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

What is an export specialist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted Expert

Del Ross

If you're interested in handling foreign goods and you have an eye for detail, an Export Specialist would be a quality position for you. These specialists monitor foreign transactions and sales and ensure the quality of the products and documents.

As an Export Specialist, you'll need to have great observation skills, as well as a thorough understanding of the products coming through your company and their documentation. Export specialists are constantly on the lookout for defects, conflicts, or issues with an understanding of logistics, regulation compliance, data entry, and foreign trading affairs. It's your job to quickly and effectively provide a solution.

Most companies require a bachelor's degree in finance, business, or a similar field. This can be a full-time or part-time position, depending on the company and the number of products coming through. An Export Specialist can make anywhere from $34,000 to $68,000 but, on average, make about $23 per hour.

What general advice would you give to an Export Specialist?

Del Ross

Chief Revenue Officer, Hotel Effectiveness

Embrace change. The only certainty about the future is that tomorrow's world will look much different than today's. This applies to the hotel and travel industries and to pretty much everything else. Guest expectations will change. Technology will change. The employer and employee experiences will vary - this may prove difficult, but much of it will be for the better. If you expect to change, you will be better prepared to handle it when it happens.

ScoreExport SpecialistUS Average

Salary

3.9

Avg. Salary $50,208

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

6.6

Growth Rate 5%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

7.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.67%

Asian 16.80%

Black or African American 4.22%

Hispanic or Latino 23.56%

Unknown 6.44%

White 48.31%

Gender

female 61.90%

male 38.10%

Age - 41.5

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 - 41.5

Stress Level

6.6

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

5.0

Complexity Level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

3.5

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an export specialist

Explore export specialist education requirements

Most common export specialist degrees

Bachelor's

58.6 %

Associate

18.1 %

High School Diploma

11.8 %

Start to develop specific export specialist skills

Skills	Percentages
Logistics	17.24%
Booking	6.41%
Forwarders	5.42%
Import Export	5.05%
Data Entry	5.00%

Complete relevant export specialist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New export specialists 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 export specialist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real export specialist resumes.

Research export specialist duties and responsibilities

Manage OEM exports throughout Europe for a veterinary equipment manufacturer.
Prepare export documentation and hire freight forwarders with proven accuracy.
Interact with freight forwarders and transportation management personnel to ensure timely delivery of shipments.
Complete NAFTA and CAFTA certificates as required.

Prepare your export specialist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your export 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 export 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 Export Specialist Resume templates

Build a professional Export 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 Export Specialist resume.

Apply for export specialist jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an export specialist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do export specialists rate their job?