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The differences between department specialists and associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an associate has an average salary of $69,556, which is higher than the $49,764 average annual salary of a department specialist.
The top three skills for a department specialist include product knowledge, drive sales and cleanliness. The most important skills for an associate are customer service, sales floor, and patients.
| Department Specialist | Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $49,764 | $69,556 |
| Hourly rate | $23.93 | $33.44 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 55,038 | 569,041 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
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.
Associates are typically entry-level positions for employees who are taking on their first job or organizational role. They are assigned to teams or departments that are related to their skills or educational background. They usually start with smaller tasks that may not seem as impactful but are still essential to the department. Associates are trained by more tenured team members on the ins and outs of the department and the organization. As they grow with the organization, they are given more responsibilities that directly impact the results of the department's initiatives as they work towards their goals.
Department specialists and associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Department Specialist | Associate | |
| Average salary | $49,764 | $69,556 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $70,000 | Between $34,000 And $140,000 |
| Highest paying City | Urban Honolulu, HI | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | New York |
| Best paying company | Springs Charter Schools | Simpson Thacher & Bartlett |
| Best paying industry | Government | - |
There are a few differences between a department specialist and an associate in terms of educational background:
| Department Specialist | Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between department specialists' and associates' demographics:
| Department Specialist | Associate | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 37.6% Female, 62.4% | Male, 50.4% Female, 49.6% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 8.3% White, 57.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |