What does a manager's assistant/administrative assistant do?

A Senior Secretary is responsible for maintaining office records, receiving and directing telephone calls, and writing various reports for managers. They also schedule appointments and meetings for supervisors and assist in the process of new hires.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, manager's assistant/administrative assistant responsibilities require skills like "inventory control," "customer service," "loss prevention," and "customer inquiries." Meanwhile a typical senior secretary has skills in areas such as "patients," "routine correspondence," "data entry," and "payroll." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

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.

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that manager's assistant/administrative assistant responsibilities requires skills like "inventory control," "customer service," "loss prevention," and "purchase orders." But an executive secretary might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "office procedures," "payroll," "provides administrative support," and "secretarial support."

An executive/personal assistant is responsible for performing secretarial duties, including administrative and clerical tasks as needed, helping the business operations run smoothly and efficiently. Executive/personal assistants receive and respond to client's calls and inquiries, schedule and maintain an organized record of executive and staff meetings, sorting files and documents, and attending general meetings on behalf of the executives. They should also have excellent communication and critical-thinking skills, especially on providing recommendations for business decisions and profitable opportunities. An executive/personal assistant creates expense reports, monitors the adequacy of stock inventory, and coordinates with planning company events.

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a manager's assistant/administrative assistant is likely to be skilled in "inventory control," "customer service," "financial reports," and "loss prevention," while a typical executive/personal assistant is skilled in "calendar management," "event planning," "real estate," and "payroll."

A staff assistant is a company employee who is tasked to support and help staff members to adequately fill their roles and assuring that the organization is running efficiently. Working under an administrative supervisor, an assistant's tasks include answering phone calls, scheduling meetings or appointments, and booking the necessary travels. Moreover, an assistant should have excellent skills in written and verbal communication and is highly organized with minimal supervision. An assistant may be able to work in a wide variety of settings, which includes healthcare facilities and government offices.