Purchasing administrative assistant vs clerk's assistant/administrative assistant

The differences between purchasing administrative assistants and clerks's assistant/administrative assistant can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a purchasing administrative assistant and a clerk's assistant/administrative assistant. Additionally, a purchasing administrative assistant has an average salary of $37,889, which is higher than the $33,551 average annual salary of a clerk's assistant/administrative assistant.

The top three skills for a purchasing administrative assistant include purchase orders, data entry and customer service. The most important skills for a clerk's assistant/administrative assistant are data entry, customer service, and telephone calls.

Purchasing administrative assistant vs clerk's assistant/administrative assistant overview

	Purchasing Administrative Assistant	Clerk's Assistant/Administrative Assistant
Yearly salary	$37,889	$33,551
Hourly rate	$18.22	$16.13
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	48,872	54,831
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Average age	50	50
Years of experience	2	2

What does a purchasing administrative assistant do?

Purchasing Administrative Assistants will require a high school diploma or GED, but an associate degree or higher is preferred, as well as three or more years in a purchasing role. This career will require skills in communication and negotiation, as well as a proven history of good supply management and the ability to create and administer task priority lists based on the needs of the respective company. Paying an average salary of $42K per year, but ranging between $37K and $49K, this career choice will demand the provision of support to the purchasing process and department staff, processing documents and materials and responding to inquiries, as well as maintaining information and inventories about vendors and sources.

What does a clerk's assistant/administrative assistant do?

A clerk's assistant/administrative assistant is responsible for supporting the company's operations and customers' needs by performing administrative and clerical duties as needed. Clerk's assistants/administrative assistants respond to customers' inquiries and concerns, acknowledging and processing orders, and posting their payments. They also sort company documents, manage office supply inventory, submit business transaction reports, schedule appointments, and operate office equipment. A clerk's assistant/administrative assistant must be very organized. They must also have excellent time-management and multitasking skills to perform office duties with high accuracy and efficiency under minimal supervision.

Purchasing administrative assistant vs clerk's assistant/administrative assistant salary

Purchasing administrative assistants and clerks's assistant/administrative assistant have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Purchasing Administrative Assistant	Clerk's Assistant/Administrative Assistant
Average salary	$37,889	$33,551
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $48,000	Between $27,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	Milpitas, CA	Simi Valley, CA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Hawaii
Best paying company	Aspen Snowmass	ADM
Best paying industry	Construction	Government

Differences between purchasing administrative assistant and clerk's assistant/administrative assistant education

There are a few differences between a purchasing administrative assistant and a clerk's assistant/administrative assistant in terms of educational background:

	Purchasing Administrative Assistant	Clerk's Assistant/Administrative Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

Purchasing administrative assistant vs clerk's assistant/administrative assistant demographics

Here are the differences between purchasing administrative assistants' and clerks's assistant/administrative assistant' demographics:

	Purchasing Administrative Assistant	Clerk's Assistant/Administrative Assistant
Average age	50	50
Gender ratio	Male, 8.3% Female, 91.7%	Male, 13.4% Female, 86.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between purchasing administrative assistant and clerk's assistant/administrative assistant duties and responsibilities

Purchasing administrative assistant example responsibilities.

Support medical doctors, manage sensitive and confidential records pertaining to high risk patients with emphasis on accuracy.
Prepare purchase orders, review requisitions, supply requests and MRP purchase reports.
Assess and close A/P, A/R monthly.
Support A/P by resolving invoice problems.
Verify shipments and check into ERP system.
Certify to internally audit group for ISO compliance.

Clerk's assistant/administrative assistant example responsibilities.

Manage and update social media outlets including Facebook and LinkedIn.
Reconcile claim and ACH payments.
Mail out/process ACH payments to vendors.
Assist with presentation set up and document distribution on HIPPA guidelines and regulations.
Prepare weekly payroll for all employees per week using QuickBooks and excel, payroll reports and customers invoices.
Prepare and create customer invoices utilizing QuickBooks.

Purchasing administrative assistant vs clerk's assistant/administrative assistant skills

Common purchasing administrative assistant skills

Purchase Orders, 33%
Data Entry, 9%
Customer Service, 9%
Provides Administrative Support, 4%
Office Equipment, 4%
Travel Arrangements, 3%

Common clerk's assistant/administrative assistant skills

Data Entry, 19%
Customer Service, 15%
Telephone Calls, 8%
Purchase Orders, 7%
Financial Reports, 4%
Front Desk, 4%

Purchasing Administrative Assistant vs. similar jobs

Purchasing Administrative Assistant related careers

Purchasing Administrative Assistant related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Office and Administrative Industry
Purchasing Administrative Assistant
Purchasing Administrative Assistant vs Clerk's Assistant/Administrative Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse office and administrative jobs