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Career specialist vs career advisor

The differences between career specialists and career advisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a career specialist has an average salary of $45,299, which is higher than the $40,067 average annual salary of a career advisor.

The top three skills for a career specialist include career development, professional development and career exploration. The most important skills for a career advisor are customer service, career development, and professional development.

Career specialist vs career advisor overview

Career SpecialistCareer Advisor
Yearly salary$45,299$40,067
Hourly rate$21.78$19.26
Growth rate8%10%
Number of jobs16,35372,536
Job satisfaction-3
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 64%Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Average age4442
Years of experience4-

What does a career specialist do?

Also called workforce trainers, career specialists determine career and vocational opportunities for qualified job-searches using different assessments. Career specialists plan and implement a comprehensive career development program within the realm of student services. They assess and evaluate career development test results and use them as a guide for individuals. It is part of their job to counsel in terms of administrative tasks. Skills necessary for this job include communication, attention to detail, and career guidance.

What does a career advisor do?

A career advisor inspects the clients' career uncertainties, concerns, and aspirations and guides them through the adjacent test completion, personality, and aptitude test completion. They review the clients' educational undertaking and personal undertakings and how their manifestation can affect their job choices. Besides proposing career options congruent with the clients' substantiated insights, career advisors also inform clients about their potential skill set shortcomings and devise strategies to correct these shortcomings. Moreover, career advisors advise clients on the right way to compile and present their resumes.

Career specialist vs career advisor salary

Career specialists and career advisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Career SpecialistCareer Advisor
Average salary$45,299$40,067
Salary rangeBetween $33,000 And $61,000Between $30,000 And $52,000
Highest paying CitySanta Cruz, CALos Angeles, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyBoston Public SchoolsEmerson College
Best paying industryEducationGovernment

Differences between career specialist and career advisor education

There are a few differences between a career specialist and a career advisor in terms of educational background:

Career SpecialistCareer Advisor
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 64%Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityUniversity of Pennsylvania

Career specialist vs career advisor demographics

Here are the differences between career specialists' and career advisors' demographics:

Career SpecialistCareer Advisor
Average age4442
Gender ratioMale, 31.1% Female, 68.9%Male, 34.1% Female, 65.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 5.9% White, 58.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 3.7% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage12%11%

Differences between career specialist and career advisor duties and responsibilities

Career specialist example responsibilities.

  • Lead advocacy efforts to increase employment opportunities for veterans by contacting hiring executives and encourage the hiring of disable veterans.
  • Determine eligibility and suitability for WIA youth services.
  • Establish applicant eligibility and suitability for WIA enrollment associate with personal barriers to employment.
  • Lead advocacy efforts to increase employment opportunities for veterans by contacting hiring executives and encourage the hiring of disable veterans.
  • Document and comply with confidentiality of student information, and Medicaid billing.

Career advisor example responsibilities.

  • Develop and facilitate outplacement programs across healthcare, scientific research and higher education sectors.
  • Contract to provide MBTI workshops for corporations.
  • Identify personal abilities, individual strengths and transferable skills for government, private and non-profit sectors.
  • Perform system conversion from Quickbooks to Yardi accounting and property management software.

Career specialist vs career advisor skills

Common career specialist skills
  • Career Development, 13%
  • Professional Development, 8%
  • Career Exploration, 8%
  • Financial Aid, 6%
  • Labor Market, 5%
  • Career Planning, 5%
Common career advisor skills
  • Customer Service, 12%
  • Career Development, 9%
  • Professional Development, 7%
  • Social Work, 6%
  • Career Services, 6%
  • Career Planning, 4%

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