Office secretary vs senior secretary

The differences between office secretaries and senior secretaries can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an office secretary, becoming a senior secretary takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a senior secretary has an average salary of $33,120, which is higher than the $33,118 average annual salary of an office secretary.

The top three skills for an office secretary include data entry, phone calls and telephone calls. The most important skills for a senior secretary are patients, routine correspondence, and data entry.

Office secretary vs senior secretary overview

	Office Secretary	Senior Secretary
Yearly salary	$33,118	$33,120
Hourly rate	$15.92	$15.92
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	87,771	37,284
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average age	50	49
Years of experience	2	4

What does an office secretary do?

An office secretary is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to ensure the smooth flow of operations and prevent delays with project deliverables. Office secretaries also welcome guests, respond to their inquiries and concerns, and direct them to the appropriate department or personnel for their appointments. They schedule meetings, sort documents, handle incoming and outgoing mail, as well as manage inventories for the adequacy of office supplies. An office secretary must have excellent time-management and multitasking skills to conduct tasks within a strict deadline and minimal supervision.

What does a senior secretary 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.

Office secretary vs senior secretary salary

Office secretaries and senior secretaries have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Office Secretary	Senior Secretary
Average salary	$33,118	$33,120
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $42,000	Between $26,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	Santa Rosa, CA	Santa Rosa, CA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Hawaii
Best paying company	Guidehouse	Columbia University in the City of New York
Best paying industry	Telecommunication	Pharmaceutical

Differences between office secretary and senior secretary education

There are a few differences between an office secretary and a senior secretary in terms of educational background:

	Office Secretary	Senior Secretary
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Western Carolina University

Office secretary vs senior secretary demographics

Here are the differences between office secretaries' and senior secretaries' demographics:

	Office Secretary	Senior Secretary
Average age	50	49
Gender ratio	Male, 14.7% Female, 85.3%	Male, 5.9% Female, 94.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 5.0% White, 71.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	6%	10%

Differences between office secretary and senior secretary duties and responsibilities

Office secretary example responsibilities.

Lead DoD team that assist Pakistan in gaining military capabilities to conduct counter-terrorism operations against the Taliban.
Research and keep updated on Medicare and Medicaid benefits, qualification requirements, and the legal and financial effects of options.
Determine client eligibility for Medicaid transportation.
Process and submit payroll information and invoices.
Maintain departmental inventory, purchasing/travel paperwork, and process payroll.
Answer customer phone calls-Record daily business transactions-Manage QuickBooks and bank accounts-Enter parts invoices and take inventory

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Senior secretary example responsibilities.

Manage high volume of requests and correspondence from executives and colleagues, pharmaceutical representatives, patients and outside physicians.
Prepare PowerPoint presentations, complete statistical reports, and convert reports to various formats.
Maintain confidentiality of all payroll documents and office files.
Compile and distribute customer updates for payroll software programs and telecommunications networks.
Maintain databases, prepare PowerPoint presentations, maintain inventory and requisition supplies for the department.
Demonstrate professional integrity and tactful handling of confidential and protect health information according to HIPAA and administrative policy guidelines.

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Office secretary vs senior secretary skills

Common office secretary skills

Data Entry, 12%
Phone Calls, 11%
Telephone Calls, 8%
Scheduling Appointments, 7%
Office Procedures, 7%
Payroll, 6%

Common senior secretary skills

Patients, 12%
Routine Correspondence, 11%
Data Entry, 8%
Telephone Calls, 6%
Office Equipment, 6%
Payroll, 5%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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