procedures to generate more revenues and increase the company's profitability.

Executive secretary vs department secretary salary

Executive secretaries and department secretaries have different pay scales, as shown below.

Executive SecretaryDepartment Secretary
Average salary$46,594$35,473
Salary rangeBetween $31,000 And $69,000Between $26,000 And $47,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NYOakland, CA
Highest paying stateNew YorkCalifornia
Best paying companyInfosysPublicServiceBrigham and Women's Hospital
Best paying industryGovernmentGovernment

Differences between executive secretary and department secretary education

There are a few differences between an executive secretary and a department secretary in terms of educational background:

Executive SecretaryDepartment Secretary
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 44%Bachelor's Degree, 39%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeWestern Carolina UniversityStanford University

Executive secretary vs department secretary demographics

Here are the differences between executive secretaries' and department secretaries' demographics:

Executive SecretaryDepartment Secretary
Average age4950
Gender ratioMale, 7.7% Female, 92.3%Male, 7.0% Female, 93.0%
Race ratioBlack 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, 9.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage10%6%

Differences between executive secretary and department secretary duties and responsibilities

Executive secretary example responsibilities.

  • Manage specific projects from start to finish as required by the SVP.
  • Manage high volume of requests and correspondence from executives and colleagues, pharmaceutical representatives, patients and outside physicians.
  • Assist in daily typing of correspondence to agencies regarding Medicare and Medicaid contracts.
  • Maintain all the student records in PowerSchool and generate report cards with accuracy.
  • Maintain all departmental information, including transcription of meeting minutes and all audit and payroll documentation.
  • Input miss time punch and vacation/sick time in KRONOS for employees.
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Department secretary example responsibilities.

  • Lead DoD team that assist Pakistan in gaining military capabilities to conduct counter-terrorism operations against the Taliban.
  • Volunteer for ISO auditor duties to ensure ISO procedures are followed for certification.
  • Perform payroll functions, including maintaining timekeeping information and processing and submitting payroll.
  • Prepare materials for monthly board of directors meetings including PowerPoint presentations, agendas and minutes.
  • Complete all payroll documentation, enter all payroll documentation into computer program, and submit to payroll department.
  • Create PowerPoint presentations used for business development, organize files and develop spreadsheets, fax reports and scan documents.
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Executive secretary vs department secretary skills

Common executive secretary skills
  • Office Procedures, 9%
  • Payroll, 9%
  • Word Processing, 8%
  • PowerPoint, 8%
  • Financial Statements, 6%
  • Scheduling Appointments, 5%
Common department secretary skills
  • Patients, 22%
  • Customer Service, 10%
  • Data Entry, 7%
  • Medical Terminology, 7%
  • Patient Care, 4%
  • Word Processing, 4%

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