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Personal assistant vs assistant office manager

The differences between personal assistants and assistant office managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a personal assistant, becoming an assistant office manager takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an assistant office manager has an average salary of $43,074, which is higher than the $40,026 average annual salary of a personal assistant.

The top three skills for a personal assistant include run errands, companionship and scheduling appointments. The most important skills for an assistant office manager are customer service, patients, and financial statements.

Personal assistant vs assistant office manager overview

Personal AssistantAssistant Office Manager
Yearly salary$40,026$43,074
Hourly rate$19.24$20.71
Growth rate-8%-8%
Number of jobs21,63856,866
Job satisfaction5-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 41%Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age4947
Years of experience26

What does a personal assistant do?

Personal assistants are employees working for individuals who need help in managing their personal affairs. Personal assistants manage the daily activities of their employers. They are in charge of managing their employer's schedules and appointments, often coordinating their meetings and orienting them on their schedule at the start of the day. They also arrange travel needs, from looking for travel tickets to booking accommodations. When they have built enough trust with their employer, they are entrusted to also manage personal financial accounts and are often given access to other confidential information related to the employer.

What does an assistant office manager do?

An assistant office manager's role is to perform administrative and management support-related tasks. Most of the responsibilities revolve around gathering information and maintaining a database, preparing presentations and processing necessary documents, arranging schedules and appointments, and taking charge of the procurement of office supplies. Furthermore, an assistant office manager may take part in maintenance activities and decisions, devise plans to maximize space, improve the office environment, and even attend meetings on behalf of the manager.

Personal assistant vs assistant office manager salary

Personal assistants and assistant office managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Personal AssistantAssistant Office Manager
Average salary$40,026$43,074
Salary rangeBetween $26,000 And $60,000Between $31,000 And $59,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NYCampbell, CA
Highest paying stateNew YorkAlaska
Best paying companyAbbVieCambridge Associates
Best paying industryReal EstateFinance

Differences between personal assistant and assistant office manager education

There are a few differences between a personal assistant and an assistant office manager in terms of educational background:

Personal AssistantAssistant Office Manager
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 41%Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaCalifornia State University - Bakersfield

Personal assistant vs assistant office manager demographics

Here are the differences between personal assistants' and assistant office managers' demographics:

Personal AssistantAssistant Office Manager
Average age4947
Gender ratioMale, 19.3% Female, 80.7%Male, 17.8% Female, 82.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 7.4% White, 57.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 5.2% White, 60.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage12%8%

Differences between personal assistant and assistant office manager duties and responsibilities

Personal assistant example responsibilities.

  • Manage all errands including dry cleaning, pharmacy, and personal shopping for groceries, clothing, and gifts.
  • Manage daily operations of the gallery including budgeting, small payroll and reconciling business accounts, eliminating off-site accounting fees.
  • Maintain company books including A/R, A/P, bank statements and other reports.
  • Handle payroll, phones, A/R, A/P, and general accounting procedures.
  • Book appointments, confirm travel accommodations, complete payroll using QuickBooks, maintain business licenses and insurance
  • Wash windows, walls, and woodwork.
  • Show more

Assistant office manager example responsibilities.

  • Communicate Medicare and Medicaid benefits and regulations with patients.
  • Provide customer service to residents and family members in Medicaid process.
  • Maintain current patient demographic and insurance information, and ensure strict confidentiality of patients' records in accordance with HIPAA regulations.
  • Reduce overhead by thousands of dollars for waste management and EHR yearly cost with Aprima.
  • Review all diagnosis on the encounter forms to make sure that ICD-10 codes are used properly.
  • Organize patient information, insurance paperwork, and patient file management; closely follow and monitor HIPAA regulations.
  • Show more

Personal assistant vs assistant office manager skills

Common personal assistant skills
  • RUN Errands, 29%
  • Companionship, 8%
  • Scheduling Appointments, 6%
  • Meal Prep, 5%
  • Household Chores, 5%
  • Travel Arrangements, 5%
Common assistant office manager skills
  • Customer Service, 24%
  • Patients, 16%
  • Financial Statements, 5%
  • Front Desk, 4%
  • Appointment Scheduling, 3%
  • Office Equipment, 3%

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