What does a secretarial substitute do?
Secretarial substitute responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real secretarial substitute resumes:
- 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.
- Prepare discharges, enter all updates into OASAS system and review patient information to verify patients eligibility to receive transportation reimbursement.
- Answer precinct telephone switchboard and direct callers to proper extensions
Secretarial substitute skills and personality traits
We calculated that 21% of Secretarial Substitutes are proficient in Office Equipment, Word Processing, and Telephone Calls. They’re also known for soft skills such as Writing skills, Organizational skills, and Communication skills.
We break down the percentage of Secretarial Substitutes that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Office Equipment, 21%
Operated office equipment (fax, printer, copier, PC), managed attendance via district software.
- Word Processing, 14%
Completed word processing assignments using Microsoft Word.
- Telephone Calls, 13%
Acted as a receptionist, greeting visitors and answering telephone calls at various locations throughout the district including the district office.
- Proofreading, 9%
Processed appropriate forms by reviewing, proofreading for errors and inserting appropriate information.
- Payroll, 5%
Performed data entry in various offices including, but not limited to, payroll and tax offices.
- Office Machines, 5%
Used office machines to perform daily work.
Common skills that a secretarial substitute uses to do their job include "office equipment," "word processing," and "telephone calls." You can find details on the most important secretarial substitute responsibilities below.
Writing skills. One of the key soft skills for a secretarial substitute to have is writing skills. You can see how this relates to what secretarial substitutes do because "secretaries and administrative assistants write memos and emails when communicating with managers, employees, and customers." Additionally, a secretarial substitute resume shows how secretarial substitutes use writing skills: "organized meetings and appointments, writing letters, e-mails and reports in a foreign language mainly in english and spanish. "
Organizational skills. Another essential skill to perform secretarial substitute duties is organizational skills. Secretarial substitutes responsibilities require that "secretaries and administrative assistants keep files, folders, and schedules in order so that an office runs efficiently." Secretarial substitutes also use organizational skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "assist with organizational and clerical tasks and work on special projects using microsoft excel, word, powerpoint and outlook. "
The three companies that hire the most secretarial substitutes are:
- Marriott International2 secretarial substitutes jobs
- Pueblo City-County Library District1 secretarial substitutes jobs
- Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES1 secretarial substitutes jobs
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Compare different secretarial substitutes
Secretarial substitute vs. Office aide
Also called an office assistant, an office aide is someone whose responsibility focuses on secretarial and administrative tasks in health practices, schools, businesses, or any other institution. Office aides help with logistical and clerical needs like copying files, curating schedules, and answering phones. They manage and organize files, receive and direct visitors, create presentations, and answer emails. The skills they need include computer and email use, filing documents, answering multiline phone systems, and typing.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a secretarial substitute are more likely to require skills like "proofreading," "payroll," "report cards," and "public schools." On the other hand, a job as an office aide requires skills like "data entry," "phone calls," "customer service," and "database systems." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Office aides tend to make the most money working in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $30,366. In contrast, secretarial substitutes make the biggest average salary, $31,303, in the insurance industry.The education levels that office aides earn slightly differ from secretarial substitutes. In particular, office aides are 0.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a secretarial substitute. Additionally, they're 0.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Secretarial substitute vs. Data clerk
A data clerk is responsible for performing administrative support tasks, mainly focusing on data-entry. Their responsibilities typically include updating databases, maintaining records on spreadsheets and other documents, preparing and processing files, creating and organizing reports, coordinating with different departments to gather or disseminate data, and performing research and analysis. They may also handle calls and correspondence, monitor schedules and office supply inventory, and complete support tasks for staff as necessary. Furthermore, as a data clerk, it is essential to maintain an active communication line with teams and adhere to the company's data security policies and regulations.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, secretarial substitute responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "word processing," "proofreading," "public schools," and "travel arrangements." Meanwhile, a data clerk has duties that require skills in areas such as "database systems," "computer entry," "hr," and "data entry." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
On average, data clerks earn a higher salary than secretarial substitutes. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, data clerks earn the most pay in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $35,533. Whereas secretarial substitutes have higher pay in the insurance industry, with an average salary of $31,303.data clerks earn similar levels of education than secretarial substitutes in general. They're 0.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Secretarial substitute vs. Office worker
An office worker is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support the daily operations of the business. Office workers assist in receiving calls to respond to the clients' inquiries and concerns, as well as welcoming visitors, verifying their appointments, and leading them to the appropriate personnel and department for their business needs. They also do data processing, sorting mail, and filing documents for easy retrieval and reference, especially during meetings and company activities.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from secretarial substitute resumes include skills like "proofreading," "report cards," "public schools," and "travel arrangements," whereas an office worker is more likely to list skills in "data entry," "customer service," "scheduling appointments," and "computer programs. "
Office workers earn the highest salary when working in the education industry, where they receive an average salary of $40,267. Comparatively, secretarial substitutes have the highest earning potential in the insurance industry, with an average salary of $31,303.office workers typically earn similar educational levels compared to secretarial substitutes. Specifically, they're 1.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Secretarial substitute vs. Student office worker
Even though a few skill sets overlap between secretarial substitutes and student office workers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a secretarial substitute might have more use for skills like "proofreading," "payroll," "report cards," and "public schools." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of student office workers require skills like "data entry," "facebook," "phone calls," and "financial aid. "
Student office workers reach similar levels of education compared to secretarial substitutes, in general. The difference is that they're 2.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.8% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of secretarial substitute
Updated January 8, 2025
