Recruiter vs human resource specialist

The differences between recruiters and human resource 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 recruiter and a human resource specialist. Additionally, a human resource specialist has an average salary of $53,143, which is higher than the $51,374 average annual salary of a recruiter.

The top three skills for a recruiter include applicant tracking systems, customer service and human resources. The most important skills for a human resource specialist are data entry, oversight, and life insurance.

Recruiter vs human resource specialist overview

	Recruiter	Human Resource Specialist
Yearly salary	$51,374	$53,143
Hourly rate	$24.70	$25.55
Growth rate	8%	8%
Number of jobs	37,954	50,511
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	6	6

What does a recruiter do?

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.

What does a human resource specialist do?

A human resources specialist is responsible for assisting in the recruitment and staffing process. Duties of a human resources specialist include updating the requirements and qualifications of a job post, handling employees' inquiries regarding compensation and benefits, maintaining employees' records, updating the status of new joiners, tracking performance reviews, and generating reports as business requires. A human resource specialist must be detail-oriented, as well as excellent in organizational and communication skills. Additionally, a human resource specialist must have a broad knowledge of the recruitment process and structure.

Recruiter vs human resource specialist salary

Recruiters and human resource specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Recruiter	Human Resource Specialist
Average salary	$51,374	$53,143
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $74,000	Between $36,000 And $77,000
Highest paying City	Richmond, CA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	New Jersey
Best paying company	Meta	Meta
Best paying industry	Technology	Government

Differences between recruiter and human resource specialist education

There are a few differences between a recruiter and a human resource specialist in terms of educational background:

	Recruiter	Human Resource Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Recruiter vs human resource specialist demographics

Here are the differences between recruiters' and human resource specialists' demographics:

	Recruiter	Human Resource Specialist
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 40.1% Female, 59.9%	Male, 26.9% Female, 73.1%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 7.6% White, 56.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between recruiter and human resource specialist duties and responsibilities

Recruiter example responsibilities.

Manage an average 20 c-level and executive job requisitions per month and achieve a time to slate average of 3 days.
Manage these teams and eventually hire someone to take over the Jr. high ministry completely.
Manage the internal data base system (ICIMS) maintaining high priority candidates as well as priority job openings.
Manage and negotiate contracts for all job boards including: Monster-SignOnSanDiego, YahooHotJobs, Careerbuilder, Jobing, and Craigslist.
Manage records of sales activities and follow-up on requirements by utilizing office specific HRIS technology.
Utilize ATS (applicant tracking software) for organizational recruiting efforts, reviewing applicant information and managing open requisitions.

Human resource specialist example responsibilities.

Manage site KRONOS payroll, time and attendance, and vacation tracking for hourly.
Manage new hire and current employee paperwork that includes status change forms, W-4s, I-9s, etc.
Lead a compliance initiative to ensure successful transition to the e-Verify employment verification process.
Integrate efforts on actions and programs where joint OPM functional effort are necessary to accomplish recruitment and enhance organizational effectiveness.
Advise, coach, and counsele managers and Sr.
Assist with affirmative action reporting, VETS100 and EEO-1 submission.

Recruiter vs human resource specialist skills

Common recruiter skills

Applicant Tracking Systems, 10%
Customer Service, 10%
Human Resources, 8%
Linkedin, 4%
Healthcare, 4%
Background Checks, 4%

Common human resource specialist skills

Data Entry, 10%
Oversight, 9%
Life Insurance, 9%
Human Resources Policies, 8%
Customer Service, 7%
Timekeeping, 5%

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Recruiter vs Human Resource Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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