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What is a career transition specialist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read
Quoted experts
Shelley Sadin,
William (Bill) Gentry Ph.D.
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a career transition specialist. For example, did you know that they make an average of $19.9 an hour? That's $41,399 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 10% and produce 32,400 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a career transition specialist?

Shelley SadinShelley Sadin LinkedIn profile

Associate Dean of Professional and Career Development, Quinnipiac University

Communicating clearly, both orally and in writing.
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.
ScoreCareer Transition SpecialistUS Average
Salary
3.2

Avg. Salary $41,399

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
9.0

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
6.0
Race

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%

Gender

female 59.74%

male 40.26%

Age - 41
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41
Stress level
9.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
9.7

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
5.7

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Career transition specialist career paths

Key steps to become a career transition specialist

  1. Explore career transition specialist education requirements

    Most common career transition specialist degrees

    Bachelor's

    67.5 %

    Master's

    16.7 %

    Associate

    11.4 %
  2. Start to develop specific career transition specialist skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Support Services15.63%
    Career Development12.11%
    DOL7.39%
    External Resources5.68%
    Career Preparation5.29%
  3. Complete relevant career transition specialist training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New career transition 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 transition specialist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real career transition specialist resumes.
  4. Research career transition specialist duties and responsibilities

    • Manage a comprehensive caseload and keep accurate count of individuals enroll in WIA program.
    • Facilitate weekly social skills training, conduct weekly career transition readiness and employability skills training.
    • Conduct individual and group career counseling with the emphasis on behavior modification to further increase employability skills.
    • Interpret medical reports in relation to functional capacities, perform transferable skills and labor market analyses.
  5. Prepare your career transition specialist resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your career transition 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 transition 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 transition specialist resume templates

    Build a professional career transition 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 transition specialist resume.
    Career Transition Specialist Resume
    Career Transition Specialist Resume
    Career Transition Specialist Resume
    Career Transition Specialist Resume
    Career Transition Specialist Resume
    Career Transition Specialist Resume
    Career Transition Specialist Resume
    Career Transition Specialist Resume
    Career Transition Specialist Resume
  6. Apply for career transition specialist jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a career transition specialist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first career transition specialist job

Zippi

Are you a career transition specialist?

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Average career transition specialist salary

The average career transition specialist salary in the United States is $41,399 per year or $20 per hour. Career transition specialist salaries range between $33,000 and $51,000 per year.

Average career transition specialist salary
$41,399 Yearly
$19.90 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do career transition specialists rate their job?

-/5

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Career transition specialist reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2019
Pros

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.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2019
Pros

Helping students (and others) make meaningful connections to careers.

Cons

The burocracy and silos in higher education.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2019
Pros

Guiding students toward rewarding careers.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
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.

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