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The differences between office secretaries and service secretaries 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 secretary and a service secretary. Additionally, an office secretary has an average salary of $33,118, which is higher than the $30,948 average annual salary of a service secretary.
The top three skills for an office secretary include data entry, phone calls and telephone calls. The most important skills for a service secretary are patients, customer service, and data entry.
| Office Secretary | Service Secretary | |
| Yearly salary | $33,118 | $30,948 |
| Hourly rate | $15.92 | $14.88 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 87,771 | 25,307 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 42% | Bachelor's Degree, 30% |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
A service secretary performs administrative and clerical duties, such as maintaining databases and filing systems, coordinating meetings, and preparing documents. The core skills that a service secretary should possess to perform his/her or her responsibilities include strong interpersonal skills, knowledge of general office procedures, and the ability to operate office equipment. Service secretaries are employed in industries like business, law, and education. Having extensive experience in secretarial and clerical work is an advantage to qualify for the service secretary position.
Office secretaries and service secretaries have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Office Secretary | Service Secretary | |
| Average salary | $33,118 | $30,948 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $42,000 | Between $22,000 And $42,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Rosa, CA | East Hartford, CT |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Guidehouse | EastHartford Schools |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between an office secretary and a service secretary in terms of educational background:
| Office Secretary | Service Secretary | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 42% | Bachelor's Degree, 30% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between office secretaries' and service secretaries' demographics:
| Office Secretary | Service Secretary | |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 14.7% Female, 85.3% | Male, 7.0% Female, 93.0% |
| 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, 9.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |