What Does an Office Support Specialist Do?

An office support specialist is in charge of performing clerical tasks to help offices maintain a smooth workflow. Among their responsibilities include preparing and processing documents, answering calls and correspondence, disseminating and organizing files, monitoring the inventory of office supplies, and processing procurement requests should there be any. They may also assist staff with projects and programs, greet visitors, and coordinate with different company departments. Furthermore, an office support specialist must enforce the company's policies and regulations.

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Office Support Specialist Responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real office support specialist resumes representing typical tasks they are likely to perform in their roles.

Manage and maintain patients' medical records by utilizing computer applications management database processing system to ensure county compliance.
Create PowerPoint presentations to train employees on new software.
Add new documents and update calendars to the SharePoint website for team collaboration.
Conduct payroll accountability & evaluate for accuracy.
Process bi-weekly payroll for part-time civil service personnel.
Update SharePoint website regularly with new employee information.
Assist department managers in the production of PowerPoint presentations for potential municipal clients.
Manage and maintain patients' medical records by utilizing computer applications management database processing system to ensure county compliance.
Create database in SQL incorporating data from order systems to assist logistics personnel regulating product receive in the warehouse.

Office Support Specialist Job Description

Perhaps the hardest question to answer when deciding on a career as an office support specialist is "should I become an office support specialist?" You might find this info to be helpful. When compared to other jobs, office support specialist careers are projected to have a growth rate described as "decline" at -4% from 2018 through 2028. This is in accordance with the Bureau of Labor Statistics. What's more, is that the projected number of opportunities that are predicted to become available for a office support specialist by 2028 is -110,600.

An office support specialist annual salary averages $36,549, which breaks down to $17.57 an hour. However, office support specialists can earn anywhere from upwards of $29,000 to $45,000 a year. This means that the top-earning office support specialists make $26,000 more than the lowest-earning ones.

As is the case with most jobs, it takes work to become an office support specialist. Sometimes people change their minds about their career after working in the profession. That's why we looked into some other professions that might help you find your next opportunity. These professions include an administrative support, office clerk, support, and office aide.

Learn More About Office Support Specialist Job Descriptions

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5 Office Support Specialist Resume Examples

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Stephen Sanders Office Support Specialist Contact Information Bloomington, IL (760) 555-5165 ssanders@example.com Skills Interview Process Legal Intern Database Payroll Data Entry Trial Preparation Bank Deposits HR Daily Operations Customer Service Employment History Office Support Specialist 2020 - Present State Farm Bloomington, IL Provided the day-to-day move, inventory and administrative tasks within Systems for each building. Answer Phones; Greet & assist clients and visitors; Accept, sort & deliver office mail and prepare outgoing mail. Answered incoming telephone calls with professional and knowledgeable responses. Utilized the internet to secure rental reservations through Enterprise and Hertz for customers. Office Manager/Administrative Assistant 2019 - 2020 Fifth Third Bank Columbus, OH Posted daily transactions, maintained branch audits, compliance regulations and corporate financial statements. Reviewed all credit card applications for accuracy and compliance with company policies. Processed and proofed work orders, invoices, checks, statements, purchase orders, and expense reports. Investigated and resolved employee concerns with HR support; implemented company policies and ensured compliance. Organize the details of special events, training seminars, workshops, corporate agendas and itineraries. Create and maintain all school purchase orders from input to completion utilizing AS400 program. Legal Extern 2016 - 2019 Private Practice Columbus, OH Perform document review and discovery. Represent clients in a variety of real estate and business legal transactions. Founded private practice to support business enterprises with design and implementation of technology transactions and associated legal activities. Represent clients in criminal defense, domestic relations, and various civil litigation. Education Doctoral Degree Law 2013 - 2016 Ohio State University Columbus, OH Master's Degree Business 2012 - 2013 Ohio State University Columbus, OH Bachelor's Degree Business 2009 - 2012 Ohio State University Columbus, OH


Maria Lane Office Support Specialist Contact Info New York, NY (420) 555-7188 mlane@example.com Skills Internship ProgramSpecial EventsZIP CodesSharepointRecreational ActivitiesProgram InternCPTData EntryCustomer OrdersOutgoing Correspondence Employment History Office Support Specialist 2013 - Present Adecco Staffing, USA New York, NY Screened and directed a high volume of telephone calls Created and Maintained Access database phone log files. Sorted, prepared and organized mailings and performed data entry and facilitated communication flow with management Use Microsoft Outlook to maintain total communication between all offices, vendors and manufacturers. Office Automation Clerk 2011 - 2013 H&R Block Philadelphia, PA Answered phone calls, booked weddings & other events, created and printed the weekly bulletin, and scanned/organized records. Received credit card payments over the phone and entered payment information in QuickBooks. Received, screened and responded to visitors and telephone calls and directed them to appropriate staff. Programming Internship 2010 - 2011 U.S. Department of State Washington, DC Summer 2015) Competitively selected to attend the Corporate Internship Program for Oldcastle Materials. Managed program evaluation and designed projects for obesity in East African communities. Scrutinized data collection process, identifying process gaps and technology requirements for new divisional data mart and reporting process. Researched, and updated iHeartMedia s community affair communication web page. Education Bachelor's Degree Public Health 2007 - 2010 Tulane University New Orleans, LA


Maria Lane Office Support Specialist New York, NY (420) 555-7188 mlane@example.com Experience Office Support Specialist2013 - Present Adecco Staffing, USA•New York, NY Screened and directed a high volume of telephone calls Created and Maintained Access database phone log files. Sorted, prepared and organized mailings and performed data entry and facilitated communication flow with management Use Microsoft Outlook to maintain total communication between all offices, vendors and manufacturers. Office Automation Clerk2011 - 2013 H&R Block•Philadelphia, PA Answered phone calls, booked weddings & other events, created and printed the weekly bulletin, and scanned/organized records. Received credit card payments over the phone and entered payment information in QuickBooks. Received, screened and responded to visitors and telephone calls and directed them to appropriate staff. Programming Internship2010 - 2011 U.S. Department of State•Washington, DC Summer 2015) Competitively selected to attend the Corporate Internship Program for Oldcastle Materials. Managed program evaluation and designed projects for obesity in East African communities. Scrutinized data collection process, identifying process gaps and technology requirements for new divisional data mart and reporting process. Researched, and updated iHeartMedia s community affair communication web page. Skills Internship ProgramSpecial EventsZIP CodesSharepointRecreational ActivitiesProgram InternCPTData EntryCustomer OrdersOutgoing Correspondence Education Bachelor's Degree Public Health2007 - 2010 Tulane University•New Orleans, LA

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Office Support Specialist Skills and Personality Traits

We calculated that 18% of Office Support Specialists are proficient in Customer Service, Data Entry, and Phone Calls. They’re also known for soft skills such as Customer-service skills, Detail oriented, and Organizational skills.

We break down the percentage of Office Support Specialists that have these skills listed on their resume here:

Customer Service, 18%
Provided reference and research services for patrons and business entities while exemplifying exceptional customer service skills in the circulation department.
Data Entry, 10%
Assist Superintendent with heavy calendar management, confidential correspondence, data entry, presentations, financial reports and payroll assignments.
Phone Calls, 7%
Referred visitors/telephone calls to appropriate staff members.
Office Equipment, 6%
Maintained inventory of office equipment and supplies and ordered new materials when necessary.
Human Resources, 5%
Performed Human Resources functions to include new hire processing and orientation, benefits coordination and implementation and performed payroll processing.
Word Processing, 5%
Prepared documents and reports using several word processing systems.

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"customer service," "data entry," and "phone calls" aren't the only skills we found office support specialists list on their resumes. In fact, there's a whole list of office support specialist responsibilities that we found, including:

The most important skills for an office support specialist to have in this position are customer-service skills. In this excerpt that we gathered from a office support specialist resume, you'll understand why: "general office clerks often provide general information to company staff, customers, or the public" According to resumes we found, customer-service skills can be used by a office support specialist in order to "identify, research, report, resolve, and correct customer policy and billing issues using the computer systems. "

Another trait important for fulfilling office support specialist duties is detail oriented. According to a office support specialist resume, "general office clerks perform many clerical tasks that require attention to detail, such as preparing bills." Here's an example of how office support specialists are able to utilize detail oriented: "answered multi-line phones and took detailed messages. "

Office support specialists are also known for organizational skills, which can be critical when it comes to performing their duties. An example of why this skill is important is shown by this snippet that we found in a office support specialist resume: "general office clerks file and retrieve records" We also found this resume example that details how this skill is put to the test: "perform administrative and office support activities such as advertising research, cost cutting opportunity implementation and organizational programs. "

See the full list of office support specialist skills.

We've found that 45.3% of office support specialists have earned a bachelor's degree. Furthermore, 4.8% earned their master's degrees before becoming an office support specialist. While it's true that most office support specialists have a college degree, it's generally possible to become one with only a high school degree. In fact, one out of every five office support specialists did not spend the extra money to attend college.

The office support specialists who went onto college to earn a more in-depth education generally studied business and criminal justice, while a small population of office support specialists studied psychology and health care administration.

When you're ready to become an office support specialist, you might wonder which companies hire office support specialists. According to our research through office support specialist resumes, office support specialists are mostly hired by Ricoh, Wyoming, and LifeWorks. Now is a good time to apply as Ricoh has 16 office support specialists job openings, and there are 15 at Wyoming and 3 at LifeWorks.

But if you're interested in companies where you might earn a high salary, office support specialists tend to earn the biggest salaries at Anne Arundel County Public Schools, Central Lakes College, and Lakeland Electric. Take Anne Arundel County Public Schools for example. The median office support specialist salary is $43,123. At Central Lakes College, office support specialists earn an average of $41,677, while the average at Lakeland Electric is $40,924. You should take into consideration how difficult it might be to secure a job with one of these companies.

View more details on office support specialist salaries across the United States.

We also looked into companies who hire office support specialists from the top 100 educational institutions in the U.S. The top three companies that hire the most from these institutions include Boston University, The Ohio State University, and University of North Carolina.

The industries that office support specialists fulfill the most roles in are the government and technology industries. But the highest office support specialist annual salary is in the finance industry, averaging $41,711. In the government industry they make $39,736 and average about $38,212 in the retail industry. In conclusion, office support specialists who work in the finance industry earn a 10.7% higher salary than office support specialists in the education industry.

The three companies that hire the most prestigious office support specialists are:

Ricoh16 Office Support Specialists Jobs
Wyoming15 Office Support Specialists Jobs
LifeWorks3 Office Support Specialists Jobs

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What Administrative Supports Do

Administrative support specialists provide different types of governmental assistance. They carry out varied clerical duties in almost all industries. Most of these duties revolve around supervising and distributing information within an organization. This typically includes taking memos, answering phone calls, and managing, storing, and organizing files. They are also responsible for receiving and sending correspondence and greeting customers and clients. Some administrative support may be required to have vast professional knowledge as their duties are more specialized than the others.

In this section, we compare the average office support specialist annual salary with that of an administrative support. Typically, administrative supports earn a $1,143 higher salary than office support specialists earn annually.

While the salaries between these two careers can be different, they do share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both office support specialists and administrative supports positions are skilled in customer service, provides administrative support, and data entry.

As far as similarities go, this is where it ends because an office support specialist responsibility requires skills such as "office procedures," "proofreading," "schedule appointments," and "office machines." Whereas a administrative support is skilled in "patients," "excellent organizational," "administrative functions," and "database management." So if you're looking for what truly separates the two careers, you've found it.

Administrative supports really shine in the technology industry with an average salary of $40,623. Whereas office support specialists tend to make the most money in the finance industry with an average salary of $41,711.

The education levels that administrative supports earn is a bit different than that of office support specialists. In particular, administrative supports are 1.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an office support specialist. Additionally, they're 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What Are The Duties Of an Office Clerk?

Office clerks are administrative employees who handle clerical activities for the organization. They are in charge of managing company records, organizing and storing documents, filing and sorting hard copies of documents, and liaising with other departments or external partners. They are also in charge of handling and scheduling meetings and appointments, managing the reservation of office meeting rooms, and manning telephone lines. Office clerks may also be in charge of ordering office supplies, preparing purchase requisitions for office needs, sending out and receiving official company documents, and other correspondences.

Next up, we have the office clerk profession to look over. This career brings along a lower average salary when compared to an office support specialist annual salary. In fact, office clerks salary difference is $5,622 lower than the salary of office support specialists per year.

While the salary may be different for these job positions, there is one similarity and that's a few of the skills needed to perform certain duties. We used info from lots of resumes to find that both office support specialists and office clerks are known to have skills such as "customer service," "provides administrative support," and "data entry. "

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, several resumes showed us that office support specialist responsibilities requires skills like "phone calls," "human resources," "proofreading," and "meeting minutes." But an office clerk might use skills, such as, "scheduling appointments," "hr," "clerical tasks," and "business transactions."

On average, office clerks earn a lower salary than office support specialists. There are industries that support higher salaries in each profession respectively. Interestingly enough, office clerks earn the most pay in the transportation industry with an average salary of $31,504. Whereas, office support specialists have higher paychecks in the finance industry where they earn an average of $41,711.

When it comes to the differences in education between the two professions, office clerks tend to reach similar levels of education than office support specialists. In fact, they're 2.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

How a Support Compares

A support employee is responsible for assisting the business operations and responding to customers' inquiries and concerns regarding its goods and services. Support logs all customers' interaction and escalates potential complaints to the appropriate department. They also help with implementing strategic procedures to improve operations and reach maximum productivity. A support employee must have excellent communication and customer service skills, ensuring clients' satisfaction with the services and maintain good feedback to boost the company's brand, attract more clients, and increase revenues.

The third profession we take a look at is support. On an average scale, these workers bring in lower salaries than office support specialists. In fact, they make a $322 lower salary per year.

While looking through the resumes of several office support specialists and supports we discovered that both professions have similar skills. These similarities include skills such as "customer service," "data entry," and "front desk," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

There are many key differences between these two careers as shown by resumes from each profession. Some of those differences include the skills required to complete responsibilities within each role. As an example of this, an office support specialist is likely to be skilled in "provides administrative support," "phone calls," "office equipment," and "human resources," while a typical support is skilled in "cash management," "customer satisfaction," "hr," and "inventory control."

Interestingly enough, supports earn the most pay in the professional industry, where they command an average salary of $50,563. As mentioned previously, office support specialists highest annual salary comes from the finance industry with an average salary of $41,711.

Supports are known to earn similar educational levels when compared to office support specialists. Additionally, they're 0.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Description Of an Office Aide

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.

Office aides tend to earn a lower pay than office support specialists by about $7,294 per year.

While their salaries may vary, office support specialists and office aides both use similar skills to perform their jobs. Resumes from both professions include skills like "customer service," "data entry," and "phone calls. "

Even though a few skill sets overlap, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an office support specialist might have more use for skills like "provides administrative support," "human resources," "office procedures," and "payroll." Meanwhile, some office aides might include skills like "scheduling appointments," "financial aid," "clerical tasks," and "office tasks" on their resume.

In general, office aides make a higher salary in the health care industry with an average of $30,366. The highest office support specialist annual salary stems from the finance industry.

In general, office aides reach similar levels of education when compared to office support specialists resumes. Office aides are 1.3% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Updated October 2, 2020