Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
What is a career development specialist and how to become one
Career Development Specialist connects individuals with potential employers and helps career seekers learn to interview, job hunt, and resume writing skills. They help you choose a profession, improve your skills, and advance along a job path and bring you closer to your ideal job, skill set, and lifestyle.
Generally, you need to possess a bachelor's degree or associate degree in training and development, human resources, education, or instructional design to become a Career Development Specialist. Additionally, experience in business administration or social science will help you in securing a better post.
Most of the graduates who approach this field end up laying claim to annual earnings at $45,166. The current median pay for a Career Development Specialist ranges from $33,915 to $61,150 in the U.S. However, this figure can vary significantly depending upon your experience and skills.
What general advice would you give to a career development specialist?
Shelley Sadin
Associate Dean of Professional and Career Development, Quinnipiac University
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.
Avg. Salary $46,744
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 8%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.51%
Asian 5.87%
Black or African American 10.96%
Hispanic or Latino 17.06%
Unknown 6.30%
White 59.30%
Genderfemale 71.09%
male 28.91%
Age - 44American 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 - 44Stress level is manageable
7.1 - high
Complexity level is challenging
7 - challenging
Work life balance is fair
6.4 - fair
Career development specialist career paths
Key steps to become a career development specialist
Explore career development specialist education requirements
Start to develop specific career development specialist skills
Skills Percentages Professional Development 17.05% Community Resources 8.88% Mock Interviews 5.97% Support Services 5.44% Employment Services 4.96% Complete relevant career development specialist training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New career development specialists 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 development specialist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real career development specialist resumes.Research career development specialist duties and responsibilities
- Lead advocacy efforts to increase employment opportunities for veterans by contacting hiring executives and encourage the hiring of disable veterans.
- Lead advocacy efforts to increase employment opportunities for veterans by contacting hiring executives and encourage the hiring of disable veterans.
- Develop IEP (individual employment plan) for case management and monitor customer progress during participation.
Prepare your career development specialist resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your career development specialist 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 development specialist 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 development specialist resume templates
Build a professional career development specialist 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 development specialist resume.
Apply for career development specialist jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a career development specialist 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 development specialist job
Are you a career development specialist?
Share your story for a free salary report.
Average career development specialist salary
The average career development specialist salary in the United States is $46,744 per year or $22 per hour. Career development specialist salaries range between $32,000 and $67,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do career development specialists rate their job?
Career development specialist reviews
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.
Helping students (and others) make meaningful connections to careers.
The burocracy and silos in higher education.
Guiding students toward rewarding careers.
I am employed by the Georgia Institute of Technology and Career Development Advisors are paid much lower than Corporate Relations Managers even though we do similar jobs
Updated January 8, 2025
