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What is a career consultant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted experts
Shelley Sadin,
William Hill

A career consultant aims to assist individuals with surveying their expert circumstances with a more noteworthy level of trustworthiness, interest, sympathy, and empathy. Career consultants are experts prepared to help individuals with their professional decision. They help their customers in investigating professional choices and show them how to look for a task. They give expert counsel about their work, preparation, and movement.

They help their customers in investigating career choices and quest for occupations. It is their obligation to manage their professional appraisals and show them how to compose a resume and resolve business-related issues. Likewise, they experience questionable prospects and search for a new beginning.

For Career consultants, the most normally required instruction level is a four-year certification. Career Consultants most generally study business, brain science, or directing brain research. 47% of Career Consultants hold four-year college educations, 32% hold graduate degrees, and 6% hold partner degrees.

Career Consultants in the United States make an average compensation of $57,724 each year or $27.75 per hour. As far as the compensation range, a section-level Career Consultant pay is generally $39,000 per year, while the top 10% makes $83,000.

What general advice would you give to a career consultant?

Shelley SadinShelley Sadin LinkedIn profile

Associate Dean of Professional and Career Development, Quinnipiac University

Communicating clearly, both orally and in writing.
It is identifying and analyzing legal and factual issues with an open, thoughtful, and creative mind.
Working collaboratively with clients, colleagues, opponents, and others involved in a case to solve problems.
Being meticulously ethical and professional in all interactions. This includes treating everyone involved in a matter with respect, recognizing, and honoring their different backgrounds and perspectives.
Being self-disciplined, motivated, resilient, courageous, kind, and flexible.
ScoreCareer ConsultantUS Average
Salary
4.0

Avg. Salary $50,813

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
9.0

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
6.0
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.62%

Asian 3.74%

Black or African American 10.64%

Hispanic or Latino 14.20%

Unknown 3.76%

White 67.03%

Gender

female 65.78%

male 34.22%

Age - 41
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41
Stress level
9.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
9.7

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
5.7

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Career consultant career paths

Key steps to become a career consultant

  1. Explore career consultant education requirements

    Most common career consultant degrees

    Bachelor's

    65.6 %

    Master's

    17.0 %

    Associate

    12.6 %
  2. Start to develop specific career consultant skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Career Development13.22%
    Career Planning9.34%
    Career Exploration9.27%
    Career Services7.66%
    Interview Preparation5.49%
  3. Complete relevant career consultant training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New career consultants learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a career consultant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real career consultant resumes.
  4. Research career consultant duties and responsibilities

    • Manage payroll, benefits and insurance administration.
    • Perform such duties as heavy data entry for TANF program.
    • Maintain a caseload of customer's that are receiving TANF and Medicaid to ensure compliance are kept for assistance.
    • Develop and facilitate outplacement programs across healthcare, scientific research and higher education sectors.
  5. Prepare your career consultant resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your career consultant resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a career consultant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable career consultant resume templates

    Build a professional career consultant resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your career consultant resume.
    Career Consultant Resume
    Career Consultant Resume
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    Career Consultant Resume
  6. Apply for career consultant jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a career consultant job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first career consultant job

Zippi

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Average career consultant salary

The average career consultant salary in the United States is $50,813 per year or $24 per hour. Career consultant salaries range between $35,000 and $72,000 per year.

Average career consultant salary
$50,813 Yearly
$24.43 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do career consultants rate their job?

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Career consultant reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020
Cons

It needs more patience to apply the true solution and satisfy your client


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2019
Pros

Helping people find their own paths, incorporating values and interests. I love it when people identify what they really want and get excited about working towards it.

Cons

I'm in private practice so there's always some task that needs doing: bookkeeping, marketing, etc. It's a lot but it's not unbearable.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2019
Pros

Helping students (and others) make meaningful connections to careers.

Cons

The burocracy and silos in higher education.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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