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Career manager skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Hassan Akmal,

Michael Van Lear

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical career manager skills. We ranked the top skills for career managers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 29.5% of career manager resumes contained career development as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a career manager needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 career manager skills for your resume and career

1. Career Development

Career development is a term referring to the process and idea of furthering one's career or otherwise altering its path by a number of processes and methods. A career development plan can be unique to the individual and might simply be to continue working the job one does in a singular company and moving up, in terms of positions and salary. Or it might be an entirely different plan, such as moving on from the position, the company, and perhaps even the industry as a whole, and doing other work somewhere else.

Here's how career managers use career development:

Performed career development analysis and life-cycle management functions for 14 different occupational specialties consisting of more than 42,000 Soldiers.
Implemented training and career development strategies; provided mentoring.

2. Career Services

Career services may refer to a center dedicated to helping individuals (often college students) prepare for the job market. This may include assisting with a resume, suggesting potential companies to interview with, or conducting surveys to find out an ideal career for the individual.

Here's how career managers use career services:

Managed and coordinated Youth/Career Services in accordance with Braille Institute's philosophy and strategic goals.
Recruited, trained, developed and mentored all staff members of Youth/Career Services.

3. Training Programs

Here's how career managers use training programs:

Make referrals to related training providers, and approve training programs after proper calculation of funds.
Retain 72% of students in a 9-month workforce development training programs.

4. Personnel Actions

A personnel action means any action taken which affects compensation, appointment, promotion, transfer, assignment, reassignment, reinstatement, evaluation of performance, layoff, dismissal, discipline, commendations, or any other action that affects the status of employment, etc. For example organizational reassignment, hiring an employee, or an employee leaving the company, are represented by separate personnel actions.

Here's how career managers use personnel actions:

Led team to process over 200 personnel actions.
Monitored all personnel actions regarding their organization structure, acquisition, distribution and sustainment.

5. Career Planning

Here's how career managers use career planning:

Conducted individual/career counseling and career planning sessions.
Provide consulting services to community groups and agencies, business and industry, and organizations involved in providing career planning resources.

6. Career Paths

Here's how career managers use career paths:

Managed the careers, mentored, and advised more than one thousand army officers on career path development.
Managed 33 career aviation occupational fields, billet assignments, and career paths for 500 personnel.

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7. Professional Development

Professional development means to have the essential training certification or education with the purpose of earning and having a successful career. Every job requires a different set of skills. However, new skills may be needed in the future. Professional development, in this regard, helps people to develop and polish the skills and become efficient workers.

Here's how career managers use professional development:

Advised over 700 Human Resources Counselors on professional development opportunities during annual seminar training.
Prepared and conducted professional development briefings for Soldiers attending advanced and senior leadership courses.

8. Career Exploration

Career Exploration refers to the process of learning about and investigating various jobs and long-term careers. This exploration is typically seen in younger individuals about to enter the job market or in people attempting to change their career paths. Career exploration may include taking personality tests to see what job may be best suited to one person, or even simply discussing various opportunities with a career specialist or guidance counselors.

Here's how career managers use career exploration:

Provided direction to students centered on real-life examples in relation to work skill assessment and career exploration.
Ensured each student on Center participates of Career Exploration activities on and off Center.

9. Career Fairs

Here's how career managers use career fairs:

Conducted workshops on career pathways, resume writing, college admissions, financial aid, and assisted with career fairs.
Attended and supported recruitment events, career fairs and job fairs.

10. Human Resources

Human resources is a set of people in a business or a corporation that are designated to locate, interview, and recruit new employees into the company. They are also responsible to maintain the integrity of the employees and help them sort their problems out. They try to introduce and manage employee-benefit programs.

Here's how career managers use human resources:

Advised executive leadership, spanning through 4 different organizations on various Human Resources programs.
Analyzed hiring trends, and regularly participated in various human resources presentations relating to hiring.

11. Career Management

Here's how career managers use career management:

Supervised five military members and two civilian personnel within the Adjutant General Career management office.
Created career management briefings utilizing Microsoft Office Suite programs and traveled across the globe leading large group discussions regarding best practices.

12. Community Resources

Community resources are a set of resources that are used in the day to day life of people which improves their lifestyle in some way. People, sites or houses, and population assistance can come under the services offered by community resources.

Here's how career managers use community resources:

Empowered candidates with knowledge of community resources and supportive services.
Referred clients to community resources and conferred with contracting agencies for services.

13. Community Agencies

Community agencies stand for the organizations operated to provide human service in the community.

Here's how career managers use community agencies:

Networked and partnered with local community agencies in thirteen counties to provide extensive services.
Develop individual employment plans for each customer to include referrals to appropriate community agencies for remediation of identified barriers to employment.

14. Career Advice

Here's how career managers use career advice:

Provided career advice, assignments and schooling for officers based on family and Army needs and career progression.
Provided regulatory guidance per local policies and gave career advice to all personnel.

15. GED

Here's how career managers use ged:

Conducted GED preparation courses geared towards students with literacy and basic skills deficiency.
Provided case management services to youth working to obtain a GED.

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What skills help Career Managers find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on career manager resumes?

Hassan Akmal

Executive Director of the UCLA Career Center, University of California, Los Angeles

Transferable skills. Soft and hard. The soft skills are now referred to as "success skills" and include skills such as creativity, emotional intelligence, critical thinking and problem solving, analytics skills, and people management.
Active learning, agility, resilience, stress tolerance and flexibility are additional skills in demand that graduates need to consider.

What career manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Michael Van Lear

Director, Hawaii Pacific University

If taking a gap year, joining a professional organization related to area studies would be advised. Joining such organizations provides further insight into this field and offers graduates professional networking opportunities. Being an active member is key to making the most of this experience. Attend virtual workshops, professional development, etc.

What type of skills will young career managers need?

Esq. Mary Beth Moore Esq.

Assistant Dean of Career Development, Case Western Reserve University School of Law

New graduates entering the workplace need to have perseverance and grit, open-mindedness, and strong communication skills. Additionally, a return to civility is currently, and will continue to be, in high demand for new lawyers.

What soft skills should all career managers possess?

William Hill

Director, Career Services, Monmouth University

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.

Do you want to know more?

List of career manager skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a career manager resume and required skills for a career manager to have include:

Career Development
Career Services
Training Programs
Personnel Actions
Career Planning
Career Paths
Professional Development
Career Exploration
Career Fairs
Human Resources
Career Management
Community Resources

Community Agencies
Career Advice
GED
TANF
Risk Youth
Employment Services
Management System
Investment ACT
WIA
Career Guidance
Support Services
Staff Training

Regulatory Guidelines
IEP
PowerPoint
DHS
Resume Building
Employment Barriers
Interview Techniques
Eligibility Determination
Community Organizations
Educational Background

Updated January 8, 2025

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

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