What is an office assistant?

An office assistant typically handles general office duties to keep processes running smoothly. Many businesses hire office assistants to handle basic clerical duties. In handling those routine tasks, they support other team members, enabling them to focus more effectively on their primary responsibilities. Specific duties of an office assistant may include:

• Cleaning and organizing general office areas
• Filing paperwork
• Serving as the first point of contact for clients
• Answering the phone and routing calls
• Processing incoming and outgoing mail
• Handling data entry

What is an administrative assistant?

An administrative assistant is similar to an office assistant, and some people use the titles interchangeably. However, administrative assistants typically handle a wider range of responsibilities, often providing high-level support to managers or executives. Typical administrative assistant duties may include:

• Managing communications with clients
• Maintaining and updating files
• Writing various types of communications
• Proofreading and editing correspondence written by team members
• Developing organizational systems in the office
• Scheduling meetings, travel and the use of office spaces
• Taking inventory of and ordering office supplies
• Processing payments
• Responding to additional requests from executives and other team members

Similarities between an office assistant and administrative assistant

Both the office assistant and administrative assistant roles serve clerical functions within an office setting. Many duties overlap, including greeting clients, managing files and handling correspondence. They both offer support to other team members and the office as a whole so that your organization can serve clients more effectively.

Differences between an administrative assistant vs. office assistant

Taking a closer look at the specifics of an administrative assistant vs. an office assistant can help you make an effective hiring plan.

Experience requirements

Neither position has strict standard requirements for experience or education. Expecting experience is more common for administrative assistant roles, however, because they tend to have more complex duties.

Companies that hire specialized administrative assistants might request at least a year of relevant experience. For example, if the duties include processing payroll, assisting with HR tasks or booking extensive travel arrangements, you might prefer candidates who have proven work experience handling those responsibilities.

Pay

While the pay rate is similar between these two roles, administrative assistants typically earn a little more. According to Indeed Salaries, office assistants earn an average of $17.94 per hour, while administrative assistants earn about $19.74 per hour.

Duties

You might not notice significant differences in the duties of an administrative assistant vs. an office assistant. However, an administrative assistant typically handles more complex tasks. For example:

• An office assistant may be responsible for printing and distributing communications created by someone else, whereas an administrative assistant may also write the documents.
• An office assistant files paperwork, ensures the files stay organized and pulls files as needed for other team members, but an administrative assistant might also create a logical filing system for the office, build new files and decide which files should be disposed of.
• An administrative assistant may handle special projects assigned by a specific team member or department, such as creating sales reports as directed by the department manager.

Because neither position requires a license or certification, you ultimately decide which duties you assign to your administrative staff and what titles you give them.

Work location

Where you set up your office assistant vs. administrative assistant will vary based on the physical layout of your building and their specific duties. Office assistants often have desks near the entrance of the building to greet clients and other people who enter.

Administrative assistants may sit in the front near the entrance or have an office closer to the area they serve. For instance, if you hire an administrative assistant to serve your human resources department, they would typically sit in the HR office area, near the staff members they serve most.

Choosing whether to hire an office assistant or an administrative assistant

Whether you hire an office assistant vs. an administrative assistant depends on what you want the employee to do on a day-to-day basis. You might hire an office assistant if the job consists primarily of general office upkeep and support.

Meanwhile, hiring an administrative assistant might be an ideal choice if you expect the employee to handle broader, more strategic tasks. This title works well for someone who’s assisting a specific department that performs specialized work, such as HR, finance, sales, marketing or IT. Some organizations differentiate the roles by adding the department name to the title, such as marketing administrative assistant or human resources administrative assistant.

FAQs about office assistant and administrative assistant roles

Does the title of your administrative role matter?

When choosing the job title, consider the focus of the role and how the title will be perceived by job seekers. You could hone in on specific skills and responsibilities associated with the role to determine which title better aligns with the job description.

Should you have both an office assistant and an administrative assistant?

Some organizations benefit from having both office assistants and administrative assistants. The number of administrative staff members you hire depends on the size of your company and how much administrative work you have for them to do. You may need an office assistant to handle general tasks and keep the office orderly and an administrative assistant to handle detail-oriented work, such as writing correspondence and managing travel.

Who oversees these roles?

Understanding the hierarchy of administrative roles gives you an idea of who oversees an office assistant or administrative assistant. In larger companies, these roles may report to a senior administrative assistant or office manager. That position oversees all office activities and supervises and assigns duties to the various assistants. If you own a small business without other administrative roles, the assistant might report to the owner, a manager or another role in the company with whom the assistant works closely.