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The differences between secretaries and department 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 secretary and a department secretary. Additionally, a secretary has an average salary of $36,442, which is higher than the $35,473 average annual salary of a department secretary.
The top three skills for a secretary include customer service, telephone calls and payroll. The most important skills for a department secretary are patients, customer service, and data entry.
| Secretary | Department Secretary | |
| Yearly salary | $36,442 | $35,473 |
| Hourly rate | $17.52 | $17.05 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 69,315 | 80,303 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 39% |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Secretaries are employees who are responsible for many of the administrative needs of the office. They are usually assigned to executives or to a specific department. They manage schedules and appointments, often handling the calendar in the office. They are also responsible for keeping files organized, whether physical or digital copies. During office meetings, secretaries are in charge of documenting the minutes of the meeting and highlighting the action steps that need to be taken. They may also be assigned to check on concerned departments who need to present deliverables in the next office meeting.
A department secretary is responsible for providing administrative and clerical support to a specific department, ensuring smooth operations to maintain high-quality services to the customers and business partners. Department secretaries should have excellent knowledge of office management principles, especially on data processing procedures and customer service processes. They handle the scheduling of meetings and conferences, responding to customers' inquiries and concerns, directing visitors to the appropriate personnel and department, sorting files, and submitting business transactions and financial reports. A department secretary also recommends strategic procedures to generate more revenues and increase the company's profitability.
Secretaries and department secretaries have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Secretary | Department Secretary | |
| Average salary | $36,442 | $35,473 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $51,000 | Between $26,000 And $47,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Oakland, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith | Brigham and Women's Hospital |
| Best paying industry | Government | Government |
There are a few differences between a secretary and a department secretary in terms of educational background:
| Secretary | Department Secretary | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 39% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between secretaries' and department secretaries' demographics:
| Secretary | Department Secretary | |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 10.1% Female, 89.9% | Male, 7.0% Female, 93.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 3.9% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |