Department chairperson vs career services director

The differences between department chairpeople and career services directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a department chairperson and a career services director. Additionally, a department chairperson has an average salary of $98,438, which is higher than the $63,640 average annual salary of a career services director.

The top three skills for a department chairperson include curriculum development, professional development and classroom management. The most important skills for a career services director are alumni, career development, and career fairs.

Department chairperson vs career services director overview

	Department Chairperson	Career Services Director
Yearly salary	$98,438	$63,640
Hourly rate	$47.33	$30.60
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	33,511	58,546
Job satisfaction	-	4.5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

What does a department chairperson do?

A Department Chairperson is a faculty member who provides academic and administrative leadership to an academic department. They exercise leadership in recruiting and retaining capable faculty, communicate departmental needs and desires to the Dean and Provost, and coordinate the academic advisement process.

What does a career services director do?

A career services director spearheads and oversees the operations of an organization, ensuring clients get to receive optimal services. They have the power to set goals and timelines, establish guidelines and budgets, streamline career program roadmaps, coordinate managers and teams, and make decisions. They also communicate with external and internal parties, building positive relationships with clients and business partners. Moreover, a career services director leads and encourages staff to reach goals while implementing the organizations' policies and regulations.

Department chairperson vs career services director salary

Department chairpeople and career services directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Department Chairperson	Career Services Director
Average salary	$98,438	$63,640
Salary range	Between $50,000 And $191,000	Between $45,000 And $88,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Toms River, NJ
Highest paying state	California	New Jersey
Best paying company	Marshall University	Bain & Company
Best paying industry	Finance	Education

Differences between department chairperson and career services director education

There are a few differences between a department chairperson and a career services director in terms of educational background:

	Department Chairperson	Career Services Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common major	Education	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Department chairperson vs career services director demographics

Here are the differences between department chairpeople' and career services directors' demographics:

	Department Chairperson	Career Services Director
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 45.5% Female, 54.5%	Male, 34.0% Female, 66.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.5% Asian, 4.2% White, 64.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.1% Asian, 4.3% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between department chairperson and career services director duties and responsibilities

Department chairperson example responsibilities.

Manage the club's Facebook/Twitter accounts.
Lead meetings with ESL department teachers in which teachers collaborate on unit plan ideas, classroom strategies and student needs.
Manage the development of an alumni newsletter and coordinate with alumni to provide relevant content.
Manage both individual and organizational achievements for the members through involvement with the community, philanthropies, campus involvement, and scholarship
Negotiate and obtain clinical sites for PN and ADN programs.
Develop and deliver dynamic, rigorous lessons for high school economics classes.

Career services director example responsibilities.

Support and oversee students from colleges across the country as they organize and lead interfaith service programming on their own campuses.
Facilitate the connection between employers seeking graduating seniors and alumni who are interest in securing career employment.
Counsele law students and alumni regarding legal and alternate career opportunities and job search strategy including resume and cover letter preparation.
Perform agency contact, outreach, and follow up services for disadvantage TANF clients
Create PowerPoint presentations for training each aspect of career development.
Develop and present PowerPoint presentations for upcoming and current students.

Department chairperson vs career services director skills

Common department chairperson skills

Curriculum Development, 15%
Professional Development, 14%
Classroom Management, 13%
Rehabilitation, 7%
Student Learning, 5%
Colleges, 4%

Common career services director skills

Alumni, 21%
Career Development, 14%
Career Fairs, 9%
Mock Interviews, 5%
Career Planning, 4%
Student Placement, 4%

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Department Chairperson
Department Chairperson vs Career Services Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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