How to hire an applications development specialist

How to hire an applications development specialist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step applications development 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 applications development specialist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new applications development specialist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an applications development specialist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring an applications development specialist, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect applications development specialist also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list presents applications development specialist salaries for various positions.

   Type of Applications Development Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Applications Development Specialist	Training and development specialists plan, conduct, and administer programs that train employees and improve their skills and knowledge.	$37-61
   Development Officer	Development Officers are responsible for managing the learning and development of an organization's workforce. Their duties include identifying development needs through job analysis and cross-team consultation, implementing training programs, producing training materials, and monitoring trainees' progress through questionnaires and appraisal schemes... Show more	$24-58
   Development Team Member	A development team member performs various support tasks to help complete projects according to client specifications and requirements. In the information technology industry, a development team member writes codes, creates programs, implements test systems, troubleshoots issues, performs repairs and upgrades, maintains records, and presents reports to managers... Show more	$8-18

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Java
   • Application Development
   • C++
   • Web Services
   • Object Oriented Programming
   • JavaScript
   • HTML
   • Cloud
   • C Net
   • Technical Solutions
   • Linux
   • Unix
   • J2EE
   • Business Processes

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Work closely with QA teams to manage defect resolution.
   • Work with MongoDBdatabase in MVC for creating and managing auction rules.
   • Build, manage and maintain physical server hardware and perform upgrades and OS patching as needed.
   • Design, build, test and support technical solutions using Java, J2EE, and relate technologies.
   • Customize customer experience portals with HTML and CSS.
   • Used JavaScript, JQuery and AJAX for the client side validations.

   More applications development specialist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your applications development specialist job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An applications development specialist salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, applications development specialists' average salary in west virginia is 50% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level applications development specialists earn 39% less than senior-level applications development specialists.
   • Certifications. An applications development specialist with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in an applications development specialist's salary.

   Average applications development specialist salary

   $99,856yearly

   $48.01 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level applications development specialist salary

   $78,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average applications development specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New Jersey	$130,106	$63
   2	California	$120,014	$58
   3	New York	$116,978	$56
   4	Maryland	$107,908	$52
   5	North Carolina	$104,139	$50
   6	Texas	$101,763	$49
   7	Illinois	$99,512	$48
   8	Florida	$99,468	$48
   9	Virginia	$99,289	$48
   10	Massachusetts	$97,048	$47
   11	Minnesota	$94,902	$46
   12	Wisconsin	$94,638	$46
   13	Delaware	$93,132	$45
   14	Connecticut	$91,970	$44
   15	Georgia	$89,689	$43
   16	Pennsylvania	$88,547	$43
   17	Missouri	$88,369	$42
   18	Iowa	$84,999	$41
   19	Ohio	$84,051	$40
   20	Michigan	$81,704	$39

   Average applications development specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	MUFG EMEA	$134,831	$64.82
   2	Citicorp North America, Inc	$131,528	$63.23
   3	Citi	$130,619	$62.80	36
   4	Univar	$125,929	$60.54	1
   5	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$121,438	$58.38	85
   6	Capital Group	$119,421	$57.41
   7	State Street	$117,851	$56.66	2
   8	Amazon	$115,625	$55.59	228
   9	Children's Hospital Los Angeles	$113,918	$54.77
   10	PPG	$112,549	$54.11	3
   11	BlackRock	$111,654	$53.68	6
   12	Selective Insurance	$110,083	$52.92
   13	AT&T	$109,442	$52.62
   14	Booz Allen Hamilton	$109,410	$52.60	24
   15	Alcon	$108,972	$52.39	3
   16	American Family Insurance	$108,584	$52.20	4
   17	Tech Data	$107,291	$51.58
   18	Modis	$107,094	$51.49
   19	Equifax	$106,995	$51.44	5
   20	DuPont	$106,725	$51.31	10

4. Writing an applications development specialist job description

   An applications development specialist job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of an applications development specialist job description:

   Applications development specialist job description example

   65827BRJob Posting Title:Application Development Specialist IIIDepartment:CardiologyAutoReqId:65827BRStatus:Full-TimeStandard Hours per Week:40 Job Posting Category:Information TechnologyJob Posting Description:Researches, designs, develops, implements and maintains modules within clinical or financial applications which support multiple departments in the hospital. Provides analytical and technical guidance to clients. Participates in standards for development and software selection, and makes application processing and design recommendations both within the department and to application users in the hospital.
   This Application Development Specialist III will be responsible for:
   
   + Researching and identifies the requirements of information system programmatic needs. Analyzes vendor provided and internally developed solutions to meet the integrated needs of multiple departments
   
   + Specifies, designs, develops, codes, tests and implements software applications that support the needs of multiple departments considering the individual goals and objectives of each entity.
   
   + Provides analytical and technical guidance to team members and clients. Identifies requirements, develops application design, codes, plans and executes testing, and ensures that the application delivered meets specifications.
   
   + Drafts (or assists with drafting) minutes for circulation and review; records decisions and purposes, as well as agreements on distribution of responsibilities and timeliness.
   
   + Creates all systems development life cycles documents or assists team members in the creation of SDLC documents.
   
   + May assist team members in database administration and maintenance and preparing reports.
   
   + Creates all necessary documentation for code and applications and supports applications.
   
   + Supports applications on a 24 x 7 basis.
   
   In order to qualify, you must have:
   
   + Knowledge of theories, principles, and concepts typically acquired through completion of a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a closely related field and four to five years' experience.
   
   + Analytical skills to collect information from diverse sources, apply professional principles in performing various analyses, and summarize the information and data in order to solve problems OR design relatively complex systems and programs that cross department/divisional lines.
   
   + Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing and provide empathy in difficult interpersonal situations.
   
   + Ability to manage projects in a self-starting, nearly autonomous fashion.
   
   + Ability to work well on a team, communicating effectively and supporting team members as needed.
   
   + Work requires that incumbent works on-site for most or all of the workweek, being available for frequent in-person meetings.
   
   + Work requires the ability to interact with outside collaborators, providing prompt and professional service, support and communication.
   
   Boston Children's Hospital offers competitive compensation and unmatched benefits, including a rotating days/evenings and week-end schedule, affordable health, vision and dental insurance, generous levels of time off, 403(b) Retirement Savings plan, Pension, Tuition Reimbursement, cell phone plan discounts and discounted rates on T-passes (50% off). Discover your best.
   
   Office/Site Location:BostonRegular, Temporary, Per Diem:Regular

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right applications development specialist for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with applications development specialists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit applications development specialists who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your applications development specialist job on Zippia to find and recruit applications development specialist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit applications development specialists, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   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 applications development specialist

   Once you've selected the best applications development specialist candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new applications development 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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