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How to hire a student development advisor

Student development advisor hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring student development advisors in the United States:

  • In the United States, the median cost per hire a student development advisor is $1,633.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • Human Resources use 15% of their expenses on recruitment on average.
  • On average, it takes around 12 weeks for a new student development advisor to become settled and show total productivity levels at work.

How to hire a student development advisor, step by step

To hire a student development advisor, you need to identify the specific skills and experience you want in a candidate, allocate a budget for the position, and advertise the job opening to attract potential candidates. To hire a student development advisor, you should follow these steps:

Here's a step-by-step student development advisor hiring guide:

  • Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
  • Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
  • Step 3: Make a budget
  • Step 4: Write a student development advisor job description
  • Step 5: Post your job
  • Step 6: Interview candidates
  • Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new student development advisor
  • Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a student development advisor do?

The role of a student development advisor involves giving advice to students. Student development advisors aid and guide students in defining and developing realistic educational career plans. They prepare their schedules every quarter of the school year while monitoring the progress of their graduation. The advisors are expected to be knowledgeable, timely, and organized, positive, and encouraging. Also, they serve as students' role models who aim for their success in academics.

Learn more about the specifics of what a student development advisor does
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  1. Identify your hiring needs

    Before you start hiring a student development advisor, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

    Determine employee vs contractor status
    Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

    You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a student development advisor to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a student development advisor that fits the bill.

    The following list breaks down different types of student development advisors and their corresponding salaries.

    Type of Student Development AdvisorDescriptionHourly rate
    Student Development AdvisorSchool counselors help students develop academic and social skills and succeed in school. Career counselors assist people with the process of making career decisions by helping them develop skills or choose a career or educational program.$38-63
    Job CoachA 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... Show more$14-21
    Education ConsultantAn 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... Show more$17-81
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • C++
    • Java
    • API
    • Python
    • Application Development
    • JavaScript
    • HR
    • GIT
    • SQL Server
    • Object Oriented Programming
    • Data Analysis
    • HTML
    • Student Development
    • ETL
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Design, document, develop, test, install, support and automate ETL applications.
    • Manage UAFS's F-1/J-1 student visa SEVIS compliance as DSO/ARO, ensuring all documentation is in order prior to students arriving.
    • Design interactive websites using HTML with CSS for styling and JavaScript for adding working functionality.
    • Apply HTML and CSS fundamentals and best practices.
    • Include images using Google API.
    • Utilize CSS to design web pages.
    More student development advisor duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in your student development advisor job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A student development advisor salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

    For example, the average salary for a student development advisor in Montana may be lower than in California, and an entry-level student development advisor usually earns less than a senior-level student development advisor. Additionally, a student development advisor with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

    Average student development advisor salary

    $103,328yearly

    $49.68 hourly rate

    Entry-level student development advisor salary
    $80,000 yearly salary
    Updated December 23, 2025

    Average student development advisor salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1California$128,838$62
    2Virginia$113,356$55
    3Connecticut$111,159$53
    4Massachusetts$110,619$53
    5Maryland$107,344$52
    6Rhode Island$105,681$51
    7Texas$104,444$50
    8New York$102,663$49
    9North Carolina$98,654$47
    10Georgia$97,812$47
    11Pennsylvania$97,283$47
    12Minnesota$94,395$45
    13Illinois$93,952$45
    14Arizona$93,273$45
    15Florida$93,248$45
    16Ohio$92,100$44
    17Tennessee$88,968$43
    18Mississippi$88,302$42
    19Nebraska$87,521$42
    20Colorado$87,379$42

    Average student development advisor salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rateJob openings
    1Eli Lilly and Company$118,337$56.8950
    2BRP US Inc$111,930$53.815
    3Procare Pharmacy, L.L.C.$111,196$53.46
    4General Dynamics Mission Systems$110,347$53.053
    5CVS Health$109,159$52.48188
    6Amerigroup$108,488$52.16
    7Cigna$108,465$52.1581
    8Sunnova Energy$107,747$51.80
    9Fiserv$106,538$51.2216
    10DXC Technology$105,682$50.811
    11Elevance Health$105,044$50.50
    12University of California$104,214$50.1011
    13Kyyba$103,225$49.63
    14Boston Public Schools$103,220$49.631
    15SelectQuote Insurance Services$103,213$49.62
    16Humana$103,056$49.5520
    172U$101,813$48.951
    18Pm Consulting Corp$101,709$48.90
    19ENGIE North America$101,709$48.9010
    20NewQuest, LLC$101,436$48.77
  4. Writing a student development advisor job description

    A student development advisor job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a student development advisor job description:

    Student development advisor job description example

    Founded in 2014, and now a Series E funded “Unicorn” valued at over $1B, Honor leads the world's largest home care network with the most advanced care platform. Our August 2021 acquisition of Home Instead has created a global company that's revolutionizing how society cares for older adults, their families, and Care Professionals.

    The Honor Care Platform combines local care and the most advanced technology to bring the highest quality care to more aging adults.

    Grow at Honor as part of a united team where everyone shows up authentically, shares ideas bravely, and solves complex problems!

    About the Work:

    This is an in office position at our Omaha, Nebraska office

    Manage the Performance Solutions Implementation Team, workflows and metrics for the implementation and optimization of various programs, systems and processes for the North American franchise network.

    Responsibilities

    • Facilitate an environment of teamwork and collaboration.
    • Develop a cohesive and collaborative partnership and act as a liaison with members of work teams specific to the programs, processes and systems the team will implement or optimize.
    • Support franchise offices going through the various implementation or optimization processes to determine operational program, process or system needs/changes, work quickly to adapt and manage the dynamic needs for operational support through effective internal & external communication
    • Work closely with franchise owners and/or program/system or process teams to ensure implementation or optimization plan is aligned with operational needs and is easily adoptable by the North America franchise network.
    • Develop appropriate knowledge or expertise in the program, process or system in order to effectively take team members and franchise owners through the implementation or optimization process.
    • Ensure all appropriate scripting, resources and training for team is available prior to Implementation or Optimization “go live” point.
    • Responsible for ensuring Implementation & Optimization pipelines are plentiful and monthly success metrics are being met.
    • Continuously seek out gaps or areas of opportunity within the organization for future implementations or optimizations
    • Provide training to departments in the Home Office as needed.
    • Travel as needed to fully support above objectives. Expected travel 25% or more.
    • Participate in portions of new owner training as required.

    About you:

    To succeed in the role, you'll need:

    • Bachelor's degree in business.
    • Five to seven years of related business management experience, or an equivalent combination of education and work experience may be considered.
    • Understand and uphold the policies and procedures established by Honor and the related role to the Performance Solutions Department.
    • Demonstrate discretion, integrity and fair-mindedness consistent with company standards, practices, policies and procedures.
    • Demonstrate excellent written and verbal communication skills and the ability to listen intently and effectively.
    • Ability to establish collaborative working relationships with management, colleagues, franchise owners and their staffs.
    • Ability to engage, evaluate and connect the right opportunities to our existing business goals, priorities and processes.
    • Ability to demonstrate effective interpersonal skills essential as well as sound judgment and good decision-making skills.
    • Ability to work independently and meet deadlines.
    • Ability to maintain confidentiality of information.
    • Ability to plan, organize and prioritize daily, monthly and yearly work.
    • Ability to oversee projects from beginning to end, including incorporation of new ideas and best practices and evaluation of processes and procedures in order to recommend improvements and changes when appropriate.
    • Ability to find joy and fulfillment in supporting and providing service to others.
    • Ability to present a professional appearance and demeanor.
    • Ability to reach with hands and arms to operate office equipment.
    • Ability to perform duties in a professional office setting.
    • Ability to work evenings or weekends as required.
    • Ability to travel approximately 25% of the time.

    What's next?

    Honor is remote friendly! We're hiring across the U.S., with an entirely virtual interview and onboarding process. Most of our positions are remote/work from home and do not require permanent relocation. As conditions allow, we have office space for in-person collaboration in our San Francisco Bay Area, CA and Austin, TX hubs. If you're looking for a great job that offers you the opportunity to work from home, we'd love to talk to you.

    Want to know more about why Honor is a great place to work? Check out our perks!

    We value people! These four people-centric values guide the ways we work and decisions we make every day.

    This role doesn't sound quite right? Send this application to a friend who may be a fit and check out our other available roles!

    #LI-Remote

    Honor is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, political affiliation or belief.

  5. Post your job

    To find student development advisors for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

    • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
    • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any student development advisors they would recommend.
    • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level student development advisors with the right educational background.
    • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.
    Post your job online:
    • Post your student development advisor job on Zippia to find and recruit student development advisor candidates who meet your exact specifications.
    • Use field-specific websites.
    • Post a job on free websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    Your first interview with student development advisor candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

    It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

    The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

  7. Send a job offer and onboard your new student development advisor

    Once you've selected the best student development advisor candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

    It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

    To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

  8. Go through the hiring process checklist

    • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
    • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
    • Define job responsibilities and requirements
    • Establish budget and timeline
    • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
    • Write job description
    • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
    • Promote the job internally
    • Process applications through applicant tracking system
    • Review resumes and cover letters
    • Shortlist candidates for screening
    • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
    • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
    • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
    • Conduct background checks on top candidates
    • Check references of top candidates
    • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
    • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
    • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
    • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
    • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
    • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)
    Sign up to download full list

How much does it cost to hire a student development advisor?

Hiring a student development advisor comes with both the one-time cost per hire and ongoing costs. The cost of recruiting student development advisors involves promoting the job and spending time conducting interviews. Ongoing costs include employee salary, training, benefits, insurance, and equipment. It is essential to consider the cost of student development advisor recruiting as well the ongoing costs of maintaining the new employee.

The median annual salary for student development advisors is $103,328 in the US. However, the cost of student development advisor hiring can vary a lot depending on location. Additionally, hiring a student development advisor for contract work or on a per-project basis typically costs between $38 and $63 an hour.

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