Understanding HR Roles: How Do HR Generalist and HR Recruiter Duties Differ?

Dear Friends,

I hope all of you are doing well!

I have some questions regarding the work roles of an HR Generalist and an HR Recruiter. What are the differences in job responsibilities between these roles? What are the expected outcomes of both positions?

Currently, I am performing various functions as an HR Executive & Admin in my present company. These include manpower planning, sourcing & recruitment, negotiation, making offers, handling post-recruitment formalities, processing appraisals, conducting exit interviews, and managing administrative tasks such as travel bookings. I have been in the IT software industry for almost 8 months.

I seek clarification on the differences between the roles of an HR Recruiter and an HR Executive & Admin. Friends, can you help me understand? What is the growth potential in these roles?

An urgent reply would be greatly appreciated.

With regards,
Hameetha

Hi Hameetha,

The major difference between a generalist and a recruiter is that a recruiter takes care only of recruitments, whereas a generalist takes care of the entire gamut of HR, including recruitments, compensation and benefits, payroll, leave management, training and development, attrition, etc. Most freshers start out by handling recruitments initially and then move on to other areas. Growth in this field depends on whether you want to handle the entire HR gamut in the future or if you prefer to specialize in just one area. There are people who opt to specialize in one or two areas of HR; they are called specialists. Specialists are mainly found in middle-level management, while seniors often work as generalists. However, the hard work needed to become a generalist is much more than that required for a specialist, as you need to acquire in-depth knowledge in all areas of HR rather than just one or two. I suggest you continue working in all areas to gain exposure and then decide whether you want to be a generalist or a specialist. All the best.

Please help me. I am working for a private job consultancy, and I have recently joined. I lack knowledge in sourcing and validating candidates. Please assist me in understanding how to source files and validate candidates.