Secretarial substitute vs receptionist secretary

The differences between secretarial substitutes and receptionist secretaries can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a secretarial substitute and a receptionist secretary. Additionally, a secretarial substitute has an average salary of $29,860, which is higher than the $29,343 average annual salary of a receptionist secretary.

The top three skills for a secretarial substitute include office equipment, word processing and telephone calls. The most important skills for a receptionist secretary are patients, data entry, and phone calls.

Secretarial substitute vs receptionist secretary overview

	Secretarial Substitute	Receptionist Secretary
Yearly salary	$29,860	$29,343
Hourly rate	$14.36	$14.11
Growth rate	-8%	-
Number of jobs	6,810	61,892
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 34%	High School Diploma, 37%
Average age	50	42
Years of experience	2	2

Secretarial substitute vs receptionist secretary salary

Secretarial substitutes and receptionist secretaries have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Secretarial Substitute	Receptionist Secretary
Average salary	$29,860	$29,343
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $38,000	Between $24,000 And $35,000
Highest paying City	Vallejo, CA	Lake Oswego, OR
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Washington
Best paying company	Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES	Illinois Institute of Technology
Best paying industry	Insurance	Government

Differences between secretarial substitute and receptionist secretary education

There are a few differences between a secretarial substitute and a receptionist secretary in terms of educational background:

	Secretarial Substitute	Receptionist Secretary
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 34%	High School Diploma, 37%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	-

Secretarial substitute vs receptionist secretary demographics

Here are the differences between secretarial substitutes' and receptionist secretaries' demographics:

	Secretarial Substitute	Receptionist Secretary
Average age	50	42
Gender ratio	Male, 4.5% Female, 95.5%	Male, 5.6% Female, 94.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 4.3% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 21.1% Asian, 6.3% White, 56.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between secretarial substitute and receptionist secretary duties and responsibilities

Secretarial substitute example responsibilities.

Lead DoD team that assist Pakistan in gaining military capabilities to conduct counter-terrorism operations against the Taliban.
Correspond with PTO members and families.
Organize events, meetings for PTO.
Process payroll and organize leave forms by pay period.
Perform a wide variety of clerical duties including: typing, proofreading, filing and recording information.
Perform data entry in various offices including, but not limit to, payroll and tax offices.

Receptionist secretary example responsibilities.

Assist office management and staff with administrative projects/responsibilities such as managing time-sensitive projects, filing, copying, and collating materials.
Maintain confidential information/ HIPPA compliant.
Prepare PowerPoint presentations and distribute meeting materials.
Maintain confidentiality and release health records information following HIPPA guidelines.
Develop and present PowerPoint presentations to visiting dignitaries from higher headquarters.
Assist office management and staff with administrative projects/responsibilities such as managing time-sensitive projects, filing, copying, and collating materials.

Secretarial substitute vs receptionist secretary skills

Common secretarial substitute skills

Office Equipment, 21%
Word Processing, 14%
Telephone Calls, 13%
Proofreading, 9%
Payroll, 5%
Office Machines, 5%

Common receptionist secretary skills

Patients, 15%
Data Entry, 12%
Phone Calls, 11%
Customer Service, 9%
Telephone Calls, 8%
Appointment Scheduling, 7%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Secretarial Substitute
Secretarial Substitute vs Receptionist Secretary

Updated January 8, 2025

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