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The differences between senior communications specialists and specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a senior communications specialist, becoming a specialist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a senior communications specialist has an average salary of $78,948, which is higher than the $58,013 average annual salary of a specialist.
The top three skills for a senior communications specialist include project management, powerpoint and strategic communications. The most important skills for a specialist are patients, customer service, and work ethic.
| Senior Communications Specialist | Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $78,948 | $58,013 |
| Hourly rate | $37.96 | $27.89 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 18,973 | 358,433 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
A senior communications specialist is primarily in charge of developing communication strategies in the company. Their responsibilities revolve around ensuring the smooth flow of internal and external communications, coordinating various departments, managing campaigns and event schedules, devising social media strategies, and supervising media relations. A senior communications specialist must also address issues and concerns, resolving them promptly. Furthermore, as a senior specialist, it is essential to lead and assist the junior specialists, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.
Specialists are employees who are responsible for specific tasks or activities in the department they are assigned to. The actions or tasks they work on are related to their educational background or work experiences. They are usually highly skilled in specializations related to the work they are assigned to. Specialists are also highly trained on the competencies that are required of their specialty. As such, they are focused on the skills and competencies that are needed to enhance their experience in their specific field further.
Senior communications specialists and specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Communications Specialist | Specialist | |
| Average salary | $78,948 | $58,013 |
| Salary range | Between $56,000 And $111,000 | Between $32,000 And $104,000 |
| Highest paying City | Oakland, CA | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Analysis Group | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between a senior communications specialist and a specialist in terms of educational background:
| Senior Communications Specialist | Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Communication | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between senior communications specialists' and specialists' demographics:
| Senior Communications Specialist | Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 35.7% Female, 64.3% | Male, 47.5% Female, 52.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.9% Asian, 5.3% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 10.5% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 11% |