What Does a Department Specialist Do?

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.

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Department Specialist Responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real department specialist resumes representing typical tasks they are likely to perform in their roles.

Manage a high volume of patient information from authorizing diagnostic procedures and scheduling patients.
Conduct continuous inventory evaluation via analysis of POS computer data.
Provide account coverage on government, corporate, and mortgage-backed securities.
Strengthen organizational visibility by leading community outreach initiatives, fulfilling roles as youth mentor and orchestrating event planning and logistics.
Assist with scanning old patient records into EMR, other duties assign.
Communicate all policy and procedure violations to management, prepare detailed memos outlining the issues.

Department Specialist Job Description

When it comes to understanding what a department specialist does, you may be wondering, "should I become a department specialist?" The data included in this section may help you decide. Compared to other jobs, department specialists have a growth rate described as "decline" at -2% between the years 2018 - 2028, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In fact, the number of department specialist opportunities that are predicted to open up by 2028 is -105,200.

On average, the department specialist annual salary is $49,764 per year, which translates to $23.93 an hour. Generally speaking, department specialists earn anywhere from $35,000 to $70,000 a year, which means that the top-earning department specialists make $41,000 more than the ones at the lower end of the spectrum.

As is the case with most jobs, it takes work to become a department specialist. Sometimes people change their minds about their career after working in the profession. That's why we looked into some other professions that might help you find your next opportunity. These professions include a sales person, sales clerk, associate, and sales associate.

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5 Department Specialist Resume Examples

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Ethan Willis Department Specialist Contact Information Melville, NY (230) 555-7685 ewillis@example.com Skills Interview Process Corporate Office Purchase Orders Special Projects Procedures Minimal Supervision Communication Stock Room Word Processing CIO Employment History Department Specialist 2019 - Present Bloomingdale's Melville, NY Achieved personal sales goals and expanded client base for two consecutive years. Provided impeccable customer service, product knowledge and personalized service. Led a department which met and exceeded all monthly sales goals and all event sales goals. Department Assistant 2014 - 2019 Adecco Staffing, USA Melville, NY Operated as the first point of contact for Human Resources office and corporate office. Provided general office and receptionist support as workload dictated. Assisted and directed clients to appropriate Clinician Reviewed medical records and determined additional testing needed for medical clearances Merchandiser, Sales 2013 - 2014 Dollar General Philadelphia, PA Organized stock room to easily locate and access back stock. Cashier Stocker Providing excellent customer service *Key holder(1st and 2nd shift) Operate registered, stocked merchandise on sales floor work truck as needed. Stock and organize inventory on the sales floor. Education High School Diploma 2013 - 2013


Barbara Simpson Department Specialist Contact Info Plano, TX (490) 555-2330 bsimpson@example.com Skills Sales FloorRetail SalesEmergencyPositive AttitudeFront EndPatient CareProceduresSales PersonnelSecurity PracticesRetail Accounts Employment History Department Specialist 2020 - Present Texas Health Resources Plano, TX Communicate with nursing units concerning patient's procedures. Apply data program techniques and procedures. Major Accountabilities: Assisted the Department Head with the overall direction, coordination, and supervision of the Front Desk department. BRA Specialist 2019 - 2020 J. C. Penney Plano, TX greet customers and assist with purchases -responsibility to open and close the store -meet credit application, online order and sales goals Demonstrate product to customers.Maintain shoe department and stock room also. Follow the company Door to Floor process to prep and deliver merchandise to the sales floor. Key Holder/Manager 2015 - 2019 Mini Mart Colorado Springs, CO Helped set up new stores (training employees and merchandising) Work customer service desk which includes taking complaints, sending Western Unions, money orders, and cashing checks. Provided leadership, administered and supported company policies. Education Associate's Degree Business 2013 - 2015 Colorado Technical University Colorado Springs, CO


Barbara Simpson Department Specialist Plano, TX (490) 555-2330 bsimpson@example.com Experience Department Specialist2020 - Present Texas Health Resources•Plano, TX Communicate with nursing units concerning patient's procedures. Apply data program techniques and procedures. Major Accountabilities: Assisted the Department Head with the overall direction, coordination, and supervision of the Front Desk department. BRA Specialist2019 - 2020 J. C. Penney•Plano, TX greet customers and assist with purchases -responsibility to open and close the store -meet credit application, online order and sales goals Demonstrate product to customers.Maintain shoe department and stock room also. Follow the company Door to Floor process to prep and deliver merchandise to the sales floor. Key Holder/Manager2015 - 2019 Mini Mart•Colorado Springs, CO Helped set up new stores (training employees and merchandising) Work customer service desk which includes taking complaints, sending Western Unions, money orders, and cashing checks. Provided leadership, administered and supported company policies. Skills Sales FloorRetail SalesEmergencyPositive AttitudeFront EndPatient CareProceduresSales PersonnelSecurity PracticesRetail Accounts Education Associate's Degree Business2013 - 2015 Colorado Technical University•Colorado Springs, CO

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Department Specialist Skills and Personality Traits

We calculated that 14% of Department Specialists are proficient in Product Knowledge, Drive Sales, and Cleanliness. They’re also known for soft skills such as Math skills, Persistence, and Selling skills.

We break down the percentage of Department Specialists that have these skills listed on their resume here:

Product Knowledge, 14%
Specialized in product knowledge to effectively and honestly sell merchandise to consumer.
Drive Sales, 11%
Deliver standard operating procedure execution to help drive sales.
Cleanliness, 11%
Recovered, replenished, and maintained cleanliness of the Men's Department.
Customer Satisfaction, 9%
Managed non-routine calls & interactions with customers that required problem solving skills to ensure customer satisfaction.
Customer Service, 9%
Ensured accurate and timely resolution to questions by providing excellent customer service to vendors and retailers in regard to invoice processing.
Office Equipment, 8%
Involved with researching new office equipment and requisitioning.

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Most department specialists list "product knowledge," "drive sales," and "cleanliness" as skills on their resumes. We go into more details on the most important department specialist responsibilities here:

Math skills can be considered to be the most important personality trait for a department specialist to have. According to a department specialist resume, "retail sales workers must have the ability to calculate price totals, discounts, and change owed to customers." Department specialists are able to use math skills in the following example we gathered from a resume: "use complex mathematical formulas to make eligibility determinations for medicaid and other programs. "

Another commonly found skill for being able to perform department specialist duties is the following: persistence. According to a department specialist resume, "a large number of attempted sales may not be successful, so sales workers should not be discouraged easily." Check out this example of how department specialists use persistence: "combine patience, determination, and persistence to troubleshoot utility department issues by contacting vendors daily. "

Selling skills is also an important skill for department specialists to have. This example of how department specialists use this skill comes from a department specialist resume, "retail sales workers must be persuasive when interacting with customers" Read this excerpt from a resume to understand how vital it is to their everyday roles and responsibilities, "maintained shoe sales floor/stockroom organization and cleanliness. "

A thorough review of lots of resumes revealed to us that "interpersonal skills" is important to completing department specialist responsibilities. This resume example shows just one way department specialists use this skill: "a friendly and outgoing personality is important for these workers because the job requires almost constant interaction with people." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical department specialist tasks: "provided a high level of customer service based on outstanding communication and interpersonal skills. "

As part of the department specialist description, you might find that one of the skills that might be helpful to the job is "customer-service skills." A department specialist resume included this snippet: "retail sales workers must be responsive to the wants and needs of customers" This skill could be useful in this scenario: "provided and serviced consistent quality customer care to both internal and external customers. "

See the full list of department specialist skills.

We've found that 53.5% of department specialists have earned a bachelor's degree. Furthermore, 5.7% earned their master's degrees before becoming a department specialist. While it's true that most department specialists have a college degree, it's generally possible to become one with only a high school degree. In fact, one out of every six department specialists did not spend the extra money to attend college.

Those department specialists who do attend college, typically earn either business degrees or accounting degrees. Less commonly earned degrees for department specialists include psychology degrees or communication degrees.

Once you've obtained the level of education you're comfortable with, you might start applying to companies to become a department specialist. We've found that most department specialist resumes include experience from Rural King, Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc., and C-A-L Ranch Stores. Of recent, Rural King had 45 positions open for department specialists. Meanwhile, there are 13 job openings at Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. and 6 at C-A-L Ranch Stores.

But if you're interested in companies where you might earn a high salary, department specialists tend to earn the biggest salaries at Springs Charter Schools, University of California, Berkeley, and General Atomics. Take Springs Charter Schools for example. The median department specialist salary is $66,138. At University of California, Berkeley, department specialists earn an average of $64,490, while the average at General Atomics is $64,207. You should take into consideration how difficult it might be to secure a job with one of these companies.

View more details on department specialist salaries across the United States.

If you earned a degree from the top 100 educational institutions in the United States, you might want to take a look at Apple, United States Army Corps of Engineers, and Macy's. These three companies have hired a significant number of department specialists from these institutions.

The three companies that hire the most prestigious department specialists are:

Rural King45 Department Specialists Jobs
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.13 Department Specialists Jobs
General Atomics6 Department Specialists Jobs

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What Sales Persons Do

A salesperson is in charge of ensuring that the products, goods, or services of the company get sold to customers. They are trained to market the products well, understand what the customer needs, and find the product that best fits the customer's needs. As such, the salesperson should be familiar with all of the company's products and should be able to explain the features of each. They should know how to approach customers and to close out sales. Salespersons are expected to have good communication, interpersonal, and persuasion skills.

In this section, we take a look at the annual salaries of other professions. Take sales person for example. On average, the sales people annual salary is $7,754 lower than what department specialists make on average every year.

While their salaries may differ, one common ground between department specialists and sales people are a few of the skills required in each craft. In both careers, employees bring forth skills like product knowledge, cleanliness, and customer satisfaction.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. A department specialist responsibility is more likely to require skills like "drive sales," "office equipment," "excellent time management," and "patients." Whereas a sales person requires skills like "basic math," "phone calls," "math," and "real estate." Just by understanding these different skills you can see how different these careers are.

The education levels that sales people earn is a bit different than that of department specialists. In particular, sales people are 2.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a department specialist. Additionally, they're 0.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What Are The Duties Of a Sales Clerk?

A sales clerk is responsible for assisting customers in purchasing products, responding to customer inquiries, and providing product recommendations. Sales clerks require excellent customer service and communication skills to offer the best services to the customers and maintain good customer feedback for the business. They also check inventories, request supplies as needed, and organize product displays on the appropriate shelves. A sales clerk must have strong verbal communication skills to manage customer concerns and excellent time-management skills to perform tasks within the fast-paced work environment.

Next up, we have the sales clerk profession to look over. This career brings along a lower average salary when compared to a department specialist annual salary. In fact, sales clerks salary difference is $24,025 lower than the salary of department specialists per year.

While the salary may be different for these job positions, there is one similarity and that's a few of the skills needed to perform certain duties. We used info from lots of resumes to find that both department specialists and sales clerks are known to have skills such as "product knowledge," "customer service," and "sales floor. "

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, several resumes showed us that department specialist responsibilities requires skills like "drive sales," "cleanliness," "customer satisfaction," and "office equipment." But a sales clerk might use skills, such as, "stock shelves," "retail sales," "sales transactions," and "store policies."

Sales clerks may earn a lower salary than department specialists, but sales clerks earn the most pay in the energy industry with an average salary of $28,784. On the other side of things, department specialists receive higher paychecks in the government industry where they earn an average of $61,257.

In general, sales clerks study at similar levels of education than department specialists. They're 3.5% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

How an Associate Compares

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.

The associate profession generally makes a higher amount of money when compared to the average salary of department specialists. The difference in salaries is associates making $19,792 higher than department specialists.

By looking over several department specialists and associates resumes, we found that both roles utilize similar skills, such as "product knowledge," "cleanliness," and "customer service." But beyond that the careers look very different.

There are many key differences between these two careers as shown by resumes from each profession. Some of those differences include the skills required to complete responsibilities within each role. As an example of this, a department specialist is likely to be skilled in "drive sales," "customer satisfaction," "office equipment," and "excellent time management," while a typical associate is skilled in "windows," "safety standards," "stock merchandise," and "financial statements."

Associates are known to earn similar educational levels when compared to department specialists. Additionally, they're 1.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 5.7% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Description Of a Sales Associate

Sales associates are responsible for promoting the company's goods or services. They are expected to provide exceptional customer service to prospective buyers. They should be familiar with all features of the company's products or services so that they can answer the customers' inquiries. Sales associates also assist customers in processing their checkouts, refunds, returns, and other needs. They should be customer-oriented, and they should have great communication skills. They should know how to sell their products or services to customers. They are considered the company's representatives on the ground.

Now, we'll look at sales associates, who generally average a lower pay when compared to department specialists annual salary. In fact, the difference is about $17,597 per year.

While both department specialists and sales associates complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like product knowledge, cleanliness, and customer satisfaction, the two careers also vary in other skills.

Even though a few skill sets overlap, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a department specialist might have more use for skills like "drive sales," "office equipment," "excellent time management," and "patients." Meanwhile, some sales associates might include skills like "cash handling," "retail sales," "basic math," and "math" on their resume.

Now, let's take a closer look at the financials in each career. The manufacturing industry tends to pay more for sales associates with an average of $31,917. While the highest department specialist annual salary comes from the government industry.

The average resume of sales associates showed that they earn similar levels of education to department specialists. So much so that the likelihood of them earning a Master's Degree is 3.4% less. Additionally, they're less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.6%.

Updated October 2, 2020