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What does a staff assistant do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read

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.

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Staff assistant responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real staff assistant resumes:

  • Manage, troubleshoot, install and resolve hardware, software configurations, and network relate issues.
  • Manage candidate Facebook page and facilitate other advertising.
  • Manage fireworks inventory through QuickBooks and process customer wholesale orders.
  • Orchestrate special events and reservations; manage customer relations and provide exemplary service to all customers.
  • Conduct weekly groups for newly refer veterans and potential landlords on the HUD VASH searching process.
  • Supervise the daily operations, office work and customer service in a windows replacement company).
  • Receive recognition in training staff members in computer applications and troubleshoot hardware and software problems during the merger.
  • Prepare logistics for Industry/Client report presentations such as preparing presentation materials in PowerPoint.
  • Implement tracking system and automatic notification of committee decisions on projects in SharePoint.
  • Consolidate many electronic forms and the department's documentations into a centralize location in SharePoint.
  • Schedule and register patients, verify insurance coverage, billing accounts receivable, strong communication and interpersonal skills.
  • Prepare briefing materials and presentations; responsibilities include research, editing, creating PowerPoint presentations and back-up material.
  • Recruit patients, administer questionnaires to patients and enter data obtain from questionnaires into database for a clinical study.
  • Demonstrate initiative to troubleshoot and obtain resolution for difficult matters pertaining to veterans and civilians effectively and as expeditiously as possible.
  • Organize and coordinate the processing of faculty/staff evaluations, payroll certifications, departmental expenditures and screening and hiring faculty/staff for employment.

Staff assistant skills and personality traits

We calculated that 15% of Staff Assistants are proficient in Customer Service, Patients, and Data Entry. They’re also known for soft skills such as Interpersonal skills, Organizational skills, and Writing skills.

We break down the percentage of Staff Assistants that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Customer Service, 15%

    Demonstrated the organization's commitment to customer service by following up on calls for information on membership and educational information.

  • Patients, 10%

    Recruited patients, administered questionnaires to patients and entered data obtained from questionnaires into database for a clinical study.

  • Data Entry, 7%

    Composed and word processed a variety of standard documentation and correspondence; performing data entry and other database updates.

  • PowerPoint, 5%

    Prepared briefing materials and presentations; responsibilities included research, editing, creating PowerPoint presentations and back-up material.

  • Office Procedures, 5%

    Reviewed office procedures and practices of secretaries ensuring proper compliance with established correspondence, supply requests, and personnel action directives.

  • Veterans, 4%

    Performed casework and associated constituent services for military, veterans, immigration and Internal Revenue matters

Most staff assistants use their skills in "customer service," "patients," and "data entry" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential staff assistant responsibilities here:

Interpersonal skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a staff assistant to have is interpersonal skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "secretaries and administrative assistants interact with clients, customers, or staff." Staff assistants often use interpersonal skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "excelled appropriate interpersonal relationships wa variety of customer service and administrative tasks and resolve customer issues with expediency. "

Organizational skills. Many staff assistant duties rely on organizational skills. "secretaries and administrative assistants keep files, folders, and schedules in order so that an office runs efficiently.," so a staff assistant will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways staff assistant responsibilities rely on organizational skills: "researched customer service problems and issues, used organizational skills and applied mature judgement in problem solving. "

Writing skills. This is an important skill for staff assistants to perform their duties. For an example of how staff assistant responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "secretaries and administrative assistants write memos and emails when communicating with managers, employees, and customers." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a staff assistant: "performed word processing, indexing, filing, writing and management of international correspondence. ".

All staff assistant skills

The three companies that hire the most staff assistants are:

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Compare different staff assistants

Staff assistant vs. Administrative staff

As the administrative staff, they primarily provide administrative and secretarial support for the department. Typically, they do report-writing, filing and scheduling, and payroll. They plan department weekly meetings, schedule conference calls, and work on solving administrative related concerns and issues. They do a complex task that involves multi-tasking from the preparation of department reports, analyzing data, and finding solutions. It is a requirement to be an experienced, collaborator, and trained cross-functional communicator. Moreover, other duties will include scheduling company-initiated activities, meetings, and events.

We looked at the average staff assistant salary and compared it with the wages of an administrative staff. Generally speaking, administrative staff are paid $35,323 higher than staff assistants per year.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both staff assistant and administrative staff positions are skilled in powerpoint, travel arrangements, and payroll.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between staff assistants and administrative staff. For instance, staff assistant responsibilities require skills such as "customer service," "patients," "data entry," and "office procedures." Whereas a administrative staff is skilled in "personnel actions," "resource management," "hard copy," and "purchase orders." This is part of what separates the two careers.

Administrative staff tend to make the most money working in the professional industry, where they earn an average salary of $73,642. In contrast, staff assistants make the biggest average salary, $50,475, in the professional industry.On average, administrative staff reach similar levels of education than staff assistants. Administrative staff are 1.7% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Staff assistant vs. Clerk's assistant/administrative assistant

A clerk's assistant/administrative assistant is responsible for supporting the company's operations and customers' needs by performing administrative and clerical duties as needed. Clerk's assistants/administrative assistants respond to customers' inquiries and concerns, acknowledging and processing orders, and posting their payments. They also sort company documents, manage office supply inventory, submit business transaction reports, schedule appointments, and operate office equipment. A clerk's assistant/administrative assistant must be very organized. They must also have excellent time-management and multitasking skills to perform office duties with high accuracy and efficiency under minimal supervision.

Clerk's assistant/administrative assistant positions earn lower pay than staff assistant roles. They earn a $8,227 lower salary than staff assistants per year.A few skills overlap for staff assistants and clerks's assistant/administrative assistant. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "customer service," "data entry," and "powerpoint. "

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that staff assistant responsibilities requires skills like "patients," "office procedures," "veterans," and "payroll." But a clerk's assistant/administrative assistant might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "purchase orders," "hr," "dmv," and "direct calls."

Clerks's assistant/administrative assistant may earn a lower salary than staff assistants, but clerks's assistant/administrative assistant earn the most pay in the government industry with an average salary of $37,752. On the other hand, staff assistants receive higher pay in the professional industry, where they earn an average salary of $50,475.clerks's assistant/administrative assistant earn similar levels of education than staff assistants in general. They're 4.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Staff assistant vs. Administrative services assistant

An administrative services assistant is responsible for performing administrative support to an organization, ensuring smooth operations, and providing the best services for the customers. Administrative services assistants are usually the first point of contact of visitors, responding to their inquiries and concerns, verifying appointments, and leading them to the appropriate personnel or department. They are also present in meetings and conferences, creating minutes reports, presenting documents, and suggesting opportunities to improve operational functions and increase profitability. An administrative services assistant does data processing, sort files, monitor office inventories, and other related tasks as required.

On average scale, administrative services assistants bring in lower salaries than staff assistants. In fact, they earn a $6,288 lower salary per year.Using the responsibilities included on staff assistants and administrative services assistants resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "customer service," "patients," and "data entry.rdquo;

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, staff assistants are more likely to have skills like "office procedures," "veterans," "human resources," and "constituent correspondence." But a administrative services assistant is more likely to have skills like "home health," "phone calls," "rehabilitation," and "purchase orders."

Administrative services assistants make a very good living in the finance industry with an average annual salary of $36,395. On the other hand, staff assistants are paid the highest salary in the professional industry, with average annual pay of $50,475.When it comes to education, administrative services assistants tend to earn similar degree levels compared to staff assistants. In fact, they're 2.6% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.9% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Staff assistant vs. Program and administrative assistant

The Program and Administrative assistant work alongside a company's admin to manage all administrative tasks and activities. The program and administrative assistant work in both clerical duties and organizing files and storage. Included are making and receiving calls, setting, reminding, and following-up appointments, meetings, and events. The program and administrative assistant acts as the primary contact person of the administration and may be tasked to do a lot of clerical work. If you are interested in this position, you can start now.

Program and administrative assistants tend to earn a lower pay than staff assistants by an average of $6,147 per year.While their salaries may vary, staff assistants and program and administrative assistants both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "data entry," "powerpoint," and "provides administrative support. "

Even though a few skill sets overlap between staff assistants and program and administrative assistants, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a staff assistant might have more use for skills like "customer service," "patients," "office procedures," and "veterans." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of program and administrative assistants require skills like "database management," "routine correspondence," "purchase orders," and "program support. "

Program and administrative assistants enjoy the best pay in the education industry, with an average salary of $34,661. For comparison, staff assistants earn the highest salary in the professional industry.The average resume of program and administrative assistants showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to staff assistants. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 0.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.7%.

Types of staff assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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