How To Become A Trade Specialist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a trade specialist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Trading in the playground is as easy as exchanging baseball cards, although the process for deciding value can get a little heated. Once international businesses are involved, trading becomes a lot more complicated. That is why many large businesses that do business in foreign countries hire a trade specialist.

A trade specialist manages all the logistics associated with importing and exporting goods, including filing paperwork and keeping track of tariff and customs regulations. The trade specialist also handles the financial end of trade, such as making sure that the company received payments for its goods or managing credit in foreign banks.

A bad trade specialist can strand a company with thousands of dollars in tariffs or fines for breaking regulations, but a good trade specialist ensures that all trading operations run smoothly. It probably comes as no surprise that most trade specialists are based in states near US borders, such as New York, Delaware, and Minnesota.

ScoreTrade SpecialistUS Average

Salary

2.9

Avg. Salary $36,693

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

6.7

Growth Rate 10%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.21%

Asian 11.39%

Black or African American 5.52%

Hispanic or Latino 11.48%

Unknown 4.12%

White 67.28%

Gender

female 32.65%

male 67.35%

Age - 43

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 - 43

Stress Level

6.7

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

8.6

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

6.7

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a trade specialist

Explore trade specialist education requirements

Most common trade specialist degrees

Bachelor's

60.7 %

Associate

12.8 %

High School Diploma

11.9 %

Start to develop specific trade specialist skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	18.24%
HVAC	11.22%
Plumbing	9.52%
Hand Tools	8.05%
CDL	6.79%

Complete relevant trade specialist training and internships

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

Research trade specialist duties and responsibilities

Manage the accounts receivables for all commodities assign.
Prompt actions on CBP communications, avoiding exposure to fines and penalties.
Manage projects and partnerships to advance achievement of FDA's international public health goals.
Manage import and export projects, reviewing documentation to identify potential risks and make recommendations for mitigation to upper management.

Prepare your trade specialist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your trade 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 a trade 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 Trade Specialist Resume templates

Build a professional Trade 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 Trade Specialist resume.

Apply for trade specialist jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a trade 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 trade specialists rate their job?