Office aide vs administrative office specialist

The differences between office aides and administrative office specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an office aide and an administrative office specialist. Additionally, an administrative office specialist has an average salary of $35,177, which is higher than the $29,255 average annual salary of an office aide.

The top three skills for an office aide include data entry, phone calls and telephone calls. The most important skills for an administrative office specialist are customer service, data entry, and word processing.

Office aide vs administrative office specialist overview

	Office Aide	Administrative Office Specialist
Yearly salary	$29,255	$35,177
Hourly rate	$14.06	$16.91
Growth rate	-5%	-8%
Number of jobs	76,712	96,945
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age	47	50
Years of experience	2	2

What does an office aide do?

Also called an office assistant, an office aide is someone whose responsibility focuses on secretarial and administrative tasks in health practices, schools, businesses, or any other institution. Office aides help with logistical and clerical needs like copying files, curating schedules, and answering phones. They manage and organize files, receive and direct visitors, create presentations, and answer emails. The skills they need include computer and email use, filing documents, answering multiline phone systems, and typing.

What does an administrative office specialist do?

An administrative office specialist helps offices to run efficiently and smoothly by performing clerical support tasks. Their responsibilities often include preparing and processing documents, arranging meetings and appointments, monitoring the budgets and expenditures, answering calls and correspondence, handling the inventory and procurement of office supplies, and developing strategies to optimize office operations. They may also address issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and professionally. Furthermore, as an administrative office specialist, it is essential to coordinate staff, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

Office aide vs administrative office specialist salary

Office aides and administrative office specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Office Aide	Administrative Office Specialist
Average salary	$29,255	$35,177
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $37,000	Between $28,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	Olympia, WA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Washington	Alaska
Best paying company	Community Solutions	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	Health Care	Technology

Differences between office aide and administrative office specialist education

There are a few differences between an office aide and an administrative office specialist in terms of educational background:

	Office Aide	Administrative Office Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Northwestern University	Western Carolina University

Office aide vs administrative office specialist demographics

Here are the differences between office aides' and administrative office specialists' demographics:

	Office Aide	Administrative Office Specialist
Average age	47	50
Gender ratio	Male, 24.2% Female, 75.8%	Male, 14.3% Female, 85.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 23.5% Asian, 8.3% White, 52.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 4.0% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between office aide and administrative office specialist duties and responsibilities

Office aide example responsibilities.

Manage operational FedEx relationship through order fulfillment, shipment tracking, and communication with parties involve in shipment transaction.
Handle bulk mailings for annual donations, alumni & target donors.
Elaborate letters, PowerPoint presentations.
Create PowerPoint presentations used for school development.
Administer executive responsibilities to assist the office manager with administrative task and operating QuickBooks.
Ensure sensitive information pertaining to veterans are kept secure.

Administrative office specialist example responsibilities.

Participate in committee meetings by preparing minutes and presentation summaries, planning meeting agendas, and organizing and managing meeting logistics.
Develop PowerPoint presentations for seminars and workshops.
Prepare briefings for senior level management using Microsoft PowerPoint.
Prepare bi-weekly payroll reports and special cost analyses and forecasting.
Coordinate accessibility into main office building along with identification badge and process direct deposit via state guidelines for payroll.
Coordinate travel arrangements in DTS; schedule mode of transportation, prepare trip folders, arrange lodging reservations and develop itineraries.

Office aide vs administrative office specialist skills

Common office aide skills

Data Entry, 16%
Phone Calls, 15%
Telephone Calls, 8%
Customer Service, 6%
Front Desk, 5%
Database Systems, 5%

Common administrative office specialist skills

Customer Service, 27%
Data Entry, 8%
Word Processing, 6%
Payroll, 3%
PowerPoint, 3%
Phone Calls, 3%

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Office Aide
Office Aide vs Administrative Office Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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