What does a program advisor do?
A program advisor is in charge of overseeing programs from planning to execution, ensuring everything functions according to its goals and guidelines. Although their responsibilities depend on their line of work and industry of employment, it typically involves performing research and analysis to find new opportunities and determine ideal practices, gathering and analyzing client feedback, setting objectives, and developing strategies to carry out the purpose of every program, prioritizing optimal services. Moreover, a program advisor must monitor the progress of all operations, recommending solutions should any problems arise.
Program advisor responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real program advisor resumes:
- Study and implement marketing through Facebook and other various websites which generate sales leads.
- Manage UAFS's F-1/J-1 student visa SEVIS compliance as DSO/ARO, ensuring all documentation is in order prior to students arriving.
- Train office staff and first-year graduate assistant on proper usage of PeopleSoft software.
- Determine eligibility for WIOA training funds (unemploy, under employed/food stamp program).
- Interview and investigate applicants for WIOA services and gather information pertinent to their applications.
- Help develop resumes, cover letters, and LinkedIn profiles for students at the college.
- Prepare clients for interviews, reference checks, hiring process, networking, LinkedIn, etc.
- Assist students with creating, following, and adjusting their individualize educational pla (IEP).
- Involve in screening process to determine if GPA, essay, volunteer work and MEDCAT scoresdeem a potentially successful student.
- Instruct undergraduates in the organic chemistry laboratory sequence.
- Provide academic support to primarily first-year multicultural scholarship recipients.
- Conduct initial applicant reviews/screenings, ensuring proper GPA calculations and prerequisite coursework complete or in progress.
- Partner with ESL schools and community colleges for international student transfers, enhancing international student community standing within the larger population.
- Prepare CPR s, CFSR s, and special reports.
- Request TANF sanctions if a customer fails to meet program requirements.
Program advisor skills and personality traits
We calculated that 29% of Program Advisors are proficient in Customer Service, Persistence, and Intellectual Disabilities. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Interpersonal skills, and Listening skills.
We break down the percentage of Program Advisors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Customer Service, 29%
Review inquires and determines action necessary to provide requested information or to resolve a problem and provided extensive customer service.
- Persistence, 11%
Track student attendance and academic performance to counter persistence issues, refer to support services and ensure timely graduation.
- Intellectual Disabilities, 8%
Provided direct service to and supervision of individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities living in assigned program.
- Veterans, 8%
Provided appropriate academic/vocational/technical counseling and referral services to eligible Naval and Marine Corps personnel, veterans, retirees and military dependents.
- Project Management, 5%
Provide project management and on-site evaluation of facility construction systems and components.
- PowerPoint, 4%
Created PowerPoint presentations for Prospective Student Fairs and assisted with providing in-person assistance during those fairs after each presentation.
"customer service," "persistence," and "intellectual disabilities" are among the most common skills that program advisors use at work. You can find even more program advisor responsibilities below, including:
Analytical skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a program advisor to have is analytical skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "school and career counselors and advisors interpret student records, schoolwide data, and assessments to match interests and abilities with potential careers. ." Program advisors often use analytical skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "analyze navy administrative and career development programs for military personnel. "
Interpersonal skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling program advisor duties is interpersonal skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "school and career counselors and advisors must be able to work with people of all backgrounds and personalities." According to a program advisor resume, here's how program advisors can utilize interpersonal skills in their job responsibilities: "advise international students/scholars with paperwork utilizing excellent interpersonal and communication skills. "
Listening skills. This is an important skill for program advisors to perform their duties. For an example of how program advisor responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "school and career counselors and advisors need to give full attention to students and clients in order to understand their problems." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a program advisor: "conducted phone interviews to qualified potential student communicated with other campus departments affecting student enrollment".
Speaking skills. For certain program advisor responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "speaking skills." The day-to-day duties of a program advisor rely on this skill, as "school and career counselors and advisors must communicate effectively with clients and students." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what program advisors do: "coordinated and presented the training for over 40 mid-level managers to ensure they maintained up-to-date knowledge of personal and professional development. "
The three companies that hire the most program advisors are:
- Sedgwick LLP117 program advisors jobs
- Save the Children US13 program advisors jobs
- Silicon Valley Bank7 program advisors jobs
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Compare different program advisors
Program advisor vs. School counseling internship
A school counseling internship is a student program where an intern is assigned to help school counselors deal with students' social and emotional development or educational needs. School counseling interns must aid their school counselors in developing a comprehensive school counseling program and adjusting schedules for their students. They help maintain student records and monitor their students' graduation status while guiding all students on caseload. School counseling interns also organize school-to-career guidance activities or bi-annual interactive training sessions for faculty members.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a program advisor are more likely to require skills like "customer service," "persistence," "intellectual disabilities," and "veterans." On the other hand, a job as a school counseling internship requires skills like "crisis intervention," "mental health," "iep," and "group therapy." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
School counseling interns tend to make the most money working in the education industry, where they earn an average salary of $44,038. In contrast, program advisors make the biggest average salary, $99,820, in the technology industry.On average, school counseling interns reach similar levels of education than program advisors. School counseling interns are 2.1% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 1.6% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Program advisor vs. Education internship
An education intern is responsible for assisting class activities, teaching students with various learning methodologies under a head instructor's supervision. Education interns create comprehensive lesson plans subject for the teacher's review and develop engaging activities and learning materials to create an active learning environment to monitor the students' personal and social development. They assist the students with their needs, such as identifying their areas of improvement, planning strategies to address those difficulties, and strictly adhering to the school policies.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real program advisor resumes. While program advisor responsibilities can utilize skills like "customer service," "persistence," "intellectual disabilities," and "veterans," education interns use skills like "education programs," "classroom management," "curriculum development," and "community outreach."
Education interns may earn a lower salary than program advisors, but education interns earn the most pay in the government industry with an average salary of $43,410. On the other hand, program advisors receive higher pay in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $99,820.In general, education interns achieve lower levels of education than program advisors. They're 7.4% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 1.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Program advisor vs. Education consultant
An education consultant is responsible for providing educational assistance to learning institutions or a private household setting. Educational consultants develop strategies to improve a student's learning approach and academic standing. They also assist with the implementation of the learning curriculum, suggesting plans and revisions to meet students' competencies and the instructors' teaching styles. Educational consultants evaluate learning materials, school's operational data, and educational training and programs to ensure adherence to federal standards. An education consultant must have excellent communication skills, as well as expertise in the education industry to perform duties efficiently.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, program advisors are more likely to have skills like "customer service," "persistence," "intellectual disabilities," and "veterans." But a education consultant is more likely to have skills like "excellent interpersonal," "classroom management," "curriculum development," and "mathematics."
Education consultants earn the highest salary when working in the health care industry, where they receive an average salary of $96,551. Comparatively, program advisors have the highest earning potential in the technology industry, with an average salary of $99,820.When it comes to education, education consultants tend to earn higher degree levels compared to program advisors. In fact, they're 7.6% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 2.7% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Program advisor vs. Job coach
A job coach is responsible for evaluating people's skills and qualifications, advising them with career paths, helping with their aspirations, and promote employment opportunities. Job coaches help the clients build self-confidence and explore their maximum potentials to develop their professional growth. They provide counseling, understanding the clients' strengths and weaknesses, analyzing clients' personal goals, and guiding clients through job interviews and assessments. A job coach must have excellent communication, listening, and analytical skills to handle their clients' challenges and match their interests for the best career suited for them.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between program advisors and job coaches, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a program advisor might have more use for skills like "persistence," "veterans," "project management," and "powerpoint." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of job coaches require skills like "developmental disabilities," "rehabilitation," "mental health," and "direct supervision. "
The education industry tends to pay the highest salaries for job coaches, with average annual pay of $38,362. Comparatively, the highest program advisor annual salary comes from the technology industry.The average resume of job coaches showed that they earn lower levels of education compared to program advisors. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 11.0% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 1.9%.Types of program advisor
Updated January 8, 2025
