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What does a general office assistant do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
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.

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General office assistant responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real general office assistant resumes:

  • 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.
  • Manage operational FedEx relationship through order fulfillment, shipment tracking, and communication with parties involve in shipment transaction.

General office assistant skills and personality traits

We calculated that 26% of General Office Assistants are proficient in Data Entry, Customer Service, and General Office Assistance. They’re also known for soft skills such as Customer-service skills, Detail oriented, and Organizational skills.

We break down the percentage of General Office Assistants that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Data Entry, 26%

    Performed clerical and general data entry functions.

  • Customer Service, 12%

    Provided quality customer service, processed payments, entered, retrieved and revised payment information.

  • General Office Assistance, 9%

    Provided general office assistance to the CEO and several other executives for the company, as needed.

  • Front Desk, 7%

    General Office Assistant/Clerk, Front Desk Coordinator, Greeter/Register

  • Schedule Appointments, 6%

    Schedule appointments and documenting contact information of potential customers.

  • Office Equipment, 6%

    Operated general office equipment and applied modern office procedures.

Common skills that a general office assistant uses to do their job include "data entry," "customer service," and "general office assistance." You can find details on the most important general office assistant responsibilities below.

Customer-service skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a general office assistant to have is customer-service skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "general office clerks often provide general information to company staff, customers, or the public." General office assistants often use customer-service skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "provided customer support to various departments and performed data entry. "

Detail oriented. Many general office assistant duties rely on detail oriented. "general office clerks perform many clerical tasks that require attention to detail, such as preparing bills.," so a general office assistant will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways general office assistant responsibilities rely on detail oriented: "described product to customers and accurately explained details investigated and resolved customer inquiries and complaints in a timely and empathetic manner. "

Organizational skills. general office assistants are also known for organizational skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to general office assistant responsibilities, because "general office clerks file and retrieve records." A general office assistant resume example shows how organizational skills is used in the workplace: "applied organizational skills and sharp attention to detail in supporting all facets of office operations. "

Most common general office assistant skills

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General Office Assistant Resume

Compare different general office assistants

General office assistant vs. Office worker

An office worker is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support the daily operations of the business. Office workers assist in receiving calls to respond to the clients' inquiries and concerns, as well as welcoming visitors, verifying their appointments, and leading them to the appropriate personnel and department for their business needs. They also do data processing, sorting mail, and filing documents for easy retrieval and reference, especially during meetings and company activities.

We looked at the average general office assistant salary and compared it with the wages of an office worker. Generally speaking, office workers are paid $10,239 higher than general office assistants per year.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between general office assistants and office workers are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like data entry, customer service, and front desk.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, general office assistant responsibilities require skills like "general office assistance," "schedule appointments," "proofread," and "multi-line phone system." Meanwhile a typical office worker has skills in areas such as "scheduling appointments," "credit card," "computer software," and "windows." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

Office workers really shine in the education industry with an average salary of $40,267. Comparatively, general office assistants tend to make the most money in the finance industry with an average salary of $41,984.On average, office workers reach similar levels of education than general office assistants. Office workers are 0.2% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.6% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

General office assistant vs. Office clerk

Office clerks are administrative employees who handle clerical activities for the organization. They are in charge of managing company records, organizing and storing documents, filing and sorting hard copies of documents, and liaising with other departments or external partners. They are also in charge of handling and scheduling meetings and appointments, managing the reservation of office meeting rooms, and manning telephone lines. Office clerks may also be in charge of ordering office supplies, preparing purchase requisitions for office needs, sending out and receiving official company documents, and other correspondences.

On average, office clerks earn a $163 higher salary than general office assistants a year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. General office assistants and office clerks both require similar skills like "data entry," "customer service," and "front desk" to carry out their responsibilities.

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, general office assistant responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "general office assistance," "schedule appointments," "proofread," and "numerical order." Meanwhile, an office clerk has duties that require skills in areas such as "scheduling appointments," "purchase orders," "clerical tasks," and "business transactions." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Office clerks earn a higher average salary than general office assistants. But office clerks earn the highest pay in the transportation industry, with an average salary of $31,504. Additionally, general office assistants earn the highest salaries in the finance with average pay of $41,984 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Office clerks tend to reach similar levels of education than general office assistants. In fact, they're 1.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

General office assistant vs. Assistant secretary

An assistant secretary is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support the daily operations of various departments and management personnel and ensure the efficiency of business functions. Assistant secretaries usually assist in business communications, responding to customers' inquiries and concerns, reaching out to existing clients to schedule appointments, welcoming guests on the office, and routing calls to the appropriate department. They also handle data entry procedures, updating customer information on the database, as well as creating reports on business and financial transactions.

On average scale, assistant secretaries bring in higher salaries than general office assistants. In fact, they earn a $76,602 higher salary per year.Using the responsibilities included on general office assistants and assistant secretaries resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "front desk," "office equipment," and "clerical support.rdquo;

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, general office assistants are more likely to have skills like "data entry," "customer service," "general office assistance," and "schedule appointments." But a assistant secretary is more likely to have skills like "scheduling appointments," "financial statements," "federal agencies," and "real estate."

Assistant secretaries typically earn similar educational levels compared to general office assistants. Specifically, they're 4.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

General office assistant vs. Assistant

An assistant intern is responsible for facilitating administrative and clerical tasks as assigned by the management. Assistant interns' duties include keeping records of meetings, receiving calls and handling customer inquiries, assisting on writing reports and data entry processing, cooperating and providing support for business events, and adhering to company policies and regulatory procedures. Successful assistant interns must have excellent time-management, multi-tasking, and communication skills. They must be a team player and fast-learner to handle various tasks in the corporate industry.

Assistants tend to earn a higher pay than general office assistants by an average of $6,599 per year.While their salaries may vary, general office assistants and assistants both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "customer service," "front desk," and "office equipment. "Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A general office assistant uses "data entry," "general office assistance," "schedule appointments," and "database systems." Assistants are more likely to have duties that require skills in "patients," "patient care," "cpr," and "sales floor. "The education industry tends to pay the highest salaries for assistants, with average annual pay of $39,026. Comparatively, the highest general office assistant annual salary comes from the finance industry.assistants reach similar levels of education compared to general office assistants, in general. The difference is that they're 1.7% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.0% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of general office assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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