What's the difference between a secretary and a receptionist?

Question

Or is there a difference?

Answer 1

A secretary is an administrative support position. The title refers to a person who performs routine, administrative, or personal tasks for a superior.
These office employees perform duties such as typing, computer processing, and scheduling for an executive. They usually work at desks in offices.At the most basic end of the spectrum a secretary may need only a good command of the prevailing office language and the ability to type, and may spend a large part of her time filing and fetching papers (or the equivalent files and databases online) or answering phones.
At the other end of the spectrum they may be required to take dictation by writing in shorthand at spoken-language rates, type at high speeds using technical or foreign languages, organise diaries, itineraries and meetings and carry out administrative duties which may include accountancy. In a more elevated secretarial position, she or he may also control access to the manager whom she / he is assigned to, and thus becomes an influential person, and trusted aide.
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A receptionist is an office/administrative support position. The work is usually performed in a waiting area such as a lobby or front office of an organization or business. The title "receptionist" is attributed to the person who is specifically employed by an organization to greet any visitors, patients, or clients.
The business duties of a receptionist may include: answering visitor inquiries about a company and its products or services, directing visitors to their destinations, sorting mail, answering incoming calls on multi-line telephones or a switchboard, setting appointments, filing, records keeping, keyboarding/data entry and performing a variety of other office tasks, such as faxing. Some receptionist may also perform bookkeeping or cashiering duties. Some, but not all, offices may expect the receptionist to serve coffee or tea to guests, and to keep the lobby area tidy.

Answer 2

On the surface it does seem like they are the same thing, when they are not. The receptionist is the person up front greeting visitors, and answering the phone for an entire office. The secretary does that and more for one department or an executive rather than the office as a whole. An administrative assistant would be the boss of several secretaries. I work in a small office. In this office I do the work of a file clerk, permit clerk, receptionist, secretary, programmer and I am also the IT department. My title: administrative assistant (although I think it should be jack-of-all-trades lol)

Answer 3

Receptionist generally have much more customer facing work, you are expected to greet guests, take names, issue parking permits and name badges etc and often work at a counter in the main lobby away from other workers.

Secretaries generally provide admin support, the traditional secretary was all about typing, although these days they incorporate a lot more admin duties such as powerpoint, filing, organising meetings etc. A lot of secretary positions, other than medical and legal secretaries, are now mainly Administrative Functions.

There is less scope for promotion in reception as generally you are the only one in the department, however both tend to pay a medium to low income depending on the size of the company and the type of job.

If you like meeting people then reception is better, but if you want varied work and something to do then try secretarial things.

Answer 4

Secretary is an out dated term and are now called administrative assistants. Admins do administrative work like typing, filing, drafting letters, ect., and are given responisbilties where they think on their own. Receptionist do some admistirative work but thier primary responisbility is to greet people and answer phones and do not need to be as computer savey (usaully). When the word "secretary was used it refered to people who would type dictation, file, and answer phones. Sercetaries in that day were not given many responisbilites that required them to do much, but take direction. We have a much higher view of admins or secreteries now and they are ofted delegated responsibilites. Different companies do use differnt terms and some may still use the term secretary. So, if your appling for jobs apply for receptionist, secratry, office clerk, and admins because some comapanies often use thes terms interchangably and just make sure when you go to an interview you understand what they mean by "admin, secretary, or receptionist".

Answer 5

Usually a secretary has more responsibilities and duties. However, many small offices will hire someone as secretary/receptionist to save money because they 1) are only paying one salary and 2) receptionist traditionally are paid less. Win win situation for the boss - sucks for the hired help.

Answer 6

Generally, a receptionist has less duties and responsibilities than a secretary (or administrative assistant). The major responsibilities of a receptionist are typically to route callers and to greet visitors; however, depending on the company, they may also have additional clerical duties as well.

Answer 7

Each company defines its job positions differently so you would really need to get the job descriptions for each position from a specific company to really know how they define the two jobs but generally speaking I would define a receptionist as one who greets customers, patients, visitors, etc. as they enter the business. They are usually also assigned other clerical duties as well. It is not assumed that a job duty of a secretary necessarily includes the greeting aspect, although oftentimes it is as well.

Answer 8

A receptionist receives vistors, calls for a whole office. Secretary normally will work for a department or a exectitve.

Answer 9

Receptionist usually answers the phones and greets customers, secretaries, type letters and do the bosses bidding.

Answer 10

A secreatary firsly has to be defined but in this case a secreatray can be responsible for many thinhs he/she may be privy to delicate data, and has responsibilites (not de-crying a receptionist). the secreatary may have to take minutes in meetings, have knowledge of the company and its workings. Whereas a Receptionist is responsible for the incoming of calss and callers. to the reps she is the 1st line of defence between who they want to see and who see lets them see.

A receptionist meets greets dispatches. she may have some clerical duites typing filing etc.