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The differences between project assistants and general assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a project assistant and a general assistant. Additionally, a project assistant has an average salary of $38,564, which is higher than the $37,718 average annual salary of a general assistant.
The top three skills for a project assistant include data entry, powerpoint and customer service. The most important skills for a general assistant are customer service, HR, and payroll.
| Project Assistant | General Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $38,564 | $37,718 |
| Hourly rate | $18.54 | $18.13 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 59,664 | 66,211 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A project assistant's role mainly revolves around assisting a project manager. The responsibilities may vary upon the industry or organization. Still, most of them will be administrative tasks such as preparing reports and documentation, responding to calls and other forms of correspondence, and coordinating with various offices and personnel. Furthermore, a Project Assistant must also ensure the department's efficient workflow, proper utilization of budget, review documentation and schedules, attend meetings, and maintain an information database.
General Assistants are responsible for providing administrative assistance to department teams and executive management of an organization. Their duties include organizing meetings and event schedules, book meeting rooms, answer incoming phone calls, reply emails, and respond to queries. They are responsible for replenishing office supplies and undertaking clerical tasks such as printing, scanning, and photocopying. General Assistants also liaise with contractors and building managers to ensure maintenance work is handled promptly without inconvenience.
Project assistants and general assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Project Assistant | General Assistant | |
| Average salary | $38,564 | $37,718 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $57,000 | Between $22,000 And $64,000 |
| Highest paying City | Portland, OR | Greenwich, CT |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | AstraZeneca | Massachusetts General Hospital |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a project assistant and a general assistant in terms of educational background:
| Project Assistant | General Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between project assistants' and general assistants' demographics:
| Project Assistant | General Assistant | |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 32.9% Female, 67.1% | Male, 52.1% Female, 47.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | 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% |