General office assistant vs general office clerk

The differences between general office assistants and general office clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a general office assistant and a general office clerk. Additionally, a general office assistant has an average salary of $30,764, which is higher than the $30,034 average annual salary of a general office clerk.

The top three skills for a general office assistant include data entry, customer service and general office assistance. The most important skills for a general office clerk are data entry, customer service, and office equipment.

General office assistant vs general office clerk overview

	General Office Assistant	General Office Clerk
Yearly salary	$30,764	$30,034
Hourly rate	$14.79	$14.44
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	131,527	160,597
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	2	2

What does a general office assistant do?

A general office assistant is in charge of performing clerical support tasks to help an office run smoothly and efficiently. Their responsibilities include managing the office calendar and schedules, preparing and processing documents, handling calls and correspondence, organizing and disseminating files, greeting visitors, and running errands as needed. They must also monitor the inventory of office supplies, processing procurement requests as necessary. Furthermore, a general office assistant may assist staff in projects and programs while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.

What does a general office clerk do?

A general office clerk is responsible for performing various clerical duties to support business functions and ensure smooth daily operations. General office clerks respond to clients' inquiries and concerns, welcoming guests, and assisting in disseminating information across the organization. They maintain the adequacy of inventories, organize business and financial transaction reports, and perform basic bookkeeping tasks and banking transactions. A general office clerk must be highly organizational and analytical, especially in encoding account statements on the database and processing business reports required by the management.

General office assistant vs general office clerk salary

General office assistants and general office clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	General Office Assistant	General Office Clerk
Average salary	$30,764	$30,034
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $39,000	Between $23,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	Annapolis, MD	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Washington
Best paying company	Cargill	USF Reddaway
Best paying industry	Finance	Health Care

Differences between general office assistant and general office clerk education

There are a few differences between a general office assistant and a general office clerk in terms of educational background:

	General Office Assistant	General Office Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

General office assistant vs general office clerk demographics

Here are the differences between general office assistants' and general office clerks' demographics:

	General Office Assistant	General Office Clerk
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 20.8% Female, 79.2%	Male, 22.2% Female, 77.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 21.7% Asian, 9.1% White, 54.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 23.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 53.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between general office assistant and general office clerk duties and responsibilities

General office assistant example responsibilities.

Manage operational FedEx relationship through order fulfillment, shipment tracking, and communication with parties involve in shipment transaction.
Utilize QuickBooks to prepare checks and process for submission to insurance companies.
Assign jobs to the installers into the computer by their installer identification number, addressed any payroll questions from the installers.
Distribute payroll and verify accuracy.
Maintain general office tidiness run errands and perform other job-relate duties as assigned.
Lead DoD team that assist Pakistan in gaining military capabilities to conduct counter-terrorism operations against the Taliban.

General office clerk example responsibilities.

Set up PowerPoint presentations using LCD projectors and computers.
Update and maintain PowerPoint presentations used for new hire orientation of management and employees.
Insert data accurately and expeditiously into the company payroll system for future retrieval.
Assist patients with sensitive and detail orient documentation, schedule appointments and verify insurance benefits.
Use QuickBooks for purchase order, inventory activities and sales order.
Bag groceries, assist customers in locating merchandise, cleaning of store floors, restrooms and shelves.

General office assistant vs general office clerk skills

Common general office assistant skills

Data Entry, 26%
Customer Service, 12%
General Office Assistance, 9%
Front Desk, 7%
Schedule Appointments, 6%
Office Equipment, 6%

Common general office clerk skills

Data Entry, 17%
Customer Service, 15%
Office Equipment, 12%
Front Desk, 11%
Word Processing, 9%
Telephone Calls, 8%

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General Office Assistant
General Office Assistant vs General Office Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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