Purchasing administrative assistant vs finance/administrative assistant

The differences between purchasing administrative assistants and finance/administrative 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 purchasing administrative assistant and a finance/administrative assistant. Additionally, a finance/administrative assistant has an average salary of $39,756, which is higher than the $37,889 average annual salary of a purchasing 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 finance/administrative assistant are data entry, powerpoint, and travel arrangements.

Purchasing administrative assistant vs finance/administrative assistant overview

	Purchasing Administrative Assistant	Finance/Administrative Assistant
Yearly salary	$37,889	$39,756
Hourly rate	$18.22	$19.11
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	48,872	127,379
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
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 finance/administrative assistant do?

A finance administrative assistant is responsible for performing clerical duties and basic bookkeeping tasks to support financial operations under the supervision of financial executives. Finance administrative assistants generate financial and business reports, update account information on the database, assist with payroll release, and help the accounting staff in resolving financial discrepancies and disputes. They also reach out to the clients for payments and billing, respond to their inquiries and concerns, and escalate their complaints to the supervisor for immediate resolution.

Purchasing administrative assistant vs finance/administrative assistant salary

Purchasing administrative assistants and finance/administrative assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Purchasing Administrative Assistant	Finance/Administrative Assistant
Average salary	$37,889	$39,756
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $48,000	Between $29,000 And $52,000
Highest paying City	Milpitas, CA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Connecticut
Best paying company	Aspen Snowmass	TALENT Software Services
Best paying industry	Construction	Professional

Differences between purchasing administrative assistant and finance/administrative assistant education

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

	Purchasing Administrative Assistant	Finance/Administrative Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	University of Pennsylvania

Purchasing administrative assistant vs finance/administrative assistant demographics

Here are the differences between purchasing administrative assistants' and finance/administrative assistants' demographics:

	Purchasing Administrative Assistant	Finance/Administrative Assistant
Average age	50	50
Gender ratio	Male, 8.3% Female, 91.7%	Male, 12.8% Female, 87.2%
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, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between purchasing administrative assistant and finance/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.

Finance/administrative assistant example responsibilities.

Initiate both domestic and international wire transfers as well as ACH payments to manage vendor payments.
Manage all AR, AP, sales orders, work orders, and prepay inventory reconciliation.
Orchestrate special events and reservations; manage customer relations and provide exemplary service to all customers.
Alphabetize, sort, files FAFSA's code, and assemble letters for mass mailing.
Help students and officials file and summit FAFSA application forms and develop and maintain spreadsheets for documenting cases.
Process accounts payable and receivable utilizing QuickBooks.

Purchasing administrative assistant vs finance/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 finance/administrative assistant skills

Data Entry, 11%
PowerPoint, 10%
Travel Arrangements, 7%
Purchase Orders, 6%
Financial Aid, 5%
Expense Reports, 5%

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Purchasing Administrative Assistant
Purchasing Administrative Assistant vs Finance/Administrative Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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