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.
Specialist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real specialist resumes:
- 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).
- Tested/Qualify RF, USB, Ethernet, serial, audio amplifiers, and power circuits, as well as cameras.
- Test, debug, and/or qualify RF, USB, Ethernet, serial, audio amplifiers, and power circuits.
- Participate in functional area QC processes.
- Make note of the accommodation booking over the telephone.
- Install hardware and OS's as specified by IBM customer.
- Complete and be evolve in all JSA's and meetings.
- Escalate urgent and complex issues to various government entities and contractors.
- Maintain CDL with HAZMAT for safe transportationof radioactive and explosive materials.
- Design eLearning training workshops as a method of employee culture change adoption.
Specialist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 15% of Specialists are proficient in Patients, Customer Service, and Work Ethic. They’re also known for soft skills such as Speaking skills, Writing skills, and Listening skills.
We break down the percentage of Specialists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 15%
Encouraged patients from Community Crisis Stabilization unit to attend support groups and provided outreach.
- Customer Service, 11%
Protect company assets by providing exceptional customer service to prevent theft and by following cash handling and credit card acceptance procedures
- Work Ethic, 5%
Ensured customer satisfaction by providing quality training and maintaining good work ethics.
- Patient Care, 4%
Participated in quarterly hygiene department meetings in addition to monthly office staff meetings focused on enhancing patient care and improving office efficiency
- Exceptional Client, 4%
Support the day-to-day portfolio management and trade processing of over 160 various model portfolios through exceptional client service and execution.
- Troubleshoot, 4%
Set up Operating Room for surgery *Troubleshoot problems that arise during surgery *Decontaminate and sterilize the instrumentation used during surgery
"patients," "customer service," and "work ethic" are among the most common skills that specialists use at work. You can find even more specialist responsibilities below, including:
Speaking skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a specialist to have is speaking skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "support workers must describe the solutions to computer problems in a way that a nontechnical person can understand." Specialists often use speaking skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "presented the stryker capa system to fda and international agency auditors during three regulatory inspections. "
Writing skills. Many specialist duties rely on writing skills. "strong writing skills are useful for preparing instructions and email responses for employees and customers, as well as for real-time web chat interactions.," so a specialist will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways specialist responsibilities rely on writing skills: "experienced in writing investigations, change control, and capa for regulatory agencies (including the fda) to ensure compliance. "
Listening skills. This is an important skill for specialists to perform their duties. For an example of how specialist responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "support workers must be able to understand the problems that their customers are describing and know when to ask questions to clarify the situation." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a specialist: "communicated with fda officials to ensure that arc met regulatory requirements. ".
Problem-solving skills. specialist responsibilities often require "problem-solving skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "support workers must identify both simple and complex computer problems, analyze them, and solve them." This resume example shows what specialists do with problem-solving skills on a typical day: "maintain current knowledge of fda regulations and consider innovative solutions to meet changing regulatory compliance goals. "
Customer-service skills. Another crucial skill for a specialist to carry out their responsibilities is "customer-service skills." A big part of what specialists relies on this skill, since "computer support specialists must be patient and sympathetic." How this skill relates to specialist duties can be seen in an example from a specialist resume snippet: "maintain paperwork and follow all guidelines set forth by fda, dea, osha, and our customers. "
The three companies that hire the most specialists are:
- Darden Restaurants1,266 specialists jobs
- College Hunks Hauling Junk and Moving947 specialists jobs
- CDM Smith835 specialists jobs
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Compare different specialists
Specialist vs. Service support specialist
A service support specialist's role is to assist clients by addressing and resolving their inquiries, concerns, and complaints. Their responsibilities typically revolve around responding to calls and correspondence, troubleshooting, analyzing customer needs, identifying the root of issues, and providing the necessary corrective measures, all to ensure efficiency and client satisfaction. There are also instances when they must perform follow-up calls, offer products and services, process payments, and even manage accounts. Furthermore, as a service support analyst, it is essential to engage with clients in a friendly yet professional approach, in adherence to the company's policies and regulations.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, specialist responsibilities require skills like "work ethic," "patient care," "exceptional client," and "product knowledge." Meanwhile a typical service support specialist has skills in areas such as "support services," "social work," "data entry," and "technical support." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
The education levels that service support specialists earn slightly differ from specialists. In particular, service support specialists are 1.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a specialist. Additionally, they're 0.7% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Specialist vs. Client support specialist
A client support specialist is responsible for assisting the clients' inquiries and concerns, resolving complaints, and processing requests regarding the goods and services offered by the company. Client support specialists manage the accuracy of client information on the database, maintaining client accounts, and ensuring the proper posting of payments. They also provide strategic techniques to sell products effectively by analyzing market trends and identify business opportunities that would generate more revenues and increase the company's profitability.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that specialist responsibilities requires skills like "patients," "work ethic," "patient care," and "exceptional client." But a client support specialist might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "client support," "client service," "client facing," and "technical support."
Average education levels between the two professions vary. Client support specialists tend to reach similar levels of education than specialists. In fact, they're 1.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.7% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for specialists in the next 3-5 years?
Claire Strom Ph.D.
Rapetti-Trunzo Chair of History, Rollins College
Specialist vs. Authorization specialist
An authorization specialist is responsible for reviewing insurance claims and determining the necessary settlement for the clients and involved parties. Authorization specialists file documents and gather the required information for further investigation and analysis. They coordinate with the insurance agency and the medical institution and ensure that the correct communications are being sent out for reference. An authorization specialist must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in writing authorization requests and resolve claims timely and efficiently.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, specialists are more likely to have skills like "work ethic," "exceptional client," "troubleshoot," and "product knowledge." But a authorization specialist is more likely to have skills like "insurance verification," "medical terminology," "insurance eligibility," and "veterans."
Authorization specialists typically earn similar educational levels compared to specialists. Specifically, they're 3.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Specialist vs. Verification specialist
The verification specialist's primary role is to make and take calls to employers for the purpose of verifying information stated by an applicant on his/her /her job application. They manage calls inbound/outbound for education, employment, reference, and licensing verification purposes. They also maintain and keep records of all calls handled to ensure all verifications made are followed upon on time. They communicate effectively and proficiently to all parties involved in attaining verification information. Moreover, they do monthly review to quality check all data gathered for verifications.
Updated January 8, 2025
