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What does a job development specialist do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
Quoted expert
Dr. Phil Gardner Ph.D.
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Job development specialist responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real job development specialist resumes:

  • Manage payroll, benefits and insurance administration.
  • Evaluate participant skill sets and job preparedness to assist veterans in transition from military to civilian employment.
  • Work with TANF, DHS, and SPD case managers.
  • Work with DHS clients to support work search efforts or to place in work experience situations.
  • Present information about vocational rehabilitation to community.

Job development specialist skills and personality traits

We calculated that 31% of Job Development Specialists are proficient in Unemployment Claims, Employment Services, and Training Programs. They’re also known for soft skills such as Creativity, Instructional skills, and Communication skills.

We break down the percentage of Job Development Specialists that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Unemployment Claims, 31%

    Provided high-level customer service to individuals filing unemployment claims and registering for work in Indiana Career Connect.com

  • Employment Services, 12%

    Assisted in Coordinating and implementing rehabilitation services, case documentation, employment services, and administration.

  • Training Programs, 9%

    Referred program participants to established courses for technical and professional training programs provided by community schools and other agencies.

  • Technical Assistance, 8%

    Developed network and technical assistance to businesses on ADA accommodations.

  • Employment Trends, 7%

    Researched latest employment trends and information.

  • Community Resources, 3%

    Planned, organized and conducted activities related to community resources and partnership development.

Common skills that a job development specialist uses to do their job include "unemployment claims," "employment services," and "training programs." You can find details on the most important job development specialist responsibilities below.

Creativity. One of the key soft skills for a job development specialist to have is creativity. You can see how this relates to what job development specialists do because "specialists should be resourceful when developing training materials." Additionally, a job development specialist resume shows how job development specialists use creativity: "conduct individualized vocational assessments using the career thoughts inventory, the rehabilitation readiness assessment, and my next move career inventory. "

Instructional skills. Many job development specialist duties rely on instructional skills. "training and development specialists deliver employee training programs," so a job development specialist will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways job development specialist responsibilities rely on instructional skills: "deliver instruction on career development and assisted all students with academic inquiries and instructional assistance when needed. "

Communication skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of job development specialists is communication skills. This skill is critical to many everyday job development specialist duties, as "training and development specialists must convey information clearly and facilitate learning to diverse audiences." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "maintain open communication and be available for support to the hr or managers as needed. "

Analytical skills. Another crucial skill for a job development specialist to carry out their responsibilities is "analytical skills." A big part of what job development specialists relies on this skill, since "training and development specialists must evaluate training programs, methods, and materials and choose those that best fit each situation." How this skill relates to job development specialist duties can be seen in an example from a job development specialist resume snippet: "reviewed, confirmed, and tracked employee data changes through the automatic data processing (adp) enterprise hr system. "

Most common job development specialist skills

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Compare different job development specialists

Job development specialist vs. Staffing coordinator

A staffing coordinator is responsible for assisting the staffing needs of an organization, organizing the hiring process, and monitoring the working schedule of staff to ensure smooth operations. Staffing coordinators often coordinate with recruiting agencies for staffing solutions to fill roles and process onboarding. They also manage payroll procedures and check timesheets, create staffing reports, and address the employees' inquiries and concerns. A staffing coordinator must be knowledgeable on human resources procedures, as well as have excellent organizational and communication skills to perform administrative tasks as needed and determine staffing strategies.

If we compare the average job development specialist annual salary with that of a staffing coordinator, we find that staffing coordinators typically earn a $5,676 higher salary than job development specialists make annually.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between job development specialists and staffing coordinator. For instance, job development specialist responsibilities require skills such as "employment services," "training programs," "technical assistance," and "employment trends." Whereas a staffing coordinator is skilled in "patients," "customer service," "home health," and "patient care." This is part of what separates the two careers.

Staffing coordinators really shine in the finance industry with an average salary of $43,154. Comparatively, job development specialists tend to make the most money in the education industry with an average salary of $40,370.On average, staffing coordinators reach lower levels of education than job development specialists. Staffing coordinators are 7.8% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Job development specialist vs. Human resources coordinator

A human resources coordinator is responsible for cooperating with the company's human resources department, supporting its processes and procedures, and assisting with employees' concerns. Human resources coordinators' duties include maintaining business files and employees' records, processing documents and submitting required reports, administering background checks for the recruitment process, reviewing and referring to company's handbook for corrective action and performance review, scheduling meetings and facilitating events, and advising effective strategies to human resources management. A human resources coordinator requires excellent communication and employee-relation skills to support the company's daily operations.

A career as a human resources coordinator brings a higher average salary when compared to the average annual salary of a job development specialist. In fact, human resources coordinators salary is $5,448 higher than the salary of job development specialists per year.A few skills overlap for job development specialists and human resources coordinators. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "unemployment claims," "training programs," and "background checks. "

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that job development specialist responsibilities requires skills like "employment services," "technical assistance," "employment trends," and "community resources." But a human resources coordinator might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "customer service," "hris," "process payroll," and "data entry."

On average, human resources coordinators earn a higher salary than job development specialists. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, human resources coordinators earn the most pay in the finance industry with an average salary of $49,546. Whereas job development specialists have higher pay in the education industry, with an average salary of $40,370.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Human resources coordinators tend to reach similar levels of education than job development specialists. In fact, they're 3.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for job development specialists in the next 3-5 years?

Dr. Phil Gardner Ph.D.Dr. Phil Gardner Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Director, Michigan State University

Technology - Data Science - the ability to interpret trends of data tracked in livestock production and then to prescribe changes in management. This is also huge in crop production.
Automation - in animal care and food processing to lower demand for human labor because there are shortages.

Job development specialist vs. Self-employed

A self-employed person works without the supervision of a specific employer. Self-employed entrepreneurs decide their business plans to increase profitability and get involved with the current market trends. They also attend business orientations to improve their skills and strategies on driving their business' growth. A self-employed person must display exceptional decision-making and organizational skills to implement strategies, provide the best customer service with the clients, address their needs, manage complaints, and respond to the customer's inquiries.

An average self-employed eans a lower salary compared to the average salary of job development specialists. The difference in salaries amounts to self-employeds earning a $3,892 lower average salary than job development specialists.

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from job development specialist resumes include skills like "unemployment claims," "employment services," "training programs," and "technical assistance," whereas a self-employed is more likely to list skills in "windows," "mowing," "customer service," and "financial statements. "

When it comes to education, self-employeds tend to earn lower degree levels compared to job development specialists. In fact, they're 7.4% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.7% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Job development specialist vs. Recruiting coordinator

A recruiting coordinator's tasks include posting job vacancies, coordinating candidate travel, setting up schedules for interviews and handling last-minute scheduling changes, preparing offer letters, and conducting background checks on aspirants. The coordinator assists in the company's recruiting and talent acquisition procedures and strategies by hiring job-seekers to fill in vacant positions and to supply the company's workforce needs and goals. To be effective, he/she should have excellent communication skills and intimate knowledge about hiring best practices to be able to attract aspirants.

Recruiting coordinators average a higher salary than the annual salary of job development specialists. The difference is about $6,833 per year.Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A job development specialist uses "unemployment claims," "employment services," "training programs," and "technical assistance." Recruiting coordinators are more likely to have duties that require skills in "customer service," "applicant tracking systems," "human resources," and "powerpoint. "recruiting coordinators enjoy the best pay in the finance industry, with an average salary of $47,481. For comparison, job development specialists earn the highest salary in the education industry.In general, recruiting coordinators hold similar degree levels compared to job development specialists. Recruiting coordinators are 2.9% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of job development specialist

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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