How to hire an associate research specialist

How to hire an associate research specialist, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the associate research specialist you need to hire. Certain associate research specialist roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   An associate research specialist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, associate research specialists from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of associate research specialists.

   Type of Associate Research Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Associate Research Specialist	Market research analysts study market conditions to examine potential sales of a product or service. They help companies understand what products people want, who will buy them, and at what price.	$15-33
   Marketing Coordinator	A marketing coordinator supports the marketing department on deciding strategies and business efforts to develop the brand image and boost customer satisfaction. Marketing coordinators' duties include assisting in advertising campaigns, scheduling promotional events, monitoring sales status, researching current market trends, maintaining a record of existing and potential clients, and contributing ideas to improve the brand's profitability... Show more	$16-32
   Marketing Internship	Marketing interns are usually marketing students or fresh graduates who are interested in getting actual work experiences before taking on a full-time job. They usually have an interest or academic background related to marketing... Show more	$11-18

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Research Projects
   • Informed Consent
   • Data Collection
   • Laboratory Analysis
   • IRB
   • Chemistry
   • Cell Culture
   • Analyze Data
   • Research Studies
   • Data Management
   • RT-PCR
   • Elisa
   • Sops
   • Crystallography

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Attain and practice medical insurance information rapidly and correctly; including main carriers and Medicaid.
   • Develop an interactive mapping system which utilizes a SAS programming platform and geospatial technology.
   • Participate in a summer research intensive that provide hands-on training in interdisciplinary biomedical laboratory techniques with an emphasis in advance instrumentation.
   • Develop and implement clinical and community-base research and evaluation projects in HIV prevention, smoking interventions, and domestic violence

   More associate research specialist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your associate research specialist job description helps attract top candidates to the position. An associate research specialist salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for an associate research specialist in Nebraska may be lower than in Washington, and an entry-level associate research specialist usually earns less than a senior-level associate research specialist. Additionally, an associate research specialist with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average associate research specialist salary

   $48,302yearly

   $23.22 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level associate research specialist salary

   $33,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average associate research specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$78,231	$38
   2	District of Columbia	$68,152	$33
   3	Texas	$61,593	$30
   4	California	$60,375	$29
   5	Massachusetts	$57,043	$27
   6	Michigan	$54,507	$26
   7	Illinois	$51,227	$25
   8	South Dakota	$49,912	$24
   9	North Carolina	$45,178	$22
   10	Wisconsin	$45,158	$22
   11	Louisiana	$42,155	$20
   12	Florida	$41,808	$20

   Average associate research specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	SAS Institute	$79,557	$38.25	5
   2	Mayo Clinic	$67,354	$32.38	183
   3	UC Santa Barbara	$65,473	$31.48
   4	University of Connecticut	$58,453	$28.10	8
   5	Children's Hospital Los Angeles	$58,193	$27.98	22
   6	LA State University Continuing	$57,833	$27.80	88
   7	Allen Institute	$57,693	$27.74	4
   8	Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center	$56,681	$27.25
   9	Florida Power and Light	$56,318	$27.08
   10	Northwestern University	$53,950	$25.94	53
   11	Princeton University	$53,835	$25.88	93
   12	University of Michigan	$52,260	$25.13	59
   13	Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi	$51,892	$24.95	36
   14	Quinn	$51,774	$24.89
   15	Northwell Health	$49,744	$23.92	25
   16	Exicure	$49,337	$23.72
   17	Texas Department of Transportation	$48,932	$23.52
   18	University of North Carolina	$48,350	$23.25	91
   19	Sanford Health	$45,512	$21.88	8
   20	University of Wisconsin System	$43,841	$21.08	32

4. Writing an associate research specialist job description

   An associate research 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. To help get you started, here's an example of an associate research specialist job description:

   Associate research specialist job description example

   Title: Specialist, Research (Associate Managing Editor, Journal)
   
   Department/Unit: Research/Scientific Affairs
   
   FLSA Status: Full-time, Exempt
   
   Location: Alexandria, VA
   
   About APTA
   
   Do you want to contribute to an organization dedicated to improving societal health? Would you like to collaborate with colleagues who are passionate about making a difference? Are you excited to work in a new state-of-the-art building designed to encourage movement, participation, and employee health?
   
   Then you want to work for APTA!
   
   APTA is the trusted leader for the physical therapy profession, representing more than 100,000 physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, and physical therapy students. Our approximately 150 employees support the association's mission to build a community that advances the profession of physical therapy to improve the health of society. Learn more in our Association Profile.
   
   Located in Alexandria, Virginia, APTA has outstanding employee benefits, including flexible work schedules, generous retirement contributions, and travel subsidies for employees who choose public and active transportation.
   
   Summary
   
   The American Physical Therapy Association's Journal engages and inspires an international readership on topics related to physical therapy and rehabilitation, with the expressed purpose of improving patient care. The Associate Managing Editor manages daily Editorial Office operations and works closely with the Managing Editor (Director), editorial contractors, and authors to ensure timeliness and quality of publication. The Associate Managing Editor works closely with the Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, Editorial Board, and association communications staff on content dissemination and post-publication activities such as social media and podcasts. Supports unit efforts with a focus on departmental contributions to membership strategy, scientific strategy, and operations strategy for the Association. Participates and supports efforts for appointed and member volunteer groups and APTA leadership, as applicable. Supports preparation of applicable compliance requirements and documents and seeks out opportunities for continuous quality improvement in department activities. Effective champion of the Association vision, mission, and brand.
   
   Essential Functions
   
   Serve as daily liaison with editorial/production contractors, monitoring quality and timeliness against target thresholds, ensuring that manuscripts meet requirements and follow current policies and procedures, and responding to queries.
   Manage specific sections of the journal, such as letters to the editor and special issue submissions; includes some manuscript editing.
   Serve as the primary contact for the PTJ website and work with copublisher to implement website content updates and enhancements. Includes regular updates of author guidelines.
   Provide support to PTJ social media team (editors, volunteers, graphic designer, podcast producer).
   Work with Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor to maintain and grow the author and reviewer community; engage in Editorial Board meetings and orientations.
   Implements work plans related to respective activities of the Research department which align with organizational priorities and the Association's membership strategy, scientific strategy, and operations strategy.
   Prepares and completes required departmental compliance forms, if applicable, including ensuring required information is accurate for timely submission of all required forms.
   Contributes to and implements recommendations on advancing operations within the department to gain efficiencies, and grow revenue, if applicable.
   Contributes to quality assurance and continuous quality/performance improvement in department activities, including supporting department vice president, and unit leaders in annual assessments of respective budget activities described above.
   Supports the Scientific Affairs team in the implementation of the Association's programs, priorities, and projects in partnership with department vice president and staff colleagues
   Prepares, in consultation with the Unit leads, department level data which supports and aligns with the APTA data strategy Research department which align with organizational priorities and the Association's membership strategy, scientific strategy, and operations strategy.
   
   Staff Expectations
   
   Upholds and fosters team values
   Complies with all APTA policies and procedures
   Performs other duties as assigned to foster achievement of association priorities
   
   Qualifications
   
   Bachelor's degree required, preferably in English, Journalism, or Communications.
   2-3 years' experience in peer-reviewed publishing, preferably for a health care publication
   Excellent organizational and communication (written and verbal) skills; detail-oriented.
   Proficiency in AMA editorial style, particularly statistical style, strongly desired.
   Knowledge of and expertise with peer review and manuscript management database systems; proficiency with ScholarOne a plus.
   Understanding of permissions, Commission on Publication Ethics (COPE) best practices, and detection software (knowledge of iThenticate desired).
   Proficiency with Microsoft Office software including Word, Excel, and Outlook; proficiency with Adobe Acrobat highly desired.
   Highly developed interpersonal skills, demonstrated sensitivity to issues of confidentiality, and a strong member-service orientation.
   Ability to work cross-departmentally and collaboratively with staff members and volunteers alike.
   Strong follow-through to meet deadlines.
   Ability to act independently within association policy and in accordance with guidelines established by the Director, Journal.
   
   Travel Requirements
   
   10%- local, national
   
   How To Apply
   
   Please send resume and cover letter, including salary requirements, when submitting your application.
   
   Principals only; no agencies; no phone calls, please. Candidates selected to participate in an interview will be contacted by Human Resources.
   
   The American Physical Therapy Association is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.
   
   APTA participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. For more information, please visit e-verify.uscis.gov.
   
   APTA is committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce and invites and welcomes applicants with diversity of experience, mindset, and skills to add value to APTA and our staff community.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find associate research specialists for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any associate research specialists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level associate research specialists with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your associate research specialist job on Zippia to find and attract quality associate research specialist candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as swipe files, exit five, marketinghire, american marketing association.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit associate research 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.

   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.

   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 associate research specialist

   Once you've selected the best associate research 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.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new associate research specialist. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

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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