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Specialist vs generalist

The differences between specialists and 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 specialist, becoming a generalist takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a specialist has an average salary of $58,013, which is higher than the $46,518 average annual salary of a generalist.

The top three skills for a specialist include patients, customer service and work ethic. The most important skills for a generalist are sales floor, store sales, and customer loyalty.

Specialist vs generalist overview

SpecialistGeneralist
Yearly salary$58,013$46,518
Hourly rate$27.89$22.36
Growth rate10%7%
Number of jobs358,4338,585
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 49%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age4247
Years of experience26

What does a specialist do?

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.

What does a generalist do?

A generalist, also known as a human resource generalist, is responsible for overseeing the operations in a human resource department, focusing on employees' welfare and working conditions. They are primarily involved in the hiring and laying off processes among employees, handing training and benefits programs, and coordinating with every department in the company. Furthermore, a generalist must perform administrative tasks that mostly revolve around producing reports and processing paperwork, conducting research and analysis, and responding to correspondence.

Specialist vs generalist salary

Specialists and generalists have different pay scales, as shown below.

SpecialistGeneralist
Average salary$58,013$46,518
Salary rangeBetween $32,000 And $104,000Between $29,000 And $72,000
Highest paying CityJersey City, NJSan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateNew JerseyCalifornia
Best paying companyThe CitadelMeta
Best paying industry-Finance

Differences between specialist and generalist education

There are a few differences between a specialist and a generalist in terms of educational background:

SpecialistGeneralist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 49%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeStanford UniversityNorthwestern University

Specialist vs generalist demographics

Here are the differences between specialists' and generalists' demographics:

SpecialistGeneralist
Average age4247
Gender ratioMale, 47.5% Female, 52.5%Male, 37.8% Female, 62.2%
Race ratioBlack 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%Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 5.7% White, 70.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage11%18%

Differences between specialist and generalist duties and responsibilities

Specialist example responsibilities.

  • Create, manage, and assist users with SharePoint sites.
  • Manage an on-site IRB and company good clinical practice (GCP) inspection.
  • Manage SharePoint sites by creating, editing, and customizing company sites, libraries and security.
  • Manage the building of accounts, assigning of static IP's, and scheduling of business class installations.
  • Convert servers from UNIX to Linux, all hardware diagnostics and repair including printers/plotters/desktops etc.
  • Follow safety procedures such as maintenance of all equipment (Telxon scanners, terminals and ladders).
  • Show more

Generalist example responsibilities.

  • Manage and maintain PBX and VoIP phone systems at multiple locations.
  • Manage multiple lab projects for the implementation of new lab analyzers as well as LIS functionality.
  • Plan, install and manage new locations build outs with complete VPN connectivity and VOIP utilization for the multiple locations.
  • Manage UAB and HSF faculty recruitment, staffing needs, terminations, compensation, records management, employee relations and retention.
  • Manage data process flow to ensure employee timekeeping, attendance and payroll objectives are effectively and efficiently maintain.
  • Perform chemistry, microbiology, urinalysis, hematology, and blood bank laboratory tests, equipment calibration and quality assurance reports.
  • Show more

Specialist vs generalist skills

Common specialist skills
  • Patients, 15%
  • Customer Service, 11%
  • Work Ethic, 5%
  • Patient Care, 4%
  • Exceptional Client, 4%
  • Troubleshoot, 4%
Common generalist skills
  • Sales Floor, 21%
  • Store Sales, 17%
  • Customer Loyalty, 14%
  • Sales Growth, 12%
  • Customer Service, 6%
  • Processing Customer Transactions, 4%

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