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The differences between office services assistants and assistant 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 services assistant and an assistant secretary. Additionally, an assistant secretary has an average salary of $107,366, which is higher than the $31,577 average annual salary of an office services assistant.
The top three skills for an office services assistant include customer service, data entry and office services. The most important skills for an assistant secretary are telephone calls, payroll, and scheduling appointments.
| Office Services Assistant | Assistant Secretary | |
| Yearly salary | $31,577 | $107,366 |
| Hourly rate | $15.18 | $51.62 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 149,516 | 52,165 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 47 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
An office services assistant is in charge of performing clerical support tasks in an office. Their responsibilities often revolve around preparing and processing documents, answering calls and correspondence, greeting visitors, answering inquiries, relaying messages, receiving and disseminating letters, and devising strategies to optimize office procedures. They may also participate in procuring supplies, keeping them organized at all times. Furthermore, they must maintain an active communication line with staff, coordinating with them on different activities to maintain an efficient workflow.
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.
Office services assistants and assistant secretaries have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Office Services Assistant | Assistant Secretary | |
| Average salary | $31,577 | $107,366 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $39,000 | Between $38,000 And $302,000 |
| Highest paying City | Anchorage, AK | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Gensler | Elanco |
| Best paying industry | Government | - |
There are a few differences between an office services assistant and an assistant secretary in terms of educational background:
| Office Services Assistant | Assistant Secretary | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between office services assistants' and assistant secretaries' demographics:
| Office Services Assistant | Assistant Secretary | |
| Average age | 47 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 28.2% Female, 71.8% | Male, 21.7% Female, 78.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 21.1% Asian, 7.4% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |