Student receptionist vs office secretary

The differences between student receptionists and office 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 student receptionist and an office secretary. Additionally, an office secretary has an average salary of $33,118, which is higher than the $24,131 average annual salary of a student receptionist.

The top three skills for a student receptionist include scheduling appointments, phone calls and telephone calls. The most important skills for an office secretary are data entry, phone calls, and telephone calls.

Student receptionist vs office secretary overview

	Student Receptionist	Office Secretary
Yearly salary	$24,131	$33,118
Hourly rate	$11.60	$15.92
Growth rate	-	-8%
Number of jobs	28,285	87,771
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Average age	42	50
Years of experience	2	2

Student receptionist vs office secretary salary

Student receptionists and office secretaries have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Student Receptionist	Office Secretary
Average salary	$24,131	$33,118
Salary range	Between $15,000 And $38,000	Between $25,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	-	Santa Rosa, CA
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	Guidehouse
Best paying industry	-	Telecommunication

Differences between student receptionist and office secretary education

There are a few differences between a student receptionist and an office secretary in terms of educational background:

	Student Receptionist	Office Secretary
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Most common major	Psychology	Business
Most common college	-	University of Pennsylvania

Student receptionist vs office secretary demographics

Here are the differences between student receptionists' and office secretaries' demographics:

	Student Receptionist	Office Secretary
Average age	42	50
Gender ratio	Male, 18.8% Female, 81.2%	Male, 14.7% Female, 85.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 6.5% White, 58.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between student receptionist and office secretary duties and responsibilities

Student receptionist example responsibilities.

Assist office management and staff with administrative projects/responsibilities such as managing time-sensitive projects, filing, copying, and collating materials.
Assist and setup daily chemistry department meeting for graduate students according to proper specifications, and upon instruction deliver bank deposits.
Verify identification of those entering the building and act as a safeguard to the DePaul dormitory residents.

Office secretary example responsibilities.

Lead DoD team that assist Pakistan in gaining military capabilities to conduct counter-terrorism operations against the Taliban.
Research and keep updated on Medicare and Medicaid benefits, qualification requirements, and the legal and financial effects of options.
Determine client eligibility for Medicaid transportation.
Process and submit payroll information and invoices.
Maintain departmental inventory, purchasing/travel paperwork, and process payroll.
Answer customer phone calls-Record daily business transactions-Manage QuickBooks and bank accounts-Enter parts invoices and take inventory

Student receptionist vs office secretary skills

Common student receptionist skills

Scheduling Appointments, 32%
Phone Calls, 18%
Telephone Calls, 10%
Customer Service, 8%
Front Desk, 7%
Financial Aid, 3%

Common office secretary skills

Data Entry, 12%
Phone Calls, 11%
Telephone Calls, 8%
Scheduling Appointments, 7%
Office Procedures, 7%
Payroll, 6%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Student Receptionist
Student Receptionist vs Office Secretary

Updated January 8, 2025

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