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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 | Senior Human Resources Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $32,702 | $63,956 |
| Hourly rate | $15.72 | $30.75 |
| Growth rate | - | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 88,826 | 46,316 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
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.
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 interns and senior human resources specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Human Resources Internship | Senior Human Resources Specialist | |
| Average salary | $32,702 | $63,956 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $42,000 | Between $45,000 And $89,000 |
| Highest paying City | Lacey, WA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Washington | New York |
| Best paying company | KLA | Edwards Lifesciences |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Finance |
There are a few differences between a human resources internship and a senior human resources specialist in terms of educational background:
| Human Resources Internship | Senior Human Resources Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between human resources interns' and senior human resources specialists' demographics:
| Human Resources Internship | Senior Human Resources Specialist | |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 29.3% Female, 70.7% | Male, 24.7% Female, 75.3% |
| Race ratio | Black 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 Percentage | 15% | 9% |