Administrative Assistant

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Executive Assistant vs Administrative Assistant If you are putting up or starting to run a business, then you will most probably need someone who is efficient enough to ensure that all your management tasks are done. Now, you should know that finding the right person for the job can be tricky, because depending on your organizational structure and processes, you may have to choose between an executive assistant and an administrative assistant. As you can see, these two positions are often confused with each other, and if you do not have sufficient knowledge about their specific duties and necessary attributes, you might find yourself hiring the wrong person. This means that you have to gather as much information as possible about them to avoid …show more content…

The primary reason for this is that an executive assistant caters to executives, basically serving as the right hand of his boss, such as the president, vice president, chief executive officer (CEO) and the chief financial officer (CFO). As for the administrative assistant, he generally deals with routine tasks that are necessary to keep a company in order, which can include, but not limited to, scheduling meetings, filing, answering phone calls and entertaining visitors. However, it does not mean that the administrative assistant’s tasks cannot be assigned to an executive assistant, as they most probably can. Anyhow, an executive assistant is the one who is mostly called upon to perform duties that involves greater time sensitivity and more finesse, which means that he should have a certain degree of business …show more content…

This professional needs to be able to carry out all the requests of the managers and often serves as the last barrier before the executive office, which means that he can be secretive when it comes to handling confidential information, while trying to be discreet at all times. He devotes his career to assisting corporate officials, not only providing administrative support, but professional advice as well. In most cases, executives treat this professional as the go-to individual for ideas, recommendations and confidential help. But like other positions in an organization, his duties and responsibilities will also vary according to the company’s ruling culture. In terms of education, employers generally prefer hiring an executive assistant who have a 4-year degree in business or any related field, while an administrative assistant only needs a high school diploma with basic office and computer skills to qualify for relevant entry-level positions. As for salary, the Bureau of Labor and Statistics showed that the average salary for executive assistants as of May 2011 was $23.13 an hour, while it was $16.66 for administrative assistants. Based on these figures, the yearly figures for executive assistants would be over $13,000

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