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The differences between placement specialists and recruiters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a placement specialist and a recruiter. Additionally, a recruiter has an average salary of $51,374, which is higher than the $45,676 average annual salary of a placement specialist.
The top three skills for a placement specialist include customer service, patients and social work. The most important skills for a recruiter are applicant tracking systems, customer service, and human resources.
| Placement Specialist | Recruiter | |
| Yearly salary | $45,676 | $51,374 |
| Hourly rate | $21.96 | $24.70 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 23,909 | 37,954 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Placement Specialists are professionals who work for an organization to conduct screening and interviewing job candidates for various organizational positions. These specialists must use various methods such as email, cold-calling, or instant messaging applications to solicit candidates for job openings. They are required to assist job candidates with filling out and submitting their new hire documentation, ensuring that all necessary paperwork is processed with the appropriate departments. Placement specialists must also educate candidates about the organization's compensation and benefits, as well as schedule orientation training.
Recruiters are responsible for filling up vacancies in the organization. They put up job postings on the company website and other recruitment websites, screen applicants, prospective schedule candidates for interviews, conduct initial interviews, and, should candidates pass the initial interview, endorse them to hiring managers. They act as guides to applicants throughout the whole application process. Upon successful screening and interviewing of applicants, recruiters then guide them through the employment process, usually endorsing them to medical exams and other pre-employment requirements needed. At times, recruiters are responsible for providing job offers to applicants. Recruiters should have a good judge of character, decision-making skills, and interpersonal skills.
Placement specialists and recruiters have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Placement Specialist | Recruiter | |
| Average salary | $45,676 | $51,374 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $65,000 | Between $35,000 And $74,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sunnyvale, CA | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Nabors Industries | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Insurance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a placement specialist and a recruiter in terms of educational background:
| Placement Specialist | Recruiter | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between placement specialists' and recruiters' demographics:
| Placement Specialist | Recruiter | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 29.5% Female, 70.5% | Male, 40.1% Female, 59.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 6.5% White, 57.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 7.8% White, 56.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |