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The differences between clerical specialists and department specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a department specialist has an average salary of $49,764, which is higher than the $30,736 average annual salary of a clerical specialist.
The top three skills for a clerical specialist include patients, data entry and customer service. The most important skills for a department specialist are product knowledge, drive sales, and cleanliness.
| Clerical Specialist | Department Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $30,736 | $49,764 |
| Hourly rate | $14.78 | $23.93 |
| Growth rate | -5% | - |
| Number of jobs | 60,757 | 55,038 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 35% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Average age | 47 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 2 | - |
Clerical specialists are office assistants or executive secretaries offering administrative support. The specialists schedule conference meetings or calls, prepare statistical reports and correspondence, and maintain sensitive data. They manage both incoming and outgoing mails and the distribution of letters and packages to administrative offices and staff. Their job includes the redesign and reorganization of the existing filing systems of client and internal documents. They comply with corporate confidentiality, regulations, and guidelines. Skills in data entry, customer service, and medical records are necessary for this job.
A department specialist drives the profitable sales growth of a company through proper planning and execution of corporate merchandise direction. Department specialists develop plans and strategies to achieve corporate sales results through action planning, consistent accountability, and effective communication. They initiate and carry out business-wide software and hardware standardization. Also, they coordinate space utilization or facility scheduling optimization for programs focused on members.
Clerical specialists and department specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Clerical Specialist | Department Specialist | |
| Average salary | $30,736 | $49,764 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $38,000 | Between $35,000 And $70,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Jose, CA | Urban Honolulu, HI |
| Highest paying state | California | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Wayne County, Michigan | Springs Charter Schools |
| Best paying industry | Government | Government |
There are a few differences between a clerical specialist and a department specialist in terms of educational background:
| Clerical Specialist | Department Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 35% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | - |
Here are the differences between clerical specialists' and department specialists' demographics:
| Clerical Specialist | Department Specialist | |
| Average age | 47 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 13.7% Female, 86.3% | Male, 37.6% Female, 62.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 7.5% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.6% Asian, 7.7% White, 56.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 7% |