How to hire a certification specialist

How to hire a certification specialist, step by step

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

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

What does a certification specialist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your certification specialist job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a certification specialist for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A certification specialist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, certification 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 presents certification specialist salaries for various positions.

   Type of Certification Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Certification Specialist		$12-38
   Operations Coordinator	An operations coordinator's role is to oversee the progress of various departments in a company or organization, ensuring that all operations meet the set goals and adhere to the company's policies and regulations. An operations coordinator may also be responsible for supervising the procurement of supplies, contract negotiations, sales monitoring, and even maintenance operations within the company... Show more	$14-27

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Medical Terminology
   • Surgical Procedures
   • Medicaid
   • Data Entry
   • Certification Process
   • HIPAA
   • Insurance Benefits
   • CPT
   • Insurance Verification
   • NIST
   • Insurance Coverage
   • Outpatient Procedures
   • Patient Eligibility

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Support ISO audits for process documentation and software/ literature distribution, managing follow-up corrective action plans as needed.
   • Pre-Certify and scheduling of MRI's and bone scans.
   • Order supplies, apply cast, splints and other orthopedic equipment.
   • Prepare, apply, remove and adjusts casts and splints as advised by physician.
   • Review medical records to determine ICD-9 diagnosis and procedure codes according to establish guidelines and submit claims for processing.
   • Assign ICD-9 codes for various clinic types such as physical, occupational and speech therapies, diagnostics and labs.

   More certification specialist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the certification specialist job description is a good way to get more applicants. A certification specialist salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a certification specialist in Alaska may be lower than in New York, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level certification specialist. Additionally, a certification specialist with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average certification specialist salary

   $45,265yearly

   $21.76 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level certification specialist salary

   $25,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 28, 2026

   Average certification specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$77,124	$37
   2	New Jersey	$75,489	$36
   3	Connecticut	$69,035	$33
   4	Maryland	$67,566	$32
   5	Massachusetts	$66,209	$32
   6	Pennsylvania	$62,751	$30
   7	California	$62,197	$30
   8	Virginia	$57,942	$28
   9	Georgia	$52,672	$25
   10	West Virginia	$50,904	$24
   11	Kansas	$47,348	$23
   12	Illinois	$47,001	$23
   13	North Carolina	$46,376	$22
   14	Oregon	$46,272	$22
   15	Tennessee	$45,743	$22
   16	Arizona	$45,596	$22
   17	Texas	$45,466	$22
   18	Colorado	$44,441	$21
   19	Indiana	$43,299	$21
   20	Washington	$42,993	$21

   Average certification specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Apple	$139,610	$67.12	24
   2	The Durst Organization	$132,311	$63.61
   3	AppDynamics	$123,968	$59.60
   4	Square	$120,071	$57.73
   5	Alteryx	$91,644	$44.06
   6	Los Alamos National Laboratory	$86,918	$41.79	1
   7	VIVA USA	$81,417	$39.14
   8	University of Massachusetts Boston	$78,557	$37.77	3
   9	Odyssey Systems	$74,621	$35.88	1
   10	Baptist Health	$73,935	$35.55	5
   11	La Scuola d'Italia Gugliemo Marconi	$71,430	$34.34
   12	The Florida Bar	$62,066	$29.84
   13	Discover	$60,624	$29.15
   14	DXC Technology	$55,245	$26.56	10
   15	Mcgriff, Seibels & Williams	$55,164	$26.52
   16	OrthoCarolina	$52,396	$25.19	2
   17	ATI Physical Therapy	$49,729	$23.91	2
   18	Memorial Medical Group	$48,892	$23.51
   19	Lloyd's Register	$47,109	$22.65
   20	Cardiology Associates	$46,829	$22.51

4. Writing a certification specialist job description

   A job description for a certification 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 a certification specialist job description:

   Certification specialist job description example

   Olathe Health is looking for dedicated and caring professionals to join our system! If you enjoy an environment of team oriented patient care and an excellent staff of co-workers, you have found the right place! Olathe Medical Center, Inc, a 300-bed general acute care facility is currently looking for a Pre-Certification Specialist to join our team.
   
   If you are committed to helping improve the health of our communities in an environment of trust and collaboration, you are welcome to apply online: www.olathehealth.org/Careers
   
   A Brief Overview Demonstrates the ability to verify benefits and obtain hospital Pre-Certification for patients; when admission information is incomplete, initiate and coordinate process to obtain accurate information. Ability to recognize situations that require intervention and assistance from other internal departments. The Pre-Certification Staff is a liaison between the physician office, the patient and the insurance companies.
   
   What you will do Follows instructions and abides by organizational and departmental policies and procedures to help the department and organization consistently meet the goals established by management or the Board of Directors. Respond promptly, accurately, and courteously to all written and phone inquiries received internally, from patients, attorneys, insurance companies, physician offices, etc. as applicable to the specific position. Consistently recognizes what needs to be done first and takes the initiative to perform the task whenever possible while also recognizing situations that need to be reported to the appropriate management staff. Consistently demonstrates reliability by reporting to work on time, working assigned shift, complying with lunch and break allowances per departmental policy and staffing needs. Consistently provides advanced notification for scheduled PTO, and limits unscheduled absences by attending to personal affairs outside work times whenever possible to avoid productivity or other conflicts.
   Education Qualifications High School or GED - Minimum 2 Year / Associate Degree - Preferred
   
   Experience Qualifications Previous Healthcare Experience Healthcare or Medical Insurance experience Insurance verification, benefits, medical necessity requirements and price estimation - Minimum 1 - 3 Years Experience - Preferred
   
   Skills and Abilities Customer Relations - Minimum Excellent Written and Verbal Communication - Minimum Computer Systems (specify) Microsoft Office - Minimum Ability to Multi Task and Prioritize - Minimum Knowledgeable of Verification and Authorization Process with Medical Insurance Companies - Minimum Medical Terminology - Knowledge of CPT Codes and ICD 10 Codes - Minimum
   
   Licenses and Certifications Insurance Pre-Certification - Preferred
   
   EEO Employer M/F/Disabled/Vet
   
   #CB

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find certification 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 certification specialist job on Zippia to find and recruit certification specialist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit certification specialists, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   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 certification specialist

   Once you have selected a candidate for the certification specialist position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize 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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new certification specialist. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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 a certification specialist?