Both positions provide plenty of room for ambitious workers to create their own opportunities and blaze career paths based on goals and interests. Executive Assistant vs. A secretary’s job focuses on typing and storing documents and reporting to a general manager. Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive form the largest subcategory of secretaries and administrative assistants. In most cases, a two-year degree puts the CEO’s mind at ease. Some companies use the terms "secretaries" and "administrative assistants" interchangeably. We talked a few minutes -- you know, small talk -- and then I asked if she had a card. A: An entry-level administrative assistant’s job is to help manage an office and assist the operations of secretaries, office clerks, and receptionists. They might answer phones and support customers, organize files, prepare documents, and schedule appointments. Administrative Assistant: The Career Paths Both Executive Assistants and Administrative Assistants enjoy flexible career paths. Technically, administrative assistants don’t have to have a specific kind of education, training, or certification. Secretary, Administrative Assistant or Administrative Professional? At times, a high school diploma is enough. Administrative Coordinator Salary According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), first-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers, such as office coordinators and managers, earn an average annual salary of $60,130 , as of May 2019. Though their tasks are similar to that of an administrative assistant, executive assistants support higher-level staff rather than simple admin support. Office Administration Vs Office Assistant When looking for the best career path, it would be an understatement to say that you have plenty of options available to you. And less than 15 percent of administrative staff still go by the title secretary: Most are called administrative assistants, executive assistants, office managers, or office supervisors. They handle an office’s administrative activities in almost every sector of the economy, including schools, government, and private corporations. Secretary vs. She was not in her office, but her new secretary -- on the job four days -- was. A secretary is a person whose job is strictly clerical. A CEO wrote: the difference between a Secretary and a fully-functioning Executive Assistant is that a secretary has a series of tasks they perform and the routine of them becomes easier and easier so they almost don’t have to add much value. I was an Administrative Assistant for 13 years. Administrative Assistant vs. Secretary: Administrative assistant and secretary are those persons who assist the top officials of a company or an institution. Executive assistants provide administrative support to executives, directors, and other higher level personnel. As an administrative assistant, you take on more responsibilities and must be able to multitask to suit the needs of an office. When you start to narrow down the available opportunities, especially between related professions, it can become easier to make comparisons. 04/26/2014 12:09 pm ET Updated Jun 26, 2014 Not long ago I stopped by the office of a local school administrator. However, the tasks they perform vary depending on the company they work for. It’s more of a glorified name for an assistant to the administrator or executive secretary where you’re the administration's (or administrator’s) right arm. A Secretary vs An Executive Assistant. Earlier there was only secretary and with the passage of time came administrative assistants. 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