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The differences between staff assistants and administrative receptionists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a staff assistant and an administrative receptionist. Additionally, a staff assistant has an average salary of $41,778, which is higher than the $31,502 average annual salary of an administrative receptionist.
The top three skills for a staff assistant include customer service, patients and data entry. The most important skills for an administrative receptionist are customer service, patients, and data entry.
| Staff Assistant | Administrative Receptionist | |
| Yearly salary | $41,778 | $31,502 |
| Hourly rate | $20.09 | $15.15 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 126,202 | 91,892 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 35% |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A staff assistant is a company employee who is tasked to support and help staff members to adequately fill their roles and assuring that the organization is running efficiently. Working under an administrative supervisor, an assistant's tasks include answering phone calls, scheduling meetings or appointments, and booking the necessary travels. Moreover, an assistant should have excellent skills in written and verbal communication and is highly organized with minimal supervision. An assistant may be able to work in a wide variety of settings, which includes healthcare facilities and government offices.
An administrative receptionist is responsible for performing administrative tasks, handling visitors' inquiries and concerns, verifying appointments, and leading them to the appropriate personnel and department, as well as handling and routing calls. Administrative receptionists also keep records of the staff meeting and executive conference, including company and promotional events. They receive packages and mail, sort documents, manage office supply inventories, create incident reports, and report suspicious guests within the premises. An administrative receptionist must have excellent communication and customer service skills, especially on resolving and escalating complaints.
Staff assistants and administrative receptionists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Staff Assistant | Administrative Receptionist | |
| Average salary | $41,778 | $31,502 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $63,000 | Between $25,000 And $38,000 |
| Highest paying City | Bridgewater, MA | Oakland, CA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | Washington |
| Best paying company | Massasoit Community College | Beacon Hill Staffing Group |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Technology |
There are a few differences between a staff assistant and an administrative receptionist in terms of educational background:
| Staff Assistant | Administrative Receptionist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 35% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between staff assistants' and administrative receptionists' demographics:
| Staff Assistant | Administrative Receptionist | |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 29.4% Female, 70.6% | Male, 8.0% Female, 92.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.3% 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, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |