General office assistant vs office support assistant

The differences between general office assistants and office support 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 general office assistant and an office support assistant. Additionally, an office support assistant has an average salary of $33,548, which is higher than the $30,764 average annual salary of a general office assistant.

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

General office assistant vs office support assistant overview

	General Office Assistant	Office Support Assistant
Yearly salary	$30,764	$33,548
Hourly rate	$14.79	$16.13
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	131,527	134,113
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
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 an office support assistant do?

An office support assistant is in charge of performing clerical support tasks to keep offices running smoothly and efficiently. Their responsibilities typically include answering calls and correspondence, preparing and processing documents, organizing and disseminating files, and coordinating with different departments. There are also instances where they must attend meetings and take down information, greet visitors, and monitor the inventory of office supplies, processing procurement requests when necessary. Furthermore, they may assist the staff when it comes to programs and projects.

General office assistant vs office support assistant salary

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

	General Office Assistant	Office Support Assistant
Average salary	$30,764	$33,548
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $39,000	Between $26,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	Annapolis, MD	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Alaska	New York
Best paying company	Cargill	Sierra Pacific Industries
Best paying industry	Finance	Transportation

Differences between general office assistant and office support assistant education

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

	General Office Assistant	Office Support Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

General office assistant vs office support assistant demographics

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

	General Office Assistant	Office Support Assistant
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 20.8% Female, 79.2%	Male, 18.1% Female, 81.9%
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, 9.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 7.8% White, 62.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between general office assistant and office support assistant 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.

Office support assistant example responsibilities.

Manage and maintain patients' medical records by utilizing computer applications management database processing system to ensure county compliance.
Maintain HIPAA standards and audit secure patient files prior to filing.
Make sure all records are store and handle in compliance with HIPAA procedures.
Process payroll for administrative and clinical staff.
Create PowerPoint presentations for many different project managers.
Process payroll correcting entry forms, logging pertinent information into SharePoint spreadsheet for team activity.

General office assistant vs office support assistant 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 office support assistant skills

Customer Service, 20%
Data Entry, 16%
Office Equipment, 8%
Phone Calls, 6%
Office Procedures, 5%
PowerPoint, 5%

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General Office Assistant
General Office Assistant vs Office Support Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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