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Administrative Assistant vs Secretary
Administrative assistant and secretary are those persons who assist the top officials of a company or an institution. Earlier there was only secretary and with the passage of time came administrative assistants.
A secretary is a person whose job is strictly clerical. A secretary has to do jobs like typing and copying dictations, attending telephone calls and fixing appointments. A secretary will not have any other major role to play and he or she has no power to make any decisions independently.
An administrative assistant has more duties to perform than a secretary. An administrative assistant’s work is far above clerical jobs. Unlike a secretary, an administrative assistant has the liberty to make independent decisions. An administrative assistant can also make independent judgments. Unlike the secretary, an administrative assistant may even know the preferences of his or her boss including the personal preferences.
An administrative assistant may also be entrusted with the responsibility of long-term projects that is of interest to the boss. However, the boss would not be sharing this responsibility with a secretary. Instead, the secretary would only be given the task of assisting the administrative assistant in case of any major works.
Unlike the secretaries, the administrative assistants supervise other staffs, arrange conferences, review submissions, memos and important reports. It is the responsibility of the administrative assistants to arrange meetings between the executive members and other various committees. Some of the administrative assistants are also entrusted with preparing statistical reports, which the secretaries are not allowed to do.
High school graduates with vocational training in office administration are generally preferred for secretary jobs. On the other hand, a person with a degree is most preferred for an administrative assistant job.
Summary
1. A secretary is a person whose job is strictly clerical. An administrative assistant’s work is far above clerical jobs.
2. A secretary has to do jobs like typing and copying dictations, attending telephone calls and fixing appointments. A secretary will not have any other major role to play and he or she has no power to make any decisions independently. Unlike a secretary, an administrative assistant has the liberty make independent decisions and make independent judgments
3. Unlike the secretary, an administrative assistant may even know the preferences of his or her boss including the personal preferences.
4. The secretary would only be given the task of assisting the administrative assistant in case of any major works.
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Cite
APA 7
S, P. (2011, October 12). Difference Between Administrative Assistant and Secretary. Difference Between Similar Terms and Objects. http://www.differencebetween.net/business/difference-between-administrative-assistant-and-secretary/.
MLA 8
S, Prabhat. "Difference Between Administrative Assistant and Secretary." Difference Between Similar Terms and Objects, 12 October, 2011, http://www.differencebetween.net/business/difference-between-administrative-assistant-and-secretary/.
Written by : Prabhat S. and updated on 2011, October 12
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FAQs
Compared to secretaries, administrative assistants have more leadership roles in the company. They are providing administrative support to maintain workplace efficiency, in addition to accomplishing clerical work.
What is the difference between administrative assistant and secretary? ›
A secretary typically handles more basic tasks such as answering phones, filing paperwork, and scheduling appointments. On the other hand, a business administrative assistant is responsible for more complex tasks such as creating reports, managing databases, and supporting executives.
What is the role of a secretaries and administrative assistants officer? ›
Secretaries and administrative assistants maintain databases and filing systems. Secretaries and administrative assistants do routine clerical and organizational tasks. They arrange files, prepare documents, schedule appointments, and support other staff.
Which is higher administrative assistant or executive secretary? ›
While administrative and executive assistants are both likely to answer phones, maintain schedules, edit documents, and prepare reports, executive assistants take this to the next level and may be responsible for researching topics, reading over documents, and even supervising other clerical staff members.
What is the difference between a PA and a secretary? ›
Speaking of responsibilities, a secretary doesn't have a direct relationship with their superiors. Whereas, assistants have direct responsibilities to their superior and the ability to understand the work they do in detail, considering they will work closely with their superiors.
What are the main duties of an administrative assistant? ›
Administrative assistant responsibilities:
- Answer and direct phone calls.
- Organize and schedule appointments and meetings.
- Maintain contact lists.
- Produce and distribute correspondence memos, letters, faxes, and forms.
- Assist in the preparation of regularly scheduled reports.
- Develop and maintain a filing system.
Upper-Level Administrative Positions
You may become a senior executive assistant, director of administration, chief of staff, or operations director within your company. In these roles, you'll typically work more with executives and CEOs and have the chance to work hands-on with business endeavors.
What is the most important skill a secretary must possess? ›
Key skills for secretaries
- Good communication, customer service and relationship-building skills.
- Teamworking skills.
- Organisation and time management skills.
- Attention to detail.
- Negotiation skills.
- Assertiveness.
- Flexibility.
- Tact, discretion and diplomacy.
A secretary, also known as a personal assistant (PA) or administrative assistant, can have many administrative duties.
What is another name for an administrative assistant? ›
Similar professions and job titles to an Administrative Assistant are Office Administrator, Program Coordinator, Office Associate, Program Assistant, Customer Service Specialist, Receptionist, Customer Service Representative and Salesperson.
Administrative Assistant Salary in California
| Annual Salary | Monthly Pay |
|---|
| Top Earners | $56,253 | $4,687 |
| 75th Percentile | $47,900 | $3,991 |
| Average | $38,998 | $3,249 |
| 25th Percentile | $35,500 | $2,958 |
Office Assistant salary in India ranges between ₹ 0.2 Lakhs to ₹ 4.3 Lakhs with an average annual salary of ₹ 2.4 Lakhs. Salary estimates are based on 30.2k latest salaries received from Office Assistants.
What is C level administrative assistant? ›
A C-level executive assistant is someone specifically assigned to support C-suite members like the CEO, CFO, COO, and other high-ranking executives. While administrative assistants generally aid various teams and managers, C-level EAs work exclusively with an individual from the C-suite team.
What is the difference between a secretary and an administrative assistant? ›
Compared to secretaries, administrative assistants have more leadership roles in the company. They are providing administrative support to maintain workplace efficiency, in addition to accomplishing clerical work.
What is lower than a secretary? ›
Undersecretary (or under secretary) is a title for a person who works for and has a lower rank than a secretary (person in charge).
Is a secretary higher than a clerk? ›
Secretaries and Office Clerks serve similar roles, but Secretaries tend to have more front-facing responsibilities while Office Clerks work behind the scenes. Secretaries provide reception services for an entire office, department or specific person while Office Clerks may not interact with the public at all.
When did the secretary become an administrative assistant? ›
Peril doesn't mind the term “secretary” but writes extensively about the shift to the term “administrative assistant”: “By the '70s, when women were really starting to strike out for their rights in all sorts of ways, they asked to be called administrative assistant because that actually meant you were taking your job ...
Is administrative assistant a high position? ›
Usually, they help with providing various types of administrative support around an office, though it's often department-specific. However, administrative assistants are not always entry-level positions. It is important to note that they can also be mid-level or high-level jobs depending on the job description.
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