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Career consultant job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected career consultant job growth rate is 10% from 2018-2028.
About 32,400 new jobs for career consultants are projected over the next decade.
Career consultant salaries have increased 7% for career consultants in the last 5 years.
There are over 11,502 career consultants currently employed in the United States.
There are 30,216 active career consultant job openings in the US.
The average career consultant salary is $50,813.
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 11,502 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 11,270 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 11,378 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 10,904 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 10,383 | 0.00% |
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $50,813 | $24.43 | +1.9% |
| 2025 | $49,868 | $23.98 | +1.3% |
| 2024 | $49,230 | $23.67 | +1.6% |
| 2023 | $48,443 | $23.29 | +1.6% |
| 2022 | $47,700 | $22.93 | +1.7% |
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 160 | 18% |
| 2 | Indiana | 6,666,818 | 1,106 | 17% |
| 3 | Alabama | 4,874,747 | 531 | 11% |
| 4 | Oklahoma | 3,930,864 | 434 | 11% |
| 5 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 66 | 10% |
| 6 | Mississippi | 2,984,100 | 257 | 9% |
| 7 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 38 | 4% |
| 8 | Vermont | 623,657 | 23 | 4% |
| 9 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 222 | 3% |
| 10 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 141 | 3% |
| 11 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 127 | 3% |
| 12 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 82 | 3% |
| 13 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 38 | 3% |
| 14 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 32 | 3% |
| 15 | California | 39,536,653 | 873 | 2% |
| 16 | New York | 19,849,399 | 321 | 2% |
| 17 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 281 | 2% |
| 18 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 198 | 2% |
| 19 | Nevada | 2,998,039 | 56 | 2% |
| 20 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 55 | 2% |
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carrollton | 1 | 4% | $42,666 |
| 2 | Pullman | 1 | 3% | $52,394 |
| 3 | West Des Moines | 1 | 2% | $47,537 |
| 4 | Grand Rapids | 1 | 1% | $45,922 |
| 5 | Kalamazoo | 1 | 1% | $46,166 |
| 6 | Santa Clara | 1 | 1% | $67,511 |
| 7 | Troy | 1 | 1% | $46,390 |
| 8 | Vacaville | 1 | 1% | $66,082 |
| 9 | Atlanta | 2 | 0% | $42,688 |
| 10 | Denver | 1 | 0% | $45,294 |
| 11 | Indianapolis | 1 | 0% | $44,263 |
| 12 | Wichita | 1 | 0% | $53,558 |
Siena College
Pennsylvania State University - Harrisburg
Western Illinois University
Tuskegee University
Wisconsin Business School

High Point University

Humboldt State University

Monmouth University

Butler University
Lycoming College

University of the Ozarks

American Association of Cosmetology Schools

Fairleigh Dickinson University

University of Arkansas

Emory Oxford College

Columbia International University

Rutgers School of Public Health
University of Arkansas
Colorado State University
Emory University School of Law
Beverly Thompson: Job skills specific to a particular sector will likely be learned on the job. College can provide general skills useful for entering into professions that will be client facing: critical thinking abilities, assessing legitimate information sources, strategic abilities to address problem solving, and precise organizational abilities. Careers in the future are not anticipated to be long term, and 3-5 years may represent how long one spends in one position. Thus, coming into the position with a clear understanding of the job, keeping track of one's key goal posts, including the time period expectations, are essential. Proper communication skills, for each mode of delivery, are important. The ability to shift with the changing employment landscape and to develop one's own insights into the future trajectories will be key in staying on top of the trends.
Beverly Thompson: Employment fields are changing rapidly; far faster than college curriculum. Thus, I would encourage current students and recent graduates to use sites such as LinkedIn to reach out to people working in the targeted field one is interested in and speak to them directly, especially people who have entered the field in the last five years. Fields also change quickly, so it is best to speak to those recently entering the field about their experiences and advice. I would also encourage people to get experience in the field as soon as possible, such as pursuing a part time job, in order to begin seeing the reality of the field from the entry level perspective.
Beverly Thompson: One would need to understand the various job opportunities in a particular field, research the pay ranges of each of these different employment sectors, and gain the skills relevant to the highest paid area of the job market. However, when one is starting their career, it is going to take time to begin accumulating promotions, and thus, being the best worker one can be and understanding the dynamics of one's particular company or field will be required research for the employee. Employees are tracked from their very first entry level position, so dedicating research to understanding these different employment trajectories will be central for finding and staying in the trajectory that will lead to the highest salary. Networking is key for learning about opportunities.
Pennsylvania State University - Harrisburg
International Business
Arpita Agnihotri: PFA the responses. Please let me know if further elaboration is needed on any aspect or there are any questions.
Arpita Agnihotri: I shall be glad to provide answers to the questions. Kindly send me the questions.
Western Illinois University
Drama/Theatre Arts And Stagecraft
Tammy Killian: Make sure you sell all of your skill sets when you are interviewing, be a strong communicator, demonstrate your organizational skills, and don't undersell yourself -- have confidence in your abilities and training. Be willing to take on additional duties if needed.
Tammy Killian: Breathe, be patient and also make as many connections as possible. Create those relationships and continue to network them even after you get a job. You are enough! and you have a lot to offer. Remind folks often of your worth, skills and do so in a kind and generous way.
Tammy Killian: Communication - written as well as spoken. During the pandemic we got very comfortable texting, using text speak, and hiding behind a computer. Speaking with folks in person takes practice. We all need to practice making eye contact, connecting with others via verbal communication, and thinking quickly and then articulating our thoughts in an intelligent way.
Tuskegee University
Business Administration, Management And Operations
Dr. Kai KOONG: First, besides working hard, work smart, in particular.
Second, find a mentor to help you adapt to the new work environment and culture.
Third, ask for help and be a true team player. You will be surprise most colleagues want you to do well.
Fourth, learn as much as you can and keep a balanced profile.
Dr. Kai KOONG: First, industry certifications and electronic badges will be useful for your longevity in the workplace.
Second, acquire additional soft skills and know when to put them to work
Third, learn new tools (SAP, and AI and ML in particular) can help you to climb the ladder and avoid being laid off too
Dr. Kai KOONG: First, get an internship (within your targeted industry or segment) to show that you have work experience that are relevant.
Second, make sure you select a career in sectors known for high wages (examples: accounting, artificial intelligence, cyber technologies, finance, healthcare, and supply chain)
Third, acquire initial industry badges and beginner's certifications prior to graduation or immediately thereafter.
Claire Jablonsky: We have a lot of students wanting to head into the creative side of marketing and thus are getting certificates (minors) in digital studies and graphic design. They are working on getting experience with Adobe, Photoshop, Lightroom and other programs that will give them the skills to work in advertising. On the analytical side, they are getting certificates in Google Analytics.

High Point University
Career and Professional Development
William (Bill) Gentry Ph.D.: In my opinion, yes. The pandemic is a once-in-a-century occurrence, I don't see how something like that will not affect philosophy graduates, or all of us. But graduates during this time have shown resiliency and flexibility particularly in the past 12+ months, which are great skills to showcase for employers right now. For the world of work, some organizations will go back to the way it was a couple of years ago (fully in person in offices) and other organizations have seen that people can work from home (or anywhere) and will allow that fully or partially. Organizations may need to shift their mindset on how work gets done to match how graduates now and in the future want to work in order to attract the best talent. To be marketable, graduates should focus not just on their resiliency and flexibility, but also other essential life skills such as the ability to communicate well (in person, phone, video, email, messaging systems), to span boundaries (organizational functions, time zones, cultural), and their problem solving, teamwork, and collaborative skills to be seen as high potential employees for organizations who are working fully in person, fully remote, or a mix of the two.
William (Bill) Gentry Ph.D.: It depends on the organization. With more vaccines coming out and some clamoring to actually get out of their house and get back to being in an office, organizations will see that it is safer for people to come back to work, to fly to meetings, to be like it was a couple of years ago. In fact, some have already gone back to that. Other organizations have seen that people can indeed work from anywhere and production and work output still remain at a high level in quality or quantity, and they may allow virtual work in part or in full. Philosophy graduates need to be prepared for either of these. I and our office of Career and Professional Development encourage graduates to first think about what style they like best. In talking with graduates, I know some of them are burned out with video and miss being around people in person. For those graduates with that type of preference, we encourage them to be strategic and targeted in their approach to looking for jobs, ensuring that working in an office, around people, in person, should be a major priority when searching and applying for jobs. For other graduates who have enjoyed and become skilled at video meetings, like that type of interaction, and feel they want to work from home, they should make sure that any job they are applying to would allow the ability and flexibility to work from anywhere.
William (Bill) Gentry Ph.D.: Philosophy majors are employable in a variety of fields such as education, law, ethics, business, religious-affiliated areas, community services, government, and communications to name a few. A 538 article in 2015 showed that philosophy majors have the fourth-highest median earnings for those with only undergraduate degrees. The Winter 2020 National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) salary survey indicated philosophy majors have the highest mean and median salary across all humanities majors and is comparable to other majors as well. To increase their earning potential, we encourage our students to focus on life skills that can separate themselves from all the others who are applying to the job. How can you showcase pertinent life skills that philosophy majors are known for - such as resiliency, the flexibility and capacity for growth, analytical, organizational and research skills like idea generation, problem formulation and problem solving, persuasion, and communication skills - on your brand documents like your resume, cover letter, LinkedIn, or in interviews? Specifically, how can you display that you have learned and developed those skills inside and outside the classroom in strong bullet points on your resume or in your cover letter? How can you clearly articulate how you've displayed or enhanced those skills through your classwork, internships, jobs, volunteer work, or other experiences in answering interview questions like "Tell me about yourself" or "What are your strengths?" or "Tell me about a time you had to influence others?" A GPA will likely get your foot in the door, but the ability to demonstrate these important like skills on paper, online, and in person in networking and interviewing will show others that you will be successful not just on day one of the job, but be seen as a high potential in your fist year, five years, and beyond.

Humboldt State University
Academic and Career Advising Center
Loren Collins: Service sector, hospitality, and travel have been and will continue to be impacted negatively but we will see a huge boom in employment and growth coming at the end of the pandemic. People will trend back into higher education as we begin coming out of the pandemic and when more face-to-face opportunities are available at universities and community colleges. Typically in a recession this happens earlier, but the nature of the pandemic has probably delayed this effect.
As we exit the pandemic, I believe federal and state programs will focus on increasing the number of people entering all sorts of trades, leveraging the end of the pandemic and work programs to close an increasing gap in the number of people in the trades. Meaning a boom in logistics, management, and project management related jobs as well lots of focus on sustainability.
Loren Collins: According to NACE - the National Association of Colleges and Employers - the top ten skills employers want from college grads are: 1) Communication 2) Teamwork 3) Make Decisions and Solve Problems 4) Organize and Prioritize 5) Obtain and Process Information 6) Analyze Quantitative Data 7) Technical Skills related to the Position 8) Ability to Work with Computers 9) Creating Written Reports 10) Sell and Influence Others.
We share these and talk a lot with students about them. Including history students and helping them see where they've gotten these skills, like myself, through the major. Only one of the above is specific to any given job! The softer skills include showing up on time, interpersonal communication, and staying committed to a position for a reasonable amount of time!
Loren Collins: In my field - and probably in many fields - I think the big trend has been not as much focus on salary and more the cost of retirement programs and healthcare. Landing a job with good retirement and great healthcare is not always easy and for many worth a trade for a slightly lower salary.
William Hill: That's hard to say because different jobs will have different requirements both now and post-COVID. Some jobs, like sales,will probably revert to more in-person activities, while other may be able to remain mostly or partially remote. Yes, a typical day might mean working from home more often than in the past. Technology, especially AI, will become a large influence. I suspect more professional/office jobs will evolve in to a hybrid model, with some in-person activity blended with remote.
William Hill: Remote recruiting is here to stay. COVID showed employers that they don't need to come to campus, nor do they have to meet with students in person in order to hire them. It is a substantial time and money saver for businesses. Long after COVID is gone, employers will continue to use Zoom, WebEx and other remote platforms as part of their recruiting strategy. Even job fairs, long a staple of recruiting, are going remote.
William Hill: Problem solving skills are essential in the workplace for new grads, especially now. They will find it increasingly difficult to engage more experienced co-workers for helpful problem solving advice in a virtual workspace. You can't just stroll over to someone's office for a quick chat anymore. They will be more often "on their own" when it comes to analyzing a challenge and crafting a solution. Verbal and written communication skills remain important in a workspace dominated by Zoom and email.

Butler University
Career and Professional Success
Julie Schrader: I think some trends we will see are more remote work components of internships or jobs given the pandemic. Some organizations will hope to return to fully in-person, but I think there will be more flexibility provided to employees to work remotely or partially remote. I also think some organizations may reduce their physical footprints and move from larger buildings to smaller spaces if they plan to have a mix of in-person and remote workforce, which can impact the culture. We have seen the impact the pandemic has had in some industries such as sports, events, hospitality, and others that rely on in-person functions and components, and I think we'll see fewer, more competitive opportunities in those areas for a while. Networking has always been important but I see a greater emphasis being put on networking and building connections during this time of limited in-person interactions and a more competitive job seeker environment. Finally, I think we have been pleased to see that many organizations have been hiring at the same or similar rate during the pandemic as they were prior to it.
Julie Schrader: It would depend on the industry, but I think the following can be impactful and attractive to future employers:
- Language(s): In a global market, speaking another language can provide great value to an organization
- Creative: More for marketing and advertising areas, having courses or certifications in creative and graphic design tools
- Project Management: Many roles across industry sectors involve some aspect of project management
- Design Thinking: Problem-solving and critical thinking skills are highly sought by recruiters
- Salesforce/CRMs: We are seeing more organizations list this as a preferred/desired certification or knowledge area
Julie Schrader: I don't define a job as "good" only if it matches a student's area of study. It is great if it does, but to me the definition of "good job" is that the individual is fulfilled and utilizing skills, strengths, and interests and the position matches their value set. A good job can be one that also provides some sense of financial stability. The hope is that during college, students are exploring and discovering various career paths and participating in experiential learning such as internships, co-ops, rotations, case studies, informational interviews, and more. As they learn more about potential career paths, they can start to narrow what they think they would enjoy. I believe that a good job out of college includes an opportunity to be mentored and supported, provides the opportunity for growth and training, and engages the individual's strengths and abilities to make a positive impact. I think of an example of a young graduate with a Finance degree who started in an entry-level finance role. He liked the position and the people, but wasn't sure he wanted to stay with the organization when he was offered a promotion to a sales role. He said he was working in finance because that was his degree and he thought that is what he should be doing. But he longed to be active and outdoors, and reminisced about his time studying abroad in Australia and surfing. He saw a surf camp manager position in the country of Norway and was deciding if he should apply. I encouraged him to go for it. He did. And he got it. He has since returned to the states and in a sales role now, but has no regrets. To me, that was a good job because he followed his heart.
Career Advisors of the CEAE : Fewer location-based positions due to the increased ability for remote and hybrid work environments.
Career Advisors of the CEAE : Applicants need to connect their skills and experience with what an employer is looking for. With that being said, flexibility, adaptability, and experience with various technology is increasingly important during a pandemic. Quantifiable achievements are always important as well as leadership, presentation/communication skills, and teamwork ability.
Career Advisors of the CEAE : Research what cities are ranked high for a strong and growing job market and don't limit yourself to a specific location. Be creative and don't rely on one or two sources in your search. Use the many online job search and research tools that are available. Networking is one of the most powerful tools to discover advertised - as well as unadvertised - opportunities. Use the capabilities of LinkedIn to connect with alumni and to develop and strengthen your brand! Don't dismiss social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok that are often used for entertainment and other purposes. You may find opportunities here as well.

Ruth Walton: The information age began in the 1980's and changed the workplace forever. I remember it well because I was working on my Master's Thesis, and I used a word processing program named Word-11. No more typewriters and no more whiteout. When I entered the world of work, computers were not a thing. I had a typewriter. Then, in the mid-'80s, each staff person received a DEC 350 computer. Hard drive. Large Computer Screen. Separate Keyboard. Within a decade, my office migrated from a DEC to a MAC to an IBM platform. That was a lot of technology to learn. Then, the blackberry, followed by cell phones that fit in a pocket with computing power. Therefore, as we look into the future, technology will continue to affect the workforce. The next big technology leaps will be in 5G, Artificial Intelligence, and Biotechnology.

Anthony Civitano: #1 is soft skills; younger generations are less and less equipped with these essential skills. Corona-19 will undoubtedly have an impact as social distancing has become the necessary norm, inhibiting person-to-person interaction. #2 Basic financial literacy and life/work balance. #3 The technical skills evolve over the years, and our schools stay connected with the industry's pulse and adjust their curriculum accordingly.

Peter Woolley Ph.D.: It depends on who is doing the hiring. (a.) Experience with budget management and any analysis is usually considered a big plus. Everyone runs on a budget. Someone's got to understand it and get the most out of it. I always recommend everyone take as many public finance courses as they can stand. (b.) Experience in a supervisory position is a standout. Emphasize any assignments you had looking after other people. And don't say you were assigned to train new employees. Say you were hand-picked to orient, onboard, and train new employees.

Lori Birrell: Emerging technologies have been a mainstay in the library science profession for decades. In the coming years, our work will continue to grapple with the impact of AI, facial recognition software, and the tools that support big data, as the nature of research and our users' needs- continue to evolve.

Christopher Blake Ph.D.: If you had asked me last year, I would say that several places a graduate could find ample work opportunities. Any city with a Federal Reserve Branch Bank is a safe bet for those interested in public policy. The private sector is always looking for qualified economists to help with data analysis, modeling, and strategy. While there is still decent demand for those with strong communication, modeling, and data skills, the movement to more remote work makes it more likely a graduate can find a job anywhere. This may be one of the few positives from this job market cycle, relative to last year's, as there will be many jobs that no longer ask that one moves to the job's physical location.
Digital "places" are then perhaps more critical. For academic and research jobs, always keep an eye on the Job Openings for Economists list through the American Economic Association website (https://www.aeaweb.org/joe/listings?). A handful of other sites are devoted to academic and research jobs, though these are used less frequently (EconJobMarket comes to mind: https://econjobmarket.org/). Outside of academic and research positions, the world is truly your oyster - as they say. Remaining active on job boards, LinkedIn, and other social media platforms, and even checking specific large company websites can all prove valuable sources to find work opportunities. There will always be a demand for strong candidates who can understand the plethora of data collected these days.

Columbia International University
School of Education and the School of Business and Professional Studies
Dr. Brian Simmons: The context you mentioned was "starting a career with a leadership degree." Here at Columbia International University, we offer several graduate leadership degrees, including a Masters in Organizational Leadership and a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership. These degrees are designed with working adults in mind. Many of these working adults are already leaders in their respective fields, looking for new places of service and advancement opportunities in their current employment places. So, work experience without gaps is essential on a resume. Also, course work and degree programs that teach practical skills aligned with job responsibilities in the world of work will benefit these degree programs' grads because you do not know what you do not know! Finally, high GPAs in these degree programs will set the best and brightest high performing students apart from the rest.
Dr. Brian Simmons: I would not think so much in terms of "skills to enhance" but rather experiences that will add depth of insight and understanding. Candidates with a variety of practical experiences, coupled with rigorous academic training, are set apart from others.

Rutgers School of Public Health
Claire Brown: As the COVID-19 pandemic has created a demand for innovative, effective, and secure technology-driven methods of conducting contact tracing, communicating health risks to the public, and staying in touch with each other personally and professionally, I think that we'll see a greater emphasis on how public health shapes technology and how technology shapes public health. The general public's awareness of and investment in the scope of public health has also increased, and with that, I think public health data visualization, integrity, accessibility, and transparency-all of which depend heavily on good technology-will become a professional priority for many working in the public health field.
Terri Dill Chadick: Zoom is here to stay. As a result, graduates are not limited by the geographic boundaries that existed pre-pandemic. Remote legal internships are becoming more common, and I expect that trend to continue. We are also seeing an increase in video interviewing, which makes it easier for graduates to pursue opportunities outside their current location. Similarly, virtual job fairs are commonplace this year, and I expect they will be in the future. The move to virtual will follow graduates as they enter practice, as judges are expected to continue virtual court proceedings in situations where it makes sense, long after the pandemic ends.
Colorado State University
Career Center and Warner College of Natural Resources
Leanna Biddle: Last March, with COVID-19 and the shift to virtual business and engagement, the economy was negatively impacted, shown by high unemployment rates and business closures. Though this was unforeseen for many, jobs in this field have started to recover. As a Career Education Manager, I have seen the following: employers actively attending and engaging in virtual career fairs, job opportunities available for graduates, and the advertisement of internship opportunities for current students, offered both in-person and virtually.
In the career world, the new word I use is pivoting, looking for different ways to stand out as a candidate. It may not be as simple as applying for opportunities - there are different strategies to consider: attending networking events offered at your institution and/or in the community, making connections with faculty and staff in the field, and leaning into engagement opportunities, whether that be nationwide with an organization, like the American Fisheries Society, or volunteering in your city.
We don't know what the lasting impact will be. The landscape is still changing by the day, with hiring fluctuations and changing employer needs. I do know that graduates are not alone in this process; many institutions offer career support for recent graduates and alum.
Emory University School of Law
Center for Professional Development & Career Strategy
Natasha Pate: Members of the class of 2020 have seen jobs postponed and bar exams delayed, in addition to suffering the health impact of the pandemic personally and on their loved ones. Moreover, the manner in how legal services provided to clients has also changed during the pandemic, with courts holding virtual hearings and M&A deals closing over secured software platforms. Some of these changes could become the new standard for the industry because they reduce the cost of delivering legal services to clients. This could negatively impact some entry-level legal positions.