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The differences between search consultants 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 search consultant and a human resource specialist. Additionally, a human resource specialist has an average salary of $53,143, which is higher than the $51,380 average annual salary of a search consultant.
The top three skills for a search consultant include client websites, digital marketing and wordpress. The most important skills for a human resource specialist are data entry, oversight, and life insurance.
| Search Consultant | Human Resource Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $51,380 | $53,143 |
| Hourly rate | $24.70 | $25.55 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 15,165 | 50,511 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A search consultant works for educational institutions such as colleges and universities to search for deans, college presidents, and vice-presidents. You will be responsible for identifying and evaluating the best potential candidates to fill an institution's job vacancies. Your duties will include looking for effective ways to organize the search process, writing the job description, and responding to applications and nominations. In addition, you are expected to organize interviews, structure the search committee, and check references. You will also guide the chair in providing leadership for the search process so that confidentiality rules are understood and adhered to.
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.
Search consultants and human resource specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Search Consultant | Human Resource Specialist | |
| Average salary | $51,380 | $53,143 |
| Salary range | Between $37,000 And $71,000 | Between $36,000 And $77,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | VLink | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Government |
There are a few differences between a search consultant and a human resource specialist in terms of educational background:
| Search Consultant | Human Resource Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between search consultants' and human resource specialists' demographics:
| Search Consultant | Human Resource Specialist | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.2% Female, 38.8% | Male, 26.9% Female, 73.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 8.7% White, 58.7% 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% |