How to hire a career specialist

How to hire a career specialist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step career specialist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a career specialist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new career specialist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a career specialist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your career specialist job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a career specialist for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a career specialist to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a career specialist that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of career specialists.

   Type of Career Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Career Specialist	Training and development specialists plan, conduct, and administer programs that train employees and improve their skills and knowledge.	$15-29
   Development Coordinator	A development coordinator is responsible for planning various programs and events for an organization or company. They primarily focus on securing funding by holding fundraising events, devising programs to increase brand awareness, and even coming up with various campaigns supporting a cause... Show more	$17-35
   Training Coordinator	A training coordinator is a professional who develops and conducts training programs for employees or volunteers. Training coordinators create printed and instructional materials as well as maintain an online library of training resources... Show more	$15-31

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Career Development
   • Professional Development
   • Career Exploration
   • Financial Aid
   • Labor Market
   • Career Planning
   • Vocational Training
   • Community Resources
   • Supportive Services
   • Career Fairs
   • Training Programs
   • Employment Services
   • Mock Interviews
   • TANF

   Check all skills

   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.

   More career specialist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your career specialist job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A career specialist salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a career specialist in Vermont may be lower than in California, and an entry-level career specialist usually earns less than a senior-level career specialist. Additionally, a career specialist with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average career specialist salary

   $45,299yearly

   $21.78 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level career specialist salary

   $33,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average career specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$59,637	$29
   2	District of Columbia	$55,808	$27
   3	Nebraska	$50,707	$24
   4	New York	$50,418	$24
   5	Washington	$49,830	$24
   6	Colorado	$47,013	$23
   7	Maryland	$46,003	$22
   8	North Carolina	$45,129	$22
   9	Illinois	$43,424	$21
   10	Iowa	$42,766	$21
   11	Missouri	$42,737	$21
   12	Massachusetts	$42,569	$20
   13	Georgia	$41,650	$20
   14	Ohio	$41,583	$20
   15	Oregon	$41,392	$20
   16	Texas	$41,261	$20
   17	Alabama	$41,136	$20
   18	Wisconsin	$40,753	$20
   19	Indiana	$39,559	$19
   20	Florida	$38,246	$18

   Average career specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Boston Public Schools	$65,620	$31.55	1
   2	American Water	$63,902	$30.72
   3	University of Massachusetts Boston	$61,690	$29.66
   4	Howard University	$61,523	$29.58
   5	Chicago Public Schools	$59,631	$28.67	2
   6	University of Southern California	$58,829	$28.28	4
   7	Aspire Public Schools	$55,571	$26.72	2
   8	Morgan State University	$55,344	$26.61
   9	Research Foundation of The City University of New York	$54,973	$26.43
   10	Montrose County	$54,250	$26.08
   11	Jefferson County Sheriffs Dept	$54,099	$26.01
   12	Widseth Smith Nolting	$53,995	$25.96	2
   13	Serco	$53,923	$25.92	1
   14	Washington State University	$53,788	$25.86
   15	University of California	$53,564	$25.75	9
   16	University of California-Berkeley	$52,534	$25.26
   17	S.C. Department of Commerce	$52,326	$25.16
   18	UC Santa Barbara	$52,099	$25.05
   19	Irving Isd	$51,593	$24.80
   20	Boynton Beach City Manager	$51,576	$24.80

4. Writing a career specialist job description

   A career specialist job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a career specialist job description:

   Career specialist job description example

   As the College and Career Readiness Specialist, you are responsible for assisting with career development, occupational skills training, work readiness, and academic growth for students at the Riverfront School and Career Center. You will provide coordination of support services, and ongoing case management services to at-risk youth and young adults, 14-24 years of age, from low-income backgrounds with barriers to success. You will also assist with program planning and development, and program marketing activities.
   
   To learn more about the College and Career Readiness Specialist please download the full job description below.
   
   The Riverfront School is an accredited alternative school that partners with local school districts to provide individual education opportunities to youth. Riverfront's mission is to "guide and support youth in developing the knowledge, responsibility, and the social skills necessary for productive citizenship." Riverfront also operates as a Career Center for students with the goal to link academic and occupational learning for each youth.
   Click here to learn more about the Riverfront School and the Riverfront Career Center.
   
   People who excel in this role have a minimum of two years of experience working in job placement or employment services and at least one year of youth-related experience. A bachelor's degree in social services or business-related field is preferred but individuals who are working towards a degree are encouraged to apply.
   
   You will be working with a diverse set of clients, from all different backgrounds. Cultural awareness is a must! We believe in the abilities of individuals and systems that respond respectfully and effectively to people of all cultures, classes, races, ethnic backgrounds, religions, sexual orientations, genders, and abilities in a manner that recognizes, affirms, and values the worth of individuals, families, and their communities and protects and preserves the dignity of each.
   
   Follow these links to learn more about Looking Glass and see why our staff love the work they do!
   
   In accordance with the Oregon Health Authority rule, all teachers and school staff working in the Riverfront School must be fully vaccinated or have an approved exemption/accommodation before beginning work.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find career specialists for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your career specialist job on Zippia to find and recruit career specialist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting career specialists requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new career specialist

   Once you've selected the best career specialist candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a career specialist?