Advertising Sales Agents build persuasion, negotiation and social perceptiveness skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Advertising and Promotions Managers (87%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Advertising and Promotions Managers | 87% | $133,660 | +106% | Bachelor's degree |
| 2 | Marketing Managers | 86% | $166,790 | +157% | Bachelor's degree |
| 3 | Public Relations Specialists | 83% | $74,750 | +15% | Bachelor's degree |
| 4 | Search Marketing Strategists | 83% | $78,760Pay for the broader BLS group “Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists” | Not compared | Bachelor's degree |
| 5 | Sales Managers | 82% | $148,270 | +129% | Bachelor's degree |
| 6 | Public Relations Managers | 81% | $146,910 | +127% | Bachelor's degree |
| 7 | Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes | 81% | $82,890 | +28% | Bachelor's degree |
| 8 | Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists | 80% | $78,760 | +22% | Bachelor's degree |
| 9 | Fundraisers | 79% | $72,550 | +12% | Bachelor's degree |
| 10 | Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products | 78% | $104,920 | +62% | Bachelor's degree |
Compared with Advertising Sales Agents, median $64,820. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as advertising sales agents (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
87% skill match · $133,660 · +106% pay
Management of Material Resources · Systems Evaluation · Management of Personnel Resources
86% skill match · $166,790 · +157% pay
Systems Evaluation · Management of Material Resources · Management of Personnel Resources
83% skill match · $74,750 · +15% pay
Coordination · Time Management · Instructing
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Advertising and Promotions Managers (87% skill match, median $133,660), Marketing Managers (86% skill match, median $166,790) and Public Relations Specialists (83% skill match, median $74,750), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 17 pay more than advertising sales agents at the median. The biggest increases: Marketing Managers (+157%, $166,790), Financial Managers (+157%, $166,570) and Sales Managers (+129%, $148,270).
6 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.