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Generalist vs business specialist

The differences between generalists and business specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a business specialist has an average salary of $73,521, which is higher than the $46,518 average annual salary of a generalist.

The top three skills for a generalist include sales floor, store sales and customer loyalty. The most important skills for a business specialist are patients, customer service, and product knowledge.

Generalist vs business specialist overview

GeneralistBusiness Specialist
Yearly salary$46,518$73,521
Hourly rate$22.36$35.35
Growth rate7%4%
Number of jobs8,58595,909
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 55%Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age4744
Years of experience6-

What does a generalist do?

A generalist, also known as a human resource generalist, is responsible for overseeing the operations in a human resource department, focusing on employees' welfare and working conditions. They are primarily involved in the hiring and laying off processes among employees, handing training and benefits programs, and coordinating with every department in the company. Furthermore, a generalist must perform administrative tasks that mostly revolve around producing reports and processing paperwork, conducting research and analysis, and responding to correspondence.

What does a business specialist do?

A business specialist's role is to perform research and analysis to determine the company's strengths and weaknesses, aiming to improve and develop areas for optimal performance. Their responsibilities revolve around coordinating with different departments to gather relevant data, identifying new opportunities and ways to meet clients' needs, devising strategies and programs for profit growth, and developing new processes for business efficiency. Furthermore, it is essential to provide corrective measures on various issues and concerns, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

Generalist vs business specialist salary

Generalists and business specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

GeneralistBusiness Specialist
Average salary$46,518$73,521
Salary rangeBetween $29,000 And $72,000Between $44,000 And $120,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASeattle, WA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaWashington
Best paying companyMetaBP America Inc
Best paying industryFinance-

Differences between generalist and business specialist education

There are a few differences between a generalist and a business specialist in terms of educational background:

GeneralistBusiness Specialist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 55%Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityWestern Carolina University

Generalist vs business specialist demographics

Here are the differences between generalists' and business specialists' demographics:

GeneralistBusiness Specialist
Average age4744
Gender ratioMale, 37.8% Female, 62.2%Male, 48.1% Female, 51.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 5.7% White, 70.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 8.8% White, 70.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage18%11%

Differences between generalist and business specialist duties and responsibilities

Generalist example responsibilities.

  • Manage and maintain PBX and VoIP phone systems at multiple locations.
  • Manage multiple lab projects for the implementation of new lab analyzers as well as LIS functionality.
  • Plan, install and manage new locations build outs with complete VPN connectivity and VOIP utilization for the multiple locations.
  • Manage UAB and HSF faculty recruitment, staffing needs, terminations, compensation, records management, employee relations and retention.
  • Manage data process flow to ensure employee timekeeping, attendance and payroll objectives are effectively and efficiently maintain.
  • Perform chemistry, microbiology, urinalysis, hematology, and blood bank laboratory tests, equipment calibration and quality assurance reports.
  • Show more

Business specialist example responsibilities.

  • Manage existing accounts while identifying new sources of opportunities for sales in the SME segment through cold calling and prospecting.
  • Schedule appointments for estimates for replacement windows, doors, bathroom remodels, gutter replacements, etc.
  • Contribute to product development and roll out of multiple insulation, foam, windows & siding products.
  • Analyze weekly POS data to identify product trends, additional sales opportunities, and drive sales to exceed budgets.
  • Observe strict confidentiality within HIPAA regulations.
  • Work with electronic medical records system uploading documents into patients files.
  • Show more

Generalist vs business specialist skills

Common generalist skills
  • Sales Floor, 21%
  • Store Sales, 17%
  • Customer Loyalty, 14%
  • Sales Growth, 12%
  • Customer Service, 6%
  • Processing Customer Transactions, 4%
Common business specialist skills
  • Patients, 16%
  • Customer Service, 14%
  • Product Knowledge, 7%
  • Power Bi, 7%
  • Data Analysis, 4%
  • Treasury, 4%

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