Office specialists are in charge of the administrative duties of an organization. Their duties are performed to ensure the proper running of the organization. As an office specialist, you are in charge of planning meetings, organizing schedules, planning events, providing customer service, and solving any problems customers might have. You will also help out with research and preparing reports. Also, you are the first contact with clients either through calls or physically, which means you would be responding to client's inquiries first.

You should have organizational skills, interpersonal skills, good communication skills both in written and verbal, time management skills, and you should be computer literate and pay serious attention to details. Most office specialists have a bachelor's degree in business, account, and other related courses. You will earn an average of $31,187 per year.

What Does an Office Specialist Do

There are certain skills that many office specialists have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed customer-service skills, detail oriented and organizational skills.

Learn more about what an Office Specialist does

How To Become an Office Specialist

If you're interested in becoming an office specialist, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 44.0% of office specialists have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 4.8% of office specialists have master's degrees. Even though some office specialists have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become an Office Specialist

Office Specialist Career Paths

Average Salary for an Office Specialist

Office Specialists in America make an average salary of $33,477 per year or $16 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $43,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $25,000 per year.
Average Office Specialist Salary
$33,477 Yearly
$16.09 hourly

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Roles and Types of Office Specialist

The role of an office specialist includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general office specialist responsibilities:

  • Duties and tasks require simple analysis
  • Supervision is received from department head or other designated official. Minimum required qualifications high school diploma or general education degree (ged) required. At least one year previous experience providing customer service to the general public this company is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, genetics,
  • The office specialist 2 (os2) classification is considered a general office support position

There are several types of office specialist, including:

Office Clerk

Role:

An Office Clerk works in an office and carries out administrative tasks. Working under the supervision of secretaries or executive assistants, office clerks prepare documents and sort mail, file and update company records, schedule meetings, answer phones, greet clients and make sure office supplies are in stock at all times.

You might be asked to make travel arrangements or book venues, take minutes at meetings, and maybe even do some basic bookkeeping tasks. Using photocopy machines and printers and being familiar with basic computer software, such as word processors or spreadsheets, will also be required.

If you want to be an efficient office clerk, you need to be diligent, reliable, and hard-working. You must be perceptive and easy to talk to, and experience with office equipment and procedures is always helpful.
  • Average Salary: $30,927
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Office Secretary

Role:

As an office secretary, you will oversee administrative and clerical duties to ensure the office runs smoothly. They answer the phone, take messages and refer calls to respective staff members. Likewise, they open, sort, and distribute the mails and faxes to the appropriate recipients. They schedule appointments and update event calendars. Furthermore, they arrange meetings and coordinate conference room schedules. Also, they prepare and edit memos and other documents for internal or external distribution. Additionally, they monitor office supplies and restock as needed.

Most office secretaries have organization, attention to detail, multitasking, proofreading, interpersonal, and communication skills. Applicants must hold a minimum of a high school diploma or its equivalent. You must have relevant work experience. You must be familiar with general office procedures and be proficient in Microsoft Office. Office secretaries earn an average salary of $35,835 per year. This ranges between $24,000 and $53,000.

  • Average Salary: $33,118
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Office Receptionist

Role:

Office receptionists perform various administrative support tasks. This includes answering phones, receiving visitors, preparing meeting and training rooms, sorting and distributing mail, and making travel plans. They welcome visitors and deliver exceptional customer service assistance by addressing their questions and needs. They keep the reception area and all common areas clean and tidy at all times. Also, they operate standard office equipment regularly, such as fax machines, copy machines, and computers. Additionally, they maintain an inventory of office supplies and restock as needed.

For this role, you need a minimum of a high school diploma or its equivalent. You must have at least two years of relevant experience in an office environment. You must be proficient in Microsoft Office. Also, you must possess multitasking, prioritization, interpersonal, organization, time management, and communication skills. Employers may provide on-the-job training. Your salary will be between $23,000 and $42,000, with an average of $31,127 yearly.

  • Average Salary: $33,554
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

States With The Most Office Specialist Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active office specialist jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where office specialists earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Office Specialist Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1California4,523$39,272
2Florida3,275$30,665
3Texas2,896$31,247
4New York2,545$43,665
5Pennsylvania1,756$38,879
6Illinois1,728$38,694
7Massachusetts1,581$45,492
8Ohio1,424$34,658
9Virginia1,415$40,253
10North Carolina1,415$32,893
11Georgia1,396$37,326
12Michigan1,254$35,140
13Washington1,107$34,379
14Maryland1,045$35,839
15Arizona1,010$32,523
16Indiana1,007$33,192
17New Jersey992$40,623
18Colorado918$34,921
19Minnesota887$37,535
20Missouri845$29,425
21Tennessee811$28,175
22Wisconsin784$36,192
23Oregon717$31,542
24Iowa659$32,412
25South Carolina566$24,942
26Alabama499$21,918
27Connecticut498$42,837
28Utah493$30,080
29Kentucky479$26,985
30Kansas427$25,722
31Louisiana414$27,649
32Oklahoma394$26,389
33Nebraska352$29,798
34Nevada336$34,563
35Arkansas315$30,984
36Idaho296$25,985
37New Mexico259$26,123
38New Hampshire236$38,089
39Alaska217$42,346
40Mississippi211$29,264
41Montana200$30,853
42Maine194$36,812
43West Virginia189$29,510
44Delaware179$35,749
45Hawaii162$35,995
46North Dakota148$35,474
47Rhode Island142$41,585
48Wyoming127$29,840
49South Dakota120$26,806
50Vermont95$38,970

Office Specialist Education

Office Specialist Majors

29.0 %

Office Specialist Degrees

Bachelors

44.0 %

Associate

26.1 %

High School Diploma

14.9 %

Top Colleges for Office Specialists

1. Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC • Private

In-State Tuition

$3,926

Enrollment

9,835

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Nursing
Business
Criminal Justice
Psychology
Accounting

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Computer Science
Business
Education
Political Science
English

3. Ball State University

Muncie, IN • Private

In-State Tuition

$9,896

Enrollment

15,529

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Education
Liberal Arts
Nursing
Psychology
Accounting

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Education
Business
Nursing
Computer Science
Health Care Administration

5. Bowling Green State University

Bowling Green, OH • Private

In-State Tuition

$11,105

Enrollment

13,729

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Education
Liberal Arts
Business
Psychology
Criminal Justice

6. Cedar Crest College

Allentown, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$39,216

Enrollment

1,303

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Nursing
Education
Business
Criminal Justice
Psychology

7. Morgan State University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,900

Enrollment

6,404

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Liberal Arts
Business
Education
Psychology
Sociology

8. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-State Tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Liberal Arts
Communication
Psychology
Education

9. Siena Heights University

Adrian, MI • Private

In-State Tuition

$27,124

Enrollment

2,035

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Criminal Justice
Nursing
Liberal Arts
Accounting

10. University of Akron

Akron, OH • Private

In-State Tuition

$11,463

Enrollment

13,676

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Liberal Arts
Nursing
Business
Accounting
Psychology

Top Skills For an Office Specialist

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 17.6% of office specialists listed customer service on their resume, but soft skills such as customer-service skills and detail oriented are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Office Specialist Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Office Specialist templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Office Specialist resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

Office Specialist Resume
Office Specialist Resume
Office Specialist Resume
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Office Specialist Demographics

Office Specialist Gender Distribution

Female
Female
82%
Male
Male
18%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among office specialists, 81.7% of them are women, while 18.3% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among office specialists is White, which makes up 57.7% of all office specialists.

  • The most common foreign language among office specialists is Spanish at 65.6%.

Online Courses For Office Specialist That You May Like

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Best States For an Office Specialist

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as an office specialist. The best states for people in this position are Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, and Alaska. Office specialists make the most in Massachusetts with an average salary of $45,492. Whereas in New York and Connecticut, they would average $43,665 and $42,837, respectively. While office specialists would only make an average of $42,346 in Alaska, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. New York

Total Office Specialist Jobs: 2,545
Highest 10% Earn:
$63,000
Location Quotient:
1.29

2. Alaska

Total Office Specialist Jobs: 217
Highest 10% Earn:
$52,000
Location Quotient:
1.69

3. Massachusetts

Total Office Specialist Jobs: 1,581
Highest 10% Earn:
$63,000
Location Quotient:
1.12
Full List Of Best States For Office Specialists

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Top Office Specialist Employers

Most Common Employers For Office Specialist

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1City of San Jos$42,706$20.5341
2UPS$39,984$19.2271
3U.S. Department of State$39,796$19.1365
4Target$37,332$17.95242
5Travis County$36,217$17.4159
6The State of Oregon$34,894$16.7896
7Michaels Stores$34,097$16.39158
8Best Buy$34,008$16.3549
9Shopko Optical$33,929$16.3139
10OhioHealth$33,598$16.1533