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What is a career developer and how to become one
A career developer often works in the human resources department of an organization, a company, or an educational institution, and works to help employees or students who wish to further their careers. A career developer is tasked with helping retain employees, and offer advice and direction for career growth and job satisfaction.
These individuals coordinate specific training programs for staff and students, offer career development plans and goals, and identify areas of improvement that can be aided with additional education. In the business world, a career developer helps staff to advance their careers, and in turn aid, an organization builds a competitive edge in the business world by investing in productive and talented employees.
Although many career developers have a bachelor's or an associate's degree in human resources, education, or a related field, an advanced degree is not necessarily a requirement if the individual has comparable experience, skills, and knowledge. A career developer should possess strong communication, leadership, organizational, educational, and interpersonal skills, and should be adept at helping employees find job satisfaction through career enhancement. A career developer can make up to $48,000 per year in the US, and the career field is projected to grow 8% by 2028.
What general advice would you give to a career developer?
Raina Gandhi
Assistant Dean of Career Services, American University
Also, take the time to get to know your colleagues and workplace norms, make sure you understand how performance is measured, and don't be afraid to ask for feedback. As you get comfortable with your role, look for ways to take on additional responsibilities to expand your skillset and build your reputation within the company.
You may not land your dream job right away, but this first job is critical for building your experience and gaining transferrable skills. Stay current in your field by reading articles, subscribing to email newsletters, and following relevant people and companies on LinkedIn
Avg. Salary $45,445
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 10%
Growth rate 0.3%
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%
Genderfemale 57.64%
male 42.36%
Age - 41American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 41Stress level is very high
7.1 - high
Complexity level is advanced
7 - challenging
Work life balance is fair
6.4 - fair
Career developer career paths
Key steps to become a career developer
Explore career developer education requirements
Start to develop specific career developer skills
Skills Percentages Leadership Development 42.48% Career Development 33.21% Leadership 6.41% Securities 5.33% Business Development 3.02% Complete relevant career developer training and internships
Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New career developers 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 developer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real career developer resumes.Research career developer duties and responsibilities
- Assist customers at teller windows.
- Assist them in obtaining their GED and furthering their education.
- Provide case management services to youth working to obtain a GED.
- Create a social media presence on Facebook and administer the page.
Prepare your career developer resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your career developer 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 developer 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 developer resume templates
Build a professional career developer 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 developer resume.
Apply for career developer jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a career developer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first career developer job
Are you a career developer?
Share your story for a free salary report.
Average career developer salary
The average career developer salary in the United States is $45,445 per year or $22 per hour. Career developer salaries range between $29,000 and $70,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do career developers rate their job?
Career developer reviews
hand on helping people with barriers to employment
nothing this job is great
hands on opportunity to help people with significance barriers to employment
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.
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.
Updated January 8, 2025
