How To Become An Older Worker Specialist: What It Is and Career Path

What is an older worker specialist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

An older worker specialist helps older adults remain in the workforce or transition into new careers. They provide guidance on job searches, resume building, interviewing skills, and networking. These specialists may also conduct training or education programs to help older workers adapt to new technologies. They possess knowledge of age-related challenges such as discrimination and health concerns. An older worker specialist may work with government agencies, non-profits, and private companies to support older adults.

ScoreOlder Worker SpecialistUS Average

Salary

4.4

Avg. Salary $56,170

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.5

Growth rate 8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.51%

Asian 5.90%

Black or African American 10.22%

Hispanic or Latino 17.33%

Unknown 6.32%

White 59.71%

Gender

female 50.71%

male 49.29%

Age - 44

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 - 44

Stress level

5.5

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.0

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.0

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being an older worker specialist?

Pros

High demand for expertise in an aging workforce
Possibility for higher pay compared to other social work or counseling positions
Chance to develop specialized knowledge and skills
Collaborative work environment with other professionals
Variety of tasks and responsibilities

Cons

Dealing with emotional and personal issues of clients can be stressful
Difficulty in getting clients to follow through on recommendations or advice
Challenging to balance the demands of client work with administrative tasks
Can be emotionally draining to hear stories of clients' negative experiences in the workforce
Difficulty in finding funding or resources for programs that support older workers

Key steps to become an older worker specialist

Explore older worker specialist education requirements

Most common older worker specialist degrees

Bachelor's

52.5 %

Associate

16.9 %

Master's

12.9 %

Start to develop specific older worker specialist skills

Skills	Percentages
Social Work	22.52%
Social Security	14.31%
Phone Calls	12.53%
Medicaid	7.04%
CMS	6.40%

Complete relevant older worker specialist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New older workers specialist 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 an older worker specialist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real older worker specialist resumes.

Research older worker specialist duties and responsibilities

Recruit, manage and motivate volunteers in public education, professional education, service and rehabilitation and tobacco control programs.
Conduct group orientations and trainings TANF clients.
Investigate provider complaints to determine Medicaid contractor compliance with contracts, certification requirements, law, regulations, policies and procedures.
Conduct routine monitoring/review of HIV/AIDS cases, medical treatments/progress and clinical trials participation.

Prepare your older worker specialist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your older worker 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 an older worker 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 older worker specialist resume templates

Build a professional older worker 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 older worker specialist resume.