COUNSELOR 1, EMPLOYEE ADVISORY SERVICE
Career Family: COUNSELOR
New Jersey treats Counselor 1, Employee Advisory Service as a competitive-class job, so the gate is an examination and the ranked list it produces rather than a direct offer.
This is where the Counselor ladder starts, one grade under Counselor 2, Employee Advisory Service, whose band tops out about $29,912 higher. The minimum is a master's degree and 3 years of relevant experience. The FY2026 range lands between $77,144 and $113,264, and state payroll currently lists 4 people in the title, most of them at Civil Service Commission.
How to get hired
- Watch for an open-competitive announcement for Counselor 1, Employee Advisory Service on the NJ Civil Service Commission jobs portal. Announcements run for a fixed filing window.
- Apply during that window and sit the examination. Depending on the title, that can be a written test, a rating of your training and experience, or a mix of the two.
- Passing scores go onto a ranked eligible list. Veterans get preference points added on top of their score.
- When an agency has a vacancy it must appoint from the top of that list under the "Rule of Three." Many competitive jobs are first filled provisionally while the list is being built.
Read the official specification at NJ Civil Service Commission.
Pay ladder: Counselor series
- Counselor 1, Employee Advisory Service — $77,144 – $113,264 (this title)
- Counselor 2, Employee Advisory Service — $97,100 – $143,176
Promoting to Counselor 2, Employee Advisory Service raises the top of the band by about $29,912. Its top salary lands around the 55th percentile of all NJ civil service titles that publish a range.
Rungs are ordered by FY2026 pay. NJ level numbers are not always sequential, so ordering follows salary rather than the title number.
Who employs this title
State payroll records show 4 people working under this title. The median actual salary is $91,592. The agencies employing the most are:
- Civil Service Commission (4)
Counts from NJ YourMoney agency payroll. See statewide workforce analytics.
Official job specification
The text below is the official specification published by the New Jersey Civil Service Commission. The plain-language summary and analysis above are derived from it by NJ Civil Service Navigator.
Definition
Under the direction of a supervisory official in the Office of Employee Advisory Service of the Civil Service Commission, interviews, assesses, and counsels clients who seek the services of, or who are referred to the Employee Advisory Service, and refers when necessary to appropriate managed care providers and/or community resources; does other related duties as required.
Examples of work
- Conducts confidential interviews of clients who have been referred or who self-refer to identify/assess and help resolve personal concerns, including behavioral health, marital, family, financial, alcohol, drug, legal, emotional, stress, or other personal issues that may affect work performance or quality of life issues.
- Evaluates the nature and extent of clients' problems, provides support services, and refers them when necessary to appropriate managed care providers and/or community resources.
- Provides individual and group counseling for alcohol and substance abuse, stress, financial issues, family problems, office conflicts, and other personal and work-related problems and issues.
- Evaluates workplace violence and critical incident issues, and provides supportive services for clients and organizations.
- Uses constructive confrontation, motivation, and short-term problem solving to address issues.
- Conducts follow-up activities on clients referred to manage care providers and/or community resources to determine their progress.
- Conducts follow-up activities on clients who have received support services in-house, to determine their progress.
- Evaluates the effectiveness of community resources and managed care providers.
- Provides recommendations on how to improve the work environment in departments/agencies.
- May make recommendations for service improvements.
- Keeps current with the programs and services available through managed care providers and community resource agencies.
- Participates in meetings, conferences, and other gatherings involving the work of the Employee Advisory Service.
- Compiles data and prepares reports.
- Establishes and maintains cooperative working relationships with community resource agencies, managed care providers, and others involved in the work of the Employee Advisory Service.
- Establishes and maintains essential records and files.
- Will be required to learn to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.
Education
Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Master's degree in counseling, psychology, social work, and/or other field related to behavioral health studies.
Experience
Three (3) years of experience providing counseling and advice to individuals, evaluating personal, substance abuse, and other problems, and referring clients to appropriate community resources in a formal counseling environment.
License
Appointees will be required to possess a driver's license valid in New Jersey, only if the operation of a vehicle, rather than employee mobility, is necessary to perform the essential duties of the position.
Knowledge, skills and abilities
- Knowledge of current workplace problems and issues, and other types of personal matters having the potential to adversely impact employee performance.
- Knowledge of individual and group dynamics.
- Knowledge of interviewing principles, practices, and techniques.
- Knowledge of counseling principles, practices, and techniques.
- Knowledge of diagnostic principles, practices, and techniques.
- Knowledge of conflict resolution, intervention, and stress management techniques.
- Ability to conduct interviews and provide counseling on alcohol and substance abuse, stress, financial issues, family problems, office conflicts, and other personal and work-related problems and issues.
- Ability to maintain client-counselor and organizational confidentiality.
- Ability to effectively and quickly defuse volatile situations involving individuals, groups, and organizations.
- Ability to use constructive confrontation, motivation, and short-term problem solving to address employee and organization issues.
- Ability to evaluate workplace violence and other critical incident issues.
- Ability to keep current with the services provided by community resource agencies and managed care providers, and evaluate the effectiveness of their services.
- Ability to evaluate and provide recommendations to individuals, groups, and organizations.
- Ability to compile data and prepare reports.
- Ability to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with community resource agencies, managed care providers, and others involved in the work of the Employee Advisory Service.
- Ability to establish and maintain essential records and files.
- Ability to learn to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.
- Ability to read, write, speak, understand, or communicate in English sufficiently to perform the duties of this position. American Sign Language or Braille may also be considered as acceptable forms of communication.
- Persons with mental or physical disabilities are eligible as long as they can perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation. If the accommodation cannot be made because it would cause the employer undue hardship, such persons may not be eligible.
Note
A client may be defined as an employee or his/her dependents.
The examples of work for this title are for illustrative purposes only. A particular position using this title may not perform all duties listed in this job specification. Conversely, all duties performed on the job may not be listed.
A license as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LCADC), or Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), issued by the Board of Marriage and Family Therapy Examiners, Division of Consumer Affairs, New Jersey Office of the Attorney General may be substituted for the above education requirement.
A license as a Licensed Social Worker (LSW) or Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), issued by the State Board of Social Work Examiners, Division of Consumer Affairs, New Jersey Office of the Attorney General may be substituted for the above education requirement.