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The differences between personnel assistants and executive/personal assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a personnel assistant, becoming an executive/personal assistant takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an executive/personal assistant has an average salary of $64,511, which is higher than the $38,830 average annual salary of a personnel assistant.
The top three skills for a personnel assistant include human resources, data entry and office equipment. The most important skills for an executive/personal assistant are financial statements, powerpoint, and calendar management.
| Personnel Assistant | Executive/Personal Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $38,830 | $64,511 |
| Hourly rate | $18.67 | $31.01 |
| Growth rate | - | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 6,684 | 110,560 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 43 | 49 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
Personnel assistants are professionals who perform administrative duties while assisting the human resources director to maintain and keep the records and confidential files of employees working in an organization. These assistants must communicate with all personnel about their compensation policies while ensuring that the company policies and procedures are consistently applied. They are required to coordinate with supervisors to create job descriptions and develop recruiting advertisements. Personnel assistants must also purchase office supplies while maintaining the cleanliness and orderliness of their office area.
An executive/personal assistant is responsible for performing secretarial duties, including administrative and clerical tasks as needed, helping the business operations run smoothly and efficiently. Executive/personal assistants receive and respond to client's calls and inquiries, schedule and maintain an organized record of executive and staff meetings, sorting files and documents, and attending general meetings on behalf of the executives. They should also have excellent communication and critical-thinking skills, especially on providing recommendations for business decisions and profitable opportunities. An executive/personal assistant creates expense reports, monitors the adequacy of stock inventory, and coordinates with planning company events.
Personnel assistants and executive/personal assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Personnel Assistant | Executive/Personal Assistant | |
| Average salary | $38,830 | $64,511 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $51,000 | Between $44,000 And $92,000 |
| Highest paying City | Monterey, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison | ONE Sotheby's International Realty |
| Best paying industry | Non Profits | Finance |
There are a few differences between a personnel assistant and an executive/personal assistant in terms of educational background:
| Personnel Assistant | Executive/Personal Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between personnel assistants' and executive/personal assistants' demographics:
| Personnel Assistant | Executive/Personal Assistant | |
| Average age | 43 | 49 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 18.5% Female, 81.5% | Male, 15.5% Female, 84.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.5% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 9.1% White, 55.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 5.0% White, 71.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 15% | 10% |