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Human resource specialist vs generalist

The differences between human resource specialists and 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 human resource specialist and a generalist. Additionally, a human resource specialist has an average salary of $53,143, which is higher than the $46,518 average annual salary of a generalist.

The top three skills for a human resource specialist include data entry, oversight and life insurance. The most important skills for a generalist are sales floor, store sales, and customer loyalty.

Human resource specialist vs generalist overview

Human Resource SpecialistGeneralist
Yearly salary$53,143$46,518
Hourly rate$25.55$22.36
Growth rate8%7%
Number of jobs50,5118,585
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 61%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age4147
Years of experience66

What does a human resource specialist do?

A human resources specialist is responsible for assisting in the recruitment and staffing process. Duties of a human resources specialist include updating the requirements and qualifications of a job post, handling employees' inquiries regarding compensation and benefits, maintaining employees' records, updating the status of new joiners, tracking performance reviews, and generating reports as business requires. A human resource specialist must be detail-oriented, as well as excellent in organizational and communication skills. Additionally, a human resource specialist must have a broad knowledge of the recruitment process and structure.

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.

Human resource specialist vs generalist salary

Human resource specialists and generalists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Human Resource SpecialistGeneralist
Average salary$53,143$46,518
Salary rangeBetween $36,000 And $77,000Between $29,000 And $72,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCSan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateNew JerseyCalifornia
Best paying companyMetaMeta
Best paying industryGovernmentFinance

Differences between human resource specialist and generalist education

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

Human Resource SpecialistGeneralist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 61%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaNorthwestern University

Human resource specialist vs generalist demographics

Here are the differences between human resource specialists' and generalists' demographics:

Human Resource SpecialistGeneralist
Average age4147
Gender ratioMale, 26.9% Female, 73.1%Male, 37.8% Female, 62.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 7.6% White, 56.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%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%
LGBT Percentage9%18%

Differences between human resource specialist and generalist duties and responsibilities

Human resource specialist example responsibilities.

  • Manage site KRONOS payroll, time and attendance, and vacation tracking for hourly.
  • Manage new hire and current employee paperwork that includes status change forms, W-4s, I-9s, etc.
  • Lead a compliance initiative to ensure successful transition to the e-Verify employment verification process.
  • Integrate efforts on actions and programs where joint OPM functional effort are necessary to accomplish recruitment and enhance organizational effectiveness.
  • Advise, coach, and counsele managers and Sr.
  • Assist with affirmative action reporting, VETS100 and EEO-1 submission.
  • Show more

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.
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Human resource specialist vs generalist skills

Common human resource specialist skills
  • Data Entry, 10%
  • Oversight, 9%
  • Life Insurance, 9%
  • Human Resources Policies, 8%
  • Customer Service, 7%
  • Timekeeping, 5%
Common generalist skills
  • Sales Floor, 21%
  • Store Sales, 17%
  • Customer Loyalty, 14%
  • Sales Growth, 12%
  • Customer Service, 6%
  • Processing Customer Transactions, 4%

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