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Senior administrative specialist vs administrative support

The differences between senior administrative specialists and administrative supports can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a senior administrative specialist, becoming an administrative support takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a senior administrative specialist has an average salary of $43,864, which is higher than the $37,692 average annual salary of an administrative support.

The top three skills for a senior administrative specialist include powerpoint, logistics and travel arrangements. The most important skills for an administrative support are customer service, administrative tasks, and data entry.

Senior administrative specialist vs administrative support overview

Senior Administrative SpecialistAdministrative Support
Yearly salary$43,864$37,692
Hourly rate$21.09$18.12
Growth rate-8%-8%
Number of jobs57,049114,480
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 55%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age4950
Years of experience42

What does a senior administrative specialist do?

A senior administrative specialist is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support business operations and ensuring the efficient and timely submission of outputs and business reports. Senior administrative specialists assist the executive management in tracking appointments and travels, coordinating with the client for scheduled meetings, negotiating contracts with suppliers and third-party vendors, and responding to clients' inquiries and concerns or leading them to the correct personnel for their business needs. A senior administrative specialist must be highly communicative and organizational to do tasks within deadlines and under minimal supervision.

What does an administrative support do?

Administrative support specialists provide different types of governmental assistance. They carry out varied clerical duties in almost all industries. Most of these duties revolve around supervising and distributing information within an organization. This typically includes taking memos, answering phone calls, and managing, storing, and organizing files. They are also responsible for receiving and sending correspondence and greeting customers and clients. Some administrative support may be required to have vast professional knowledge as their duties are more specialized than the others.

Senior administrative specialist vs administrative support salary

Senior administrative specialists and administrative supports have different pay scales, as shown below.

Senior Administrative SpecialistAdministrative Support
Average salary$43,864$37,692
Salary rangeBetween $28,000 And $68,000Between $26,000 And $53,000
Highest paying CityBeverly Hills, CAWashington, DC
Highest paying stateHawaiiRhode Island
Best paying companyBNY MellonPacific Investment Management Company LLC
Best paying industry-Technology

Differences between senior administrative specialist and administrative support education

There are a few differences between a senior administrative specialist and an administrative support in terms of educational background:

Senior Administrative SpecialistAdministrative Support
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 55%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeWestern Carolina UniversityWestern Carolina University

Senior administrative specialist vs administrative support demographics

Here are the differences between senior administrative specialists' and administrative supports' demographics:

Senior Administrative SpecialistAdministrative Support
Average age4950
Gender ratioMale, 19.4% Female, 80.6%Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 5.0% White, 71.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage10%6%

Differences between senior administrative specialist and administrative support duties and responsibilities

Senior administrative specialist example responsibilities.

  • Oversee the activities of a contract coordinators including managing daily operations and providing additional training and guidance as needed.
  • Perform payroll calculation and administrative tasks to include processing of deductions and additions as required.
  • Maintain knowledge of and assure adherence to HIPAA rules and regulations.
  • Assist in the transition of project data from multiple share drives to the appropriate location within SharePoint.
  • Maintain SharePoint sites, resulting in improve communications with cross-functional teams.
  • Develop PowerPoint educational presentations for national, regional, and local-level direct service providers.
  • Show more

Administrative support example responsibilities.

  • Manage company finances using QuickBooks software, including monitoring the operating budget and collecting on unpaid invoices.
  • Interview veterans to determine issues/concerns and recommend services.
  • Mail VA benefits correspondence to veterans and various organizations.
  • Prepare payroll packages for distribution and delivery, including collating and packing of documents.
  • Research and maintain reference library with ADAPCP in support of prevention and rehabilitation efforts.
  • Develop SharePoint training of project personal and create operating procedures, training documents and briefings.
  • Show more

Senior administrative specialist vs administrative support skills

Common senior administrative specialist skills
  • PowerPoint, 13%
  • Logistics, 7%
  • Travel Arrangements, 5%
  • Office Procedures, 5%
  • Data Entry, 5%
  • SR, 5%
Common administrative support skills
  • Customer Service, 18%
  • Administrative Tasks, 8%
  • Data Entry, 6%
  • Payroll, 6%
  • Phone Calls, 6%
  • Patients, 5%

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