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Human resources internship vs senior human resources specialist

The differences between human resources interns and senior human resources specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a human resources internship, becoming a senior human resources specialist takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a senior human resources specialist has an average salary of $63,956, which is higher than the $32,702 average annual salary of a human resources internship.

The top three skills for a human resources internship include resources intern, powerpoint and customer service. The most important skills for a senior human resources specialist are payroll, customer service, and HRIS.

Human resources internship vs senior human resources specialist overview

Human Resources InternshipSenior Human Resources Specialist
Yearly salary$32,702$63,956
Hourly rate$15.72$30.75
Growth rate-8%
Number of jobs88,82646,316
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 75%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age4341
Years of experience26

What does a human resources internship do?

A human resources intern is responsible for assisting the human resources department in daily operations under a direct supervisor. Duties of a human resources intern include reviewing job postings and qualifications, updating employees' information in the database, scheduling candidate interviews, responding to employees' concerns, processing payroll disputes, and reiterating the company's policies and procedures. A human resources intern must be detail-oriented and a fast-learner and display excellent communication and organizational skills to be familiarized with the management operations.

What does a senior human resources specialist do?

A senior human resources specialist is responsible for monitoring the human resources operations of an organization, managing employment processes and policies, and handling staffing needs and concerns. Senior human resources specialists design training and programs to maintain staff's efficiency and maximize the employees' productivity to support business functional operations. They also coordinate with management leaders to identify their hiring needs, evaluating their specifications for recruitment. A senior human resources specialist reviews the company's policies and guidelines regularly, adjusting procedures according to state regulations and business requirements.

Human resources internship vs senior human resources specialist salary

Human resources interns and senior human resources specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Human Resources InternshipSenior Human Resources Specialist
Average salary$32,702$63,956
Salary rangeBetween $25,000 And $42,000Between $45,000 And $89,000
Highest paying CityLacey, WAWashington, DC
Highest paying stateWashingtonNew York
Best paying companyKLAEdwards Lifesciences
Best paying industryManufacturingFinance

Differences between human resources internship and senior human resources specialist education

There are a few differences between a human resources internship and a senior human resources specialist in terms of educational background:

Human Resources InternshipSenior Human Resources Specialist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 75%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityUniversity of Pennsylvania

Human resources internship vs senior human resources specialist demographics

Here are the differences between human resources interns' and senior human resources specialists' demographics:

Human Resources InternshipSenior Human Resources Specialist
Average age4341
Gender ratioMale, 29.3% Female, 70.7%Male, 24.7% Female, 75.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 11.7% White, 54.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 7.7% White, 57.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage15%9%

Differences between human resources internship and senior human resources specialist duties and responsibilities

Human resources internship example responsibilities.

  • Manage the background process while maintaining the applicant tracking system (ICIMS).
  • Maintain and manage all confidential documents including offer letters, I9 documentation, vendor and equity agreements.
  • Integrate efforts on actions and programs where joint OPM functional effort are necessary to accomplish recruitment and enhance organizational effectiveness.
  • Ensure the completion of all new hire paperwork and entry into HRIS, timekeeping, and e-Verify systems.
  • Improve the presentation process by reformulating overhead projection slides to PowerPoint slides for orientation, open enrollment and other benefits information.
  • Assist in payroll process using KRONOS system.
  • Show more

Senior human resources specialist example responsibilities.

  • Lead annual EEO-1 reporting team.
  • Manage, implement, and administer proper hiring process to reduce turnover in compliance with e-verify processes and federal law.
  • Maintain and update personnel records in Peoplesoft and Kronos computer programs.
  • Participate in regular system updates as well as providing data integrity and functionality in a global HRIS environment.
  • Process I9's through HireRight.
  • Experience in Microsoft office products and payroll/personnel systems such as Lawson and KRONOS.
  • Show more

Human resources internship vs senior human resources specialist skills

Common human resources internship skills
  • Resources Intern, 13%
  • PowerPoint, 9%
  • Customer Service, 8%
  • Internship Program, 7%
  • HRIS, 6%
  • Payroll, 5%
Common senior human resources specialist skills
  • Payroll, 12%
  • Customer Service, 8%
  • HRIS, 7%
  • PowerPoint, 6%
  • Develop Recommendations, 5%
  • Provide Technical Assistance, 5%

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