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The differences between professional recruiters and staffing specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a professional recruiter and a staffing specialist. Additionally, a professional recruiter has an average salary of $54,615, which is higher than the $44,939 average annual salary of a staffing specialist.
The top three skills for a professional recruiter include applicant tracking systems, human resources and background checks. The most important skills for a staffing specialist are background checks, human resources, and data entry.
| Professional Recruiter | Staffing Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $54,615 | $44,939 |
| Hourly rate | $26.26 | $21.61 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 74,711 | 53,459 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A professional recruiter is responsible for finding qualified candidates for a job opening and ensuring that the demands of the employer and the employee are met throughout the recruitment process. Your duties will typically include sourcing, pre-screening, and presenting qualified candidates to the recruitment manager, soliciting employee referrals, and conducting background and reference checks. Additionally, you are expected to manage and oversee the job offer process, ensure the delivery of an exceptional job candidate experience, and facilitate employee onboarding.
A staffing specialist is responsible for overseeing the staffing needs of an organization. Staffing specialists work closely with the department heads and hiring managers for their staffing requirements and qualifications. They advertise job hirings on the company's online job board and other communication platforms. A staffing specialist carefully evaluates the applicants' documents, reaching out to potential candidates for scheduling interviews and assessments. A staffing specialist must have excellent knowledge of the human resources disciplines, following the policies and procedures of hiring candidates, and assist them during onboarding.
Professional recruiters and staffing specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Professional Recruiter | Staffing Specialist | |
| Average salary | $54,615 | $44,939 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $74,000 | Between $30,000 And $66,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Diego, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | McKinsey & Company Inc | ZS |
| Best paying industry | Insurance | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a professional recruiter and a staffing specialist in terms of educational background:
| Professional Recruiter | Staffing Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between professional recruiters' and staffing specialists' demographics:
| Professional Recruiter | Staffing Specialist | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 43.2% Female, 56.8% | Male, 21.2% Female, 78.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 6.9% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 6.8% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |