Manager trainee vs department manager

The differences between managers trainee and department managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a manager trainee and a department manager. Additionally, a department manager has an average salary of $67,160, which is higher than the $49,193 average annual salary of a manager trainee.

The top three skills for a manager trainee include management, management position and store management. The most important skills for a department manager are inventory management, sales promotions, and cleanliness.

Manager trainee vs department manager overview

	Manager Trainee	Department Manager
Yearly salary	$49,193	$67,160
Hourly rate	$23.65	$32.29
Growth rate	6%	5%
Number of jobs	38,663	330,327
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	6	6

What does a manager trainee do?

A manager trainee's primary function is to observe and gain practical experience from working with senior staff or managers and following their daily directives. Most of the tasks will be administrative support related, which will involve preparing reports and assessments, keeping and updating records, creating presentations, and crafting strategies alongside supervising officers. Furthermore, a manager trainee must attend training sessions, meetings, and workshops to learn more about managerial duties. It is also essential to understand and uphold all policies and regulations of the company, implementing them when the time comes.

What does a department manager do?

Department managers oversee the operations of the department they are assigned to. They manage all aspects of the operation, including finance, sales, quality control, and human resources. They set department goals and the steps the team needs to take to ensure that the goals are met. Department managers are also in charge of training team members so that these team members will be able to work together harmoniously. They should also be able to keep the team's goal in sight and adjust their strategy as needed.

Manager trainee vs department manager salary

Managers trainee and department managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Manager Trainee	Department Manager
Average salary	$49,193	$67,160
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $66,000	Between $39,000 And $115,000
Highest paying City	Providence, RI	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	New Jersey
Best paying company	Seneca Foods	Ralph Lauren
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	Manufacturing

Differences between manager trainee and department manager education

There are a few differences between a manager trainee and a department manager in terms of educational background:

	Manager Trainee	Department Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Delhi	SUNY College of Technology at Delhi

Manager trainee vs department manager demographics

Here are the differences between managers trainee' and department managers' demographics:

	Manager Trainee	Department Manager
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 63.2% Female, 36.8%	Male, 51.8% Female, 48.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 7.3% White, 61.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 7.0% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between manager trainee and department manager duties and responsibilities

Manager trainee example responsibilities.

Manage the appearance of the store in conjunction with the store priorities to present a desirable image of Aldi.
Work in a fast-pace environment where multitasking and stress management is essential.
Improve sanitation, cleanliness, and customer experience exceeding such levels maintain by previous management.
Train within the organization on various aspects regarding leadership, merchandising, customer service, inventory, profit/loss and civic responsibility.
Talk about ADT and UPT with the employees every morning and night.
Provide team support such as weekly contests to motivate increase UPT performance.

Department manager example responsibilities.

Participate in company's ISO certification program, successfully achieving ISO [] and AS9100 certification.
Manage and delegate over lumber-building materials department including millwork department.
Manage electronics, wireless connection center, layaway and online order/pickup departments.
Develop schedules; manage payroll; multitask extensively to ensure competing requirements are complete.
Monitor and maximize sales and payroll by identifying sales opportunities and managing controllable expenses.
Manage geotechnical aspects of an EIR/EIS for a coastal development in an environmentally sensitive lagoon.

Manager trainee vs department manager skills

Common manager trainee skills

Management, 30%
Management Position, 20%
Store Management, 17%
Inventory Management, 16%
Leadership, 5%
Customer Complaints, 1%

Common department manager skills

Inventory Management, 38%
Sales Promotions, 17%
Cleanliness, 13%
Customer Service, 8%
Sales Floor, 3%
Product Knowledge, 2%

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Sales Industry
Manager Trainee
Manager Trainee vs Department Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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