18 Careers for Good Listeners (With Job Duties and Salaries)

Updated March 10, 2023

Many employers seek job candidates who have excellent listening skills. While listening attentively is important in every job role, there are some careers where paying attention to details, actively listening to other people and communicating effectively are absolutely crucial skills to have. If you enjoy listening to other people, have excellent communication skills and strive to show others empathy, then you may benefit from learning about some careers where good listeners often excel. In this article, we list 18 careers for good listeners, discuss their primary job responsibilities and share the average salary for each one.

18 careers for good listeners

Here are 18 jobs you can apply your listening skills to in order to succeed:

1. Translator

National average salary: $45,487 per year

Primary duties: A translator is a professional who can speak multiple languages. They use their excellent listening skills to translate speech and text from one language to another. Being a successful translator requires the ability to focus and pay attention to details. Their primary goal is to convert messages in a way that maintains the original meaning while sounding natural in the new language. Many translators specialize in a certain career field, such as finance, technology, literature, health care or legal studies.

2. Customer service representative

National average salary: $47,873 per year

Primary duties: Customer service representatives are responsible for assisting customers by responding to their inquiries. They may communicate with customers over the phone, through social media, via email or text, by live chat or in person. To answer each customer's questions successfully, they need to gather the correct information and actively listen to them as they explain their situation.

3. ABA therapist

National average salary: $48,110 per year

Primary duties: An ABA therapist, also known as an applied behavior analysis therapist, works with patients to improve their communication, social and learning skills. These professionals are skilled in a wide variety of communication and behavioral therapy techniques. Taking the time to actively listen to their patients, identify nonverbal cues and ask important questions helps ABA therapists develop effective treatment plans and form meaningful relationships with them.

4. Hairstylist

National average salary: $48,464 per year

Primary duties: Hairstylists specialize in beauty treatments that help their clients achieve their desired look. Listening to their clients is a crucial step in ensuring they apply the correct hair cutting, coloring and styling techniques. Having excellent interpersonal skills and actively listening to their clients can also help hairstylists form long-lasting relationships with them, improve the client retention rate and increase the number of referrals they receive.

5. Guidance counselor

National average salary: $52,515 per year

Primary duties: Guidance counselors assist students by helping them overcome academic and social challenges. They can work with students in elementary school, middle school or high school to help them identify and achieve their goals. Good guidance counselors listen to each student carefully to identify opportunities for improvement and learn about their passions. This helps them develop customized academic and career plans.

6. Mediator

National average salary: $53,532 per year

Primary duties: Mediators are communication professionals who help resolve disputes between two or more parties. They often help settle legal disputes through a process called alternative dispute resolution, which takes place outside of the courtroom. Mediators listen carefully to both parties to understand what their motives and goals are. Then they look for creative ways they can negotiate terms to ensure both parties come to a mutual agreement.

7. Vendor manager

National average salary: $54,865 per year

Primary duties: A vendor manager is responsible for establishing and maintaining positive relationships between the organization they work for and its vendors or partners. They negotiate contracts, create guidelines and research the best vendors in the area for different products and services. Successful vendor managers listen carefully to their supervisors to understand what types of agreements they need to procure. They also actively listen to their vendors and communicate with them frequently to maintain long-lasting relationships and high-quality service.

8. Social worker

National average salary: $57,335 per year

Primary duties: A social worker is a trained professional who helps individuals overcome personal challenges. They may work with people who need additional resources, people who have experienced social injustice or those who need help to improve their safety and well-being. Skilled social workers practice empathy and active listening to build trust with their clients. They also pay close attention to nonverbal cues to identify potentially dangerous situations so they can intervene and provide assistance.

9. Political consultant

National average salary: $61,590 per year

Primary duties: A political consultant acts as a manager and public relations specialist for a specific candidate. They develop marketing materials, hold press conferences and campaign on behalf of the politician they represent. Being a successful political consultant requires the ability to listen to and address the needs of the general public. Political consultants also pay close attention to the statements opposing candidates and members of the media make. This helps them develop thoughtful responses and improve their political messaging.

10. Marketing manager

National average salary: $63,168 per year

Primary duties: Marketing managers are in charge of developing advertising campaigns for each of their clients. They often collaborate with a team of graphic designers, videographers, photographers, copywriters and other marketing professionals. Marketing managers need to listen to each client carefully to ensure they meet their objectives. They also have to identify the target audience of each campaign they develop and determine what their needs are. This may involve conducting interviews, reviewing surveys or assessing online data. Listening to members of the target audience carefully can help marketing managers develop more effective campaigns and increase their clients' return on investment.

11. Human resources manager

National average salary: $68,882 per year

Primary duties: A human resources manager is often the liaison between staff members and management. They oversee the hiring and onboarding processes, make sure the company remains compliant with laws and regulations and manage compensation and benefits packages. Human resources managers also mediate conflicts in the workplace. They take the time to listen to each person's concerns carefully, gather information, assess the situation and develop a course of action to resolve the issue.

12. Lawyer

National average salary: $71,628 per year

Primary duties: Lawyers represent individuals, organizations or government entities during court cases. They also provide legal counsel on matters that involve specific policies or contracts. Successful lawyers listen to their clients carefully and ask questions to gather important information. During court cases, they also listen to the opposing side's arguments and the judge's commentary so they can develop appropriate responses. Many lawyers take notes throughout each court case so they can reference statements made by others later on in the trial. This helps them develop effective counterarguments and represent their clients to the best of their ability.

13. Financial adviser

National average salary: $72,570 per year

Primary duties: Financial advisers help clients define and achieve their financial goals. They often start by assessing their clients' finances and having an open conversation with them about their challenges and desires. During this conversation, the financial adviser may take careful notes to ensure they have all the information they need to create a financial plan customized for each of their clients. They may provide advice to help their clients save for college or retirement, pay off their mortgage, manage their taxes or plan their estate.

14. Judge

National average salary: $75,442 per year

Primary duties: A judge is an unbiased legal professional who enforces the law by presiding over court cases. They listen to arguments from both the plaintiff and the dependent to determine who deserves to win each case and what an appropriate outcome is for each party. Judges must pay close attention to the evidence and details presented in each court case to ensure they issue a fair ruling.

15. Principal

National average salary: $78,295 per year

Primary duties: A principal is an educational professional that oversees a school. They're in charge of managing all of the activities and programs the school provides, selecting the annual curriculum, establishing important protocols and implementing the school budget. In order to make effective decisions that are in the best interest of their students, principals seek feedback and advice from teachers, staff members and parents.

16. Nurse

National average salary: $81,302 per year

Primary duties: Nurses work with doctors and physicians to ensure each patient receives the best possible care. Often, nurses are the first medical professional who interacts with a patient. They're responsible for checking each patient's vitals, discussing any changes in their health, asking questions about symptoms and recording important medical information. Having excellent listening skills helps nurses identify potential health care challenges and relay key details to doctors or other members of their medical team.

17. Nursing home administrator

National average salary: $98,243 per year

Primary duties: A nursing home administrator oversees the staff, programs, patients, records and maintenance of a nursing home. They also make sure their facility is in compliance with all federal and local regulations. It's important for nursing home administrators to listen to the patients they care for and their staff members to ensure they receive the resources they need. Taking the time to converse with their patients can help them identify areas for improvement and provide them with high-quality care.

18. Psychiatrist

National average salary: $248,895 per year

Primary duties: A psychiatrist is a trained mental health professional who has an advanced understanding of how physical and psychological health can impact each other. They meet with patients to assess their mental well-being, provide counseling, develop treatment plans and prescribe medications. It's crucial for psychiatrists to listen to their patients carefully so they can accurately diagnosis them, prescribe safe medications and make adjustments to treatment plans as needed. Psychiatrists also need to review medical records from other health care providers, therapists and psychologists to ensure they contribute to health plans that improve the lives of each of their patients.