How to hire an application specialist

How to hire an application specialist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step application specialist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an application specialist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new application specialist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an application specialist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The application specialist hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them an application specialist to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire an application specialist that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of application specialists.

   Type of Application Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Application Specialist	Computer support specialists provide help and advice to people and organizations using computer software or equipment. Some, called computer network support specialists, support information technology (IT) employees within their organization... Show more	$28-56
   Application Consultant	The job of an application consultant is to assist and support businesses and organizations in developing technological solutions. In this role, you will be looking at the specific needs and requirements of organizations and understand their business process so you can create systems or solutions that meet their needs... Show more	$35-59
   Application Support Analyst	An application support analyst is responsible for responding to and resolving customer issues about smartphone or computer applications. They do a variety of applications ranging from banking software and mobile games, and they usually deal with a great number of clients daily... Show more	$32-60

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Technical Support
   • Troubleshoot
   • Project Management
   • Excellent Organizational
   • Patients
   • Customer Training
   • Customer Support
   • CRM
   • Java
   • Application Support
   • Excellent Interpersonal
   • Post Sales

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead the support staff as the SME for troubleshooting issues.
   • Manage implementation of an EHR application within behavioral health agencies.
   • Manage multiple imaging-relate projects across both radiology and cardiology service lines, both inpatient and outpatient, to completion.
   • Maintain HIPAA compliant inbound and outbound 837I , 837P , 834,835,277 , 277CA , 997 and 999 files.
   • Experience with FTP concepts and automation
   • Introduce SOA paradigm to the company.

   More application specialist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your application specialist job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. An application specialist can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, application specialists' average salary in montana is 43% less than in new jersey.
   • Seniority. Entry-level application specialists 49% less than senior-level application specialists.
   • Certifications. An application specialist with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in an application specialist's salary.

   Average application specialist salary

   $84,635yearly

   $40.69 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level application specialist salary

   $60,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 24, 2025

   Average application specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New Jersey	$99,234	$48
   2	New York	$97,126	$47
   3	California	$95,243	$46
   4	Connecticut	$95,199	$46
   5	District of Columbia	$94,391	$45
   6	Virginia	$93,315	$45
   7	Massachusetts	$90,497	$44
   8	Pennsylvania	$90,395	$43
   9	Maryland	$89,997	$43
   10	Texas	$87,713	$42
   11	North Carolina	$87,559	$42
   12	Ohio	$83,652	$40
   13	Michigan	$81,554	$39
   14	Florida	$80,197	$39
   15	Washington	$78,643	$38
   16	Illinois	$77,427	$37
   17	Oregon	$76,639	$37
   18	Georgia	$75,520	$36
   19	Indiana	$71,675	$34
   20	Wisconsin	$69,763	$34

   Average application specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Cheniere Energy	$154,068	$74.07	1
   2	Apple	$138,039	$66.36	20
   3	Biogen	$135,097	$64.95
   4	Shell Trading	$133,764	$64.31
   5	Bloomberg	$131,733	$63.33	28
   6	Cedars-Sinai	$130,490	$62.74	12
   7	BD	$126,802	$60.96	5
   8	Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center	$123,086	$59.18
   9	Varian Medical Systems	$121,490	$58.41
   10	TEKsystems	$121,348	$58.34	53
   11	Cargill	$119,946	$57.67	22
   12	FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies	$119,641	$57.52	2
   13	Health New England	$118,700	$57.07
   14	Abbott	$117,859	$56.66	73
   15	Selective Insurance	$117,192	$56.34	5
   16	Citi	$116,804	$56.16	38
   17	Integra LifeSciences	$116,173	$55.85
   18	Northern Trust	$115,572	$55.56	5
   19	Microsoft	$114,829	$55.21	20
   20	Children's Hospital Los Angeles	$114,270	$54.94	1

4. Writing an application specialist job description

   A job description for an application specialist role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's an application specialist job description:

   Application specialist job description example

   Master’s degree in a related field, plus 2 years previous experience working in human service programs, including but not limited to child welfare, mental health, substance abuse, community services, homeless programs, disability programs and aging programs.
   -OR-
   Bachelor’s degree in a related field, plus 3 years previous experience working in human service programs, including but not limited to child welfare, mental health, substance abuse, community services, homeless programs, disability programs and aging programs.
   -OR-
   Any equivalent combination of education and experience which meets the required knowledge, skills and abilities.

   
   

   
   

   Why DHS?

   
   

   It is innovative. Most recently, the national attention and awards we’ve gotten are for how DHS integrates data and uses them to improve the safety and well-being of children through tools that support front-line staff in making decisions (using predictive analytics).
   DHS is diverse, but we strive to be even more inclusive. Our director has made it her top priority that DHS is “the kind of place where a diverse group of talented people want to come, grow, and do their best work.” This includes equity in hiring and advancement, as well as in unleashing the creativity and ideas of staff at every level of DHS.
   It has strong, assertive leaders. We do not hire yes-people.
   

   You can make a big impact here. We stand out as one of the best human services organizations in the country. But we need problem-solvers, innovators, and terrific leaders to make sure we are smart in how we use our funding so that we reach the people who most need our help to make their lives better.

   
   

   “DHS strives to be the kind of place where a diverse mix of talented people want to come to grow and do their best work.”

   -From the organization’s statement on Equity and Inclusion

   
   

   AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER -M/F/V/D

   
   

   Certificates, Licenses, Registrations

   Act 33 and 34 clearances.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find application specialists for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your application specialist job on Zippia to find and recruit application specialist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with application specialist candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   If your interviews with application specialist applicants aren't enough to make a decision, you should also consider including a test project. These are often the best, most straightforward, and least bias-prone ways of determining who will likely succeed in the role. If you don't know how to design an appropriate test, you can ask someone else on the team to create it or take a look at these websites to get a few ideas:

   • TestDome
   • CodeSignal
   • Testlify
   • BarRaiser
   • Coderbyte

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new application specialist

   Once you've found the application specialist candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new application specialist first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire an application specialist?