Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between generalists and human resources generalists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a generalist and a human resources generalist. Additionally, a human resources generalist has an average salary of $56,159, 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 human resources generalist are HRIS, performance management, and customer service.
| Generalist | Human Resources Generalist | |
| Yearly salary | $46,518 | $56,159 |
| Hourly rate | $22.36 | $27.00 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 8,585 | 44,365 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 47 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
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.
A human resources generalist is responsible for monitoring the human resources policies and procedures, making adjustments as needed to align with the company's goals and objectives. Duties of a human resources generalist also include improving employee relations system, organizing compliance and knowledge training, reviewing benefit plans, managing compensation inquiries, assisting in recruitment and staffing needs, communicating with department heads in employees' performance reviews, and storing employees' files for reference. A human resource generalist must have excellent communication and decision-making skills to address issues concerning the company and employees' welfare.
Generalists and human resources generalists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Generalist | Human Resources Generalist | |
| Average salary | $46,518 | $56,159 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $72,000 | Between $41,000 And $76,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | Meta | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a generalist and a human resources generalist in terms of educational background:
| Generalist | Human Resources Generalist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between generalists' and human resources generalists' demographics:
| Generalist | Human Resources Generalist | |
| Average age | 47 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 37.8% Female, 62.2% | Male, 20.5% Female, 79.5% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 10.4% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 8.0% White, 57.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 18% | 9% |