How to hire an academic adviser

How to hire an academic adviser, step by step

Here's a step-by-step academic adviser hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an academic adviser job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new academic adviser
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an academic adviser do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The academic adviser hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An academic adviser's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, academic advisers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of academic advisers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Academic Adviser	Description	Hourly rate
   Academic Adviser	School counselors help students develop academic and social skills and succeed in school. Career counselors assist people with the process of making career decisions by helping them develop skills or choose a career or educational program.	$16-29
   Job Coach	A job coach is responsible for evaluating people's skills and qualifications, advising them with career paths, helping with their aspirations, and promote employment opportunities. Job coaches help the clients build self-confidence and explore their maximum potentials to develop their professional growth... Show more	$14-21
   Evaluator	An evaluator is responsible for assessing a speakers' speech, identifying areas of improvement, and providing constructive feedback to hone their communication skills and boost their self-confidence. Evaluators analyze speech delivery, including unnecessary fillers and mannerisms that may distract the audience from the speaker's presentation... Show more	$16-34

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Student Services
   • Financial Aid
   • Professional Development
   • Support Services
   • Excellent Interpersonal
   • Course Selection
   • Student Development
   • Academic Support
   • Academic Programs
   • FERPA
   • Academic Policies
   • PowerPoint
   • Student Retention

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Coach and mentore students in determining optimal course of study to achieve specific career performance goals and certifications.
   • Interpret student records such as transcripts and IEP's.
   • Collect and analyze data for behaviors and IEP objectives.
   • Direct a team of four ESL teachers, implement school policies, teaching schedules, and activities clubs.
   • Organize all freshman and parent oreintation programs, assist in the freshman experience class, advise all undeclare students.
   • Create PowerPoint presentations used for curriculum development.

   More academic adviser duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your academic adviser job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. An academic adviser can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, academic advisers' average salary in wyoming is 53% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level academic advisers 44% less than senior-level academic advisers.
   • Certifications. An academic adviser with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in an academic adviser's salary.

   Average academic adviser salary

   $46,729yearly

   $22.47 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level academic adviser salary

   $35,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average academic adviser salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$64,293	$31
   2	Massachusetts	$62,388	$30
   3	Maryland	$59,164	$28
   4	California	$58,809	$28
   5	New York	$55,431	$27
   6	Washington	$49,634	$24
   7	Minnesota	$47,082	$23
   8	Michigan	$46,257	$22
   9	Ohio	$45,113	$22
   10	Oregon	$44,826	$22
   11	Wisconsin	$43,827	$21
   12	North Carolina	$42,538	$20
   13	Florida	$42,518	$20
   14	Texas	$41,771	$20
   15	Arizona	$41,691	$20
   16	Colorado	$41,646	$20
   17	Kansas	$39,209	$19
   18	Idaho	$38,528	$19
   19	Nebraska	$38,371	$18
   20	South Carolina	$38,361	$18

   Average academic adviser salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	New York Film Academy	$78,314	$37.65
   2	Columbus College of Art & Design	$67,094	$32.26	2
   3	Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station - State Headquarters	$62,451	$30.02	2
   4	Pace University	$61,873	$29.75	5
   5	Stanford University	$59,550	$28.63	16
   6	East-West University	$59,499	$28.61
   7	University of Houston-Clear Lake	$58,985	$28.36	2
   8	University of Massachusetts Boston	$58,955	$28.34	2
   9	New York University	$58,448	$28.10	3
   10	Labouré College	$58,420	$28.09
   11	SUNY Empire State College	$58,031	$27.90
   12	Central State University	$57,419	$27.61	3
   13	University of Southern California	$55,512	$26.69	6
   14	Pratt Institute	$55,314	$26.59
   15	University of California	$55,094	$26.49	11
   16	Oakland University	$54,698	$26.30	16
   17	Berkeley College	$54,538	$26.22	4
   18	University of San Diego	$54,322	$26.12	3
   19	UMiami Health System	$53,748	$25.84
   20	Greenfield-Central High School	$53,468	$25.71	2

4. Writing an academic adviser job description

   A job description for an academic adviser role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's an academic adviser job description:

   Academic adviser job description example

   The College of Arts and Sciences is seeking to hire an experienced Academic Advisor II. The Academic Advisor II will complete all duties of a full service professional academic advisor and will be tasked with performing academic advisement functions such as, facilitating academic program development, advising, interpretation, and implementation of university policies and procedures. This position will be responsible for retention, progression, academic planning, and advising students in the College of Arts and Sciences online programs.
   
   The Academic Advisor II will provide administrative support to department undergraduate directors as it relates to course substitutions, petitions, and permissions. They will also support undergraduate directors with advisement related events, and advisement data needs from Navigate. The Academic Advisor II will be familiar with Microsoft Word, Excel, Banner, and have experience with programs similar to Argos, Degree Works, Navigate, etc.
   The essential duties and responsibilities of the Academic Advisor II are the following:
   
   * Evaluates and maintains student records for degree requirements using academic evaluation system for online students in the College of Arts and Sciences.
   * Monitors student registration activities and academic performance and progress.
   * Delivers communication to students regarding course scheduling, core and major requirements, academic resources, and outreach activities that will promote retention, progression, and graduation.
   * Monitors and tracks the retention, progression, and graduation of assigned student population.
   * Maintains and updates students records in the information system.
   * Provide administrative support to department undergraduate directors as it relates to course substitutions, petitions, and permissions.
   * Process registration permissions in Banner for students in assigned population.
   * Supports undergraduate directors with advisement related events and advisement data needs from Navigate or other reporting tools.
   * Serves as a lead worker for specified programs.
   * Coordinates regular advisement training, development, and planning meetings and activities for designated programs.
   * Mentors Academic Advisor I and IIs; trains and supervises staff and/or student assistants.
   * Coordinates special programs or functions such as dual degree, BIS, petitions, appeals, grade appeals, etc.
   * Teaches or co-teaches GSU 1010.
   * Participates in planning information sessions or activities.
   * Participates regularly in university, college, and area advisement training, development and planning meetings, and activities.
   * Assist in the development and implementation of College and University training for advisement personnel.
   * Participates in college, departmental, and other meetings related to undergraduate programs.
   * Performs other duties as assigned.
   
   Bachelor's degree and three years of related experience, or a combination of educational and related experience.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find academic advisers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your academic adviser job on Zippia to find and recruit academic adviser candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit academic advisers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new academic adviser

   Once you've selected the best academic adviser candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new academic adviser. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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