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Finance/administrative assistant vs front desk administrative assistant

The differences between finance/administrative assistants and front desk administrative assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a finance/administrative assistant and a front desk administrative assistant. Additionally, a finance/administrative assistant has an average salary of $39,756, which is higher than the $33,037 average annual salary of a front desk administrative assistant.

The top three skills for a finance/administrative assistant include data entry, powerpoint and travel arrangements. The most important skills for a front desk administrative assistant are customer service, patients, and data entry.

Finance/administrative assistant vs front desk administrative assistant overview

Finance/Administrative AssistantFront Desk Administrative Assistant
Yearly salary$39,756$33,037
Hourly rate$19.11$15.88
Growth rate-8%-8%
Number of jobs127,37995,732
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 55%Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average age5050
Years of experience22

What does a finance/administrative assistant do?

A finance administrative assistant is responsible for performing clerical duties and basic bookkeeping tasks to support financial operations under the supervision of financial executives. Finance administrative assistants generate financial and business reports, update account information on the database, assist with payroll release, and help the accounting staff in resolving financial discrepancies and disputes. They also reach out to the clients for payments and billing, respond to their inquiries and concerns, and escalate their complaints to the supervisor for immediate resolution.

What does a front desk administrative assistant do?

A front desk administrative assistant is responsible for performing administrative duties to support daily business functions and operations. Front desk administrative assistants assist guests, respond to their inquiries and concerns, and direct them to the appropriate personnel for their needs. They also monitor office inventories, write purchase requests, and distribute mails across the departments. A front desk administrative assistants review business and financial transactions to generate reports, update information on the company's database, and sort documents for reference.

Finance/administrative assistant vs front desk administrative assistant salary

Finance/administrative assistants and front desk administrative assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Finance/Administrative AssistantFront Desk Administrative Assistant
Average salary$39,756$33,037
Salary rangeBetween $29,000 And $52,000Between $27,000 And $39,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCSpringfield, MA
Highest paying stateConnecticutConnecticut
Best paying companyTALENT Software ServicesUniversity of California, Berkeley
Best paying industryProfessionalProfessional

Differences between finance/administrative assistant and front desk administrative assistant education

There are a few differences between a finance/administrative assistant and a front desk administrative assistant in terms of educational background:

Finance/Administrative AssistantFront Desk Administrative Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 55%Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaWestern Carolina University

Finance/administrative assistant vs front desk administrative assistant demographics

Here are the differences between finance/administrative assistants' and front desk administrative assistants' demographics:

Finance/Administrative AssistantFront Desk Administrative Assistant
Average age5050
Gender ratioMale, 12.8% Female, 87.2%Male, 10.0% Female, 90.0%
Race ratioBlack 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%Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between finance/administrative assistant and front desk administrative assistant duties and responsibilities

Finance/administrative assistant example responsibilities.

  • Initiate both domestic and international wire transfers as well as ACH payments to manage vendor payments.
  • Manage all AR, AP, sales orders, work orders, and prepay inventory reconciliation.
  • Orchestrate special events and reservations; manage customer relations and provide exemplary service to all customers.
  • Alphabetize, sort, files FAFSA's code, and assemble letters for mass mailing.
  • Help students and officials file and summit FAFSA application forms and develop and maintain spreadsheets for documenting cases.
  • Process accounts payable and receivable utilizing QuickBooks.
  • Show more

Front desk administrative assistant example responsibilities.

  • Manage day-to-day operations including scheduling and coordinating appointments, verify patient insurance, prepare correspondences between medical providers and their patients.
  • Process member and team member paperwork; including member cancellations, updates, new hires/terminations/status changes, and payroll paperwork.
  • Monitor and complete payroll information.
  • Demonstrate great initiative in assisting tech team with minor technical issues and create PowerPoint presentations for business strategic purposes.
  • Register patients, verify eligibility of insurance, interview them in order to obtain other demographic information that are needed.
  • Manage day-to-day operations including scheduling and coordinating appointments, verify patient insurance, prepare correspondences between medical providers and their patients.
  • Show more

Finance/administrative assistant vs front desk administrative assistant skills

Common finance/administrative assistant skills
  • Data Entry, 11%
  • PowerPoint, 10%
  • Travel Arrangements, 7%
  • Purchase Orders, 6%
  • Financial Aid, 5%
  • Expense Reports, 5%
Common front desk administrative assistant skills
  • Customer Service, 15%
  • Patients, 12%
  • Data Entry, 8%
  • Phone Calls, 8%
  • Front Desk Operations, 7%
  • Check-In, 4%

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