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The differences between senior human resources assistants and human resources generalists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a senior human resources assistant, becoming a human resources generalist takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a human resources generalist has an average salary of $56,159, which is higher than the $39,874 average annual salary of a senior human resources assistant.
The top three skills for a senior human resources assistant include customer service, HRIS and process improvement. The most important skills for a human resources generalist are HRIS, performance management, and customer service.
| Senior Human Resources Assistant | Human Resources Generalist | |
| Yearly salary | $39,874 | $56,159 |
| Hourly rate | $19.17 | $27.00 |
| Growth rate | - | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 39,901 | 44,365 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
Senior Human Resources Assistants are junior-level employees in the human resources department of an organization. They are usually in-charge of administrative or clerical activities of the department. They update records, manage documents, and ensure that all department-related information is kept confidential. They also handle tasks related to different facets of human resources such as recruitment, total rewards, or employee relations. They may be asked to lead specific activities or projects related to human resources facets as a way to train them for bigger roles.
A human resources generalist is responsible for monitoring the human resources policies and procedures, making adjustments as needed to align with the company's goals and objectives. Duties of a human resources generalist also include improving employee relations system, organizing compliance and knowledge training, reviewing benefit plans, managing compensation inquiries, assisting in recruitment and staffing needs, communicating with department heads in employees' performance reviews, and storing employees' files for reference. A human resource generalist must have excellent communication and decision-making skills to address issues concerning the company and employees' welfare.
Senior human resources assistants and human resources generalists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Human Resources Assistant | Human Resources Generalist | |
| Average salary | $39,874 | $56,159 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $50,000 | Between $41,000 And $76,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | - | New York |
| Best paying company | - | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a senior human resources assistant and a human resources generalist in terms of educational background:
| Senior Human Resources Assistant | Human Resources Generalist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between senior human resources assistants' and human resources generalists' demographics:
| Senior Human Resources Assistant | Human Resources Generalist | |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 11.6% Female, 88.4% | Male, 20.5% Female, 79.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 11.0% White, 55.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 8.0% White, 57.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 15% | 9% |