Choosing a career is hard work, especially when no one tells you what roles are available to you and what you need to do next. Becoming an HR specialist vs a generalist takes different kinds of skills and qualities, but many HR personnel find themselves pigeonholed into becoming a generalist assigned to handling all tasks within an organization, even if their ambitions lie elsewhere.
An HR specialist’s job description is a lot more restricted, but it requires them to master each of the qualifications in order to succeed in the field. HR career options may feel very limited at the start of your career, but there is a lot of room for growth. Whether you’re considering an HR career path change or just want to look at the HR role comparisons to put the differences into perspective, we’ve got you covered.
HR specialist vs an HR generalist, choosing which role is better for you depends on what you expect from your career. (Image: Pexels)
HR Specialist vs Generalist—What’s the Difference?
The Human Resource Management role is more expansive than it is typically given credit for. It goes beyond announcing unpleasant rules and managing the payroll duties, and actively involves understanding the needs of the working population. An HR generalist is an individual who handles all of the various HR responsibilities at an organization, building up expertise in all areas of functioning.
On the other hand, an HR specialist’s job description centers around one or two functions, but they act as experts who can perform the job on a much more comprehensive level. An HR generalist and HR specialist may both handle employee benefits, but the latter will likely manage a larger group and actively work on developing and improving the system every day.
Both roles are equally pivotal to an organization, but it is much easier to get hired as an HR generalist as most organizations can make use of their spread-out knowledge. An HR specialist can find work at bigger and better organizations, as these businesses have more resources to invest in niche roles. There are pros and cons to both positions, which is why making the right decision between many HR career options is important.
HR Generalist Responsibilities—What Does This HR Career Involve?
Most HR workers operate as HR generalists, handling a complex array of day-to-day tasks that evolve with the demands of the day. Most organizations have a team of HR generalists who divide the various responsibilities among themselves to ensure everything gets done. They are required to be up-to-date with the latest employment laws and regulations at both the state and federal levels to ensure that the organization never defaults on any expectations.
An HR generalist responsibilities can be developed specifically to suit an organization’s needs, but there are some common threads we can draw:
- Hiring and onboard employees
- Handling payroll tasks and ensuring all necessary adjustments are made
- Devising HR policies, sharing them with the workforce, and updating them when necessary
- Organizing necessary training for workers
- Managing benefits and determining which employees are eligible
- Collecting employee feedback and implementing them where possible
- Acting as the bridge between employers and employees so both their interests can be met
- Handing promotions and terminations of employees
- Addressing workplace safety on multiple levels
- Managing conflict and deescalating situations
- Organizing employee performance assessments and ensuring any performance improvement programs are enforced and tracked
Many workers often start in this position, and later transition from HR generalists to specialists.
HR Specialist Job Description—What Do They Do?
An HR generalist’s skills and knowledge are still relevant to an HR specialist, but these workers double down on a few niche areas and commit to becoming experts in the category of their choosing. They either work individually on a specific HR responsibility or lead a team of workers in performing specific tasks.
For HR specialists, HR career options narrow down to sharing their knowledge in a specific area, but they also gain the option of working as consultants for different organizations due to their expert status.
Bigger businesses tend to have more room for HR specialists who can handle high-priority tasks like hiring or retention of top talent. In this case, the specialist spends weeks understanding the make-up of the organization and the qualities that high-performers showcase, and then they advise the senior management and organization leaders on how to source and retain similar candidates.
Types of HR Specialist Roles
There are many areas in which HR specialists can build their skills. Some examples include:
- Risk management specialist
- Employee benefits specialist
- Recruitment specialist
- Human resources information systems (HRIS) specialists
- Training specialist
- Diversity, Equity & Inclusion specialist
If you work as an HR generalist, an HR career path change can involve developing more knowledge in specific areas like these along with additional certification that can help bolster your credentials.
HR Specialist vs Generalist: Which Role Is Right for You?
While building your career, it’s important to carefully conduct HR role comparisons in order to narrow down the decision that’s right for you. At first glance, it may seem like a better idea to be an HR specialist as the position can often come with better pay, but there are also good reasons why more workers choose to stay in their roles as HR generalists.
Pros of Being an HR Generalist
The advantages of being an HR generalist:
- Easier to find work as more organizations have the need for generalists
- Easier to ascend in your career to more senior positions through internal promotion due to the more diverse knowledge and functioning
- Day-to-day tasks can be a lot more interesting as they involve multiple different functions
- Opportunity to work with employees directly and meet a wider range of people due to the expansive role
- Limited need for multiple degrees or educational courses as a bachelor’s degree is enough to get started in the role
Pros of Being an HR Specialist
If you plan to transition from an HR generalist to a specialist, there are many advantages to that as well.
- Opportunity to find higher-paying roles at large organizations
- A career as an expert opens up new opportunities like writing and consulting on specific areas
- Opportunity to stand out in your industry and become an authority figure that can reshape the direction of an organization or industry
- Room to focus on your area of interest instead of working on different tasks and roles that do not appeal to you
- Being passionate about work can help improve the quality of your work
- More opportunities to put skills like decision-making and critical thinking to use
- Better positioned to meet other experts in the industry and expand your network of top-ranking professionals
Choosing Between the HR Career Options Comes Down to What Feels Right for You
HR specialist vs generalist, the decision comes down to what feels right to you. It can be difficult to get started as an HR specialist right at the start of your career. Most usually begin as HR generalists and build up their skills and experiences before shifting to an HR specialist role in the area of their choosing.
While working as an HR generalist, you can slowly look for ways to focus more on your area of interest while talking to other experts to gain a sense of how to follow their path. After that, it’s all about building up your CV for the role you desire. There are many HR career options out there to choose from so take your time to figure out which path suits you best.
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