How to hire a community worker

How to hire a community worker, step by step

Here's a step-by-step community worker hiring guide:

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

What does a community worker do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the community worker you need to hire. Certain community worker 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

   A community worker's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, community workers 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.

   The following list breaks down different types of community workers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Community Worker	Description	Hourly rate
   Community Worker	Health educators teach people about behaviors that promote wellness. They develop and implement strategies to improve the health of individuals and communities... Show more	$13-26
   Service Provider	Service providers are individuals or entities offering services to an organization and other parties. They provide storage, processing, or network services... Show more	$11-24
   Support Services Coordinator	Support Services Coordinators are responsible for leading the administrative and deployment of a staff team. Their duties include preparing presentation documents, preparing and processing expense and budget reports, answering phone and emails, and arranging meetings... Show more	$12-26

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Social Services
   • Mental Health
   • Rehabilitation
   • Financial Eligibility
   • Community Resources
   • Local Community
   • Statistical Reports
   • Community Agencies
   • Substance Abuse
   • Law Enforcement
   • Provider Agencies
   • Client Service
   • Provide Management
   • Mental Illness

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Prepare patients for abortion procedures; assist doctor and perform ultrasounds during procedures; support women physically and emotionally after abortions.
   • Examine injured persons and administer first aid or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, if necessary, using training and medical supplies and equipment.

   More community worker duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your community worker job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A community worker 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 a community worker in Ohio may be lower than in California, and an entry-level community worker usually earns less than a senior-level community worker. Additionally, a community worker 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 community worker salary

   $40,029yearly

   $19.24 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level community worker salary

   $28,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 19, 2025

   Average community worker salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$52,888	$25
   2	Nevada	$48,649	$23
   3	Massachusetts	$43,110	$21
   4	North Carolina	$42,036	$20
   5	New York	$40,835	$20
   6	Virginia	$39,579	$19
   7	Texas	$37,823	$18
   8	Idaho	$37,577	$18
   9	Nebraska	$36,906	$18
   10	Illinois	$36,230	$17
   11	Maine	$35,982	$17
   12	Ohio	$34,671	$17
   13	New Mexico	$33,699	$16

   Average community worker salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	University of Illinois Springfield	$59,527	$28.62	1
   2	Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center	$57,809	$27.79
   3	Parkland Hospital	$48,597	$23.36	1
   4	Children's Hospital of Philadelphia	$42,635	$20.50	4
   5	Iowa Department of Transportation	$42,396	$20.38
   6	Orange County	$41,114	$19.77	4
   7	City of Austin	$40,503	$19.47
   8	Texas	$40,478	$19.46	110
   9	Lawrence Hall	$39,796	$19.13	1
   10	Healthcare Staffing Solutions Inc	$39,574	$19.03
   11	Presbyterian	$39,392	$18.94	7
   12	Port of Long Beach	$39,013	$18.76
   13	Iowa State Association of Counties	$39,003	$18.75
   14	Volunteers of America Los Angeles	$38,723	$18.62	14
   15	Nevins	$38,461	$18.49	1
   16	Dignity Health	$38,242	$18.39	58
   17	Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska	$38,105	$18.32
   18	Maine	$37,959	$18.25	1
   19	Americorps	$37,628	$18.09	72
   20	Copper River Native Association - Medical Center	$37,481	$18.02

4. Writing a community worker job description

   A community worker 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 a community worker job description:

   Community worker job description example

   PSG/CIP is a multi-service community-based social services organization that fulfills its mission of helping individuals and families to achieve their greatest potential through dynamic, cost effective and innovative programming responsive to the needs of diverse communities.
   
   The Youth and Family Community Worker works a blended position in the In Home Safety Services (IHSS) and Truancy Services programs.
   
   As an IHSS Community Worker, staff have an opportunity to work with families referred from the Winnebago County Child Protective Services units to maintain safety in homes where children are at risk for removal. In addition, this position provides services to youth who have been re-unified with their family after being placed in residential treatment, foster care or treatment foster care. The position also provides services to youth and families involved with Youth Justice services.
   
   As a Truancy Liaison, staff serve as a community connection to middle and high school aged youth who are at-risk for truancy, academic failure, delinquency, gang involvement, and alcohol and drug abuse.
   WHY WORK FOR PSG/CIP? Be part of a great team that is passionate and dedicated to making a difference in the community! Opportunities for advancement Professional development trainings Great work-life balance and flexible hours Competitive benefits package, including: paid time off and company holidays; health, vision, dental, and life insurance; short and long term disability; 401k and profit sharing Mileage Reimbursement SALARY: $18.00 an hour. Plus a $1,000 sign-on bonus!
   LOCATION & HOURS: Office is located in Oshkosh, WI. Hybrid model of time spent out in the community working in-person with clients and at the office, with flexibility to work remote two days per week. Hours will vary depending on assigned shift. Occasional weekends will be required to meet the needs of our clients.
   ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: Evaluate youth and families for treatment needs and refer to appropriate resources. Formulate, implement, and evaluate individual client treatment plans; including support and assistance with school assignments. Conduct face-to-face contact with families, per program standards, to ensure safety and cooperation with safety plan. Monitor client behavior and school achievement by conducting in-school checks minimally on a weekly basis. After training is complete, employees are added to the on-call rotation to monitor after hours calls. Act as an on-call resource to evaluate and determine necessary responses in de-escalating crisis situations with youth and families. Requirements: Must have reliable transportation, a valid driver's license and automobile insurance. Must have a Bachelor's Degree in Social Work, Psychology, Criminal Justice, or other related field. One year experience working with at-risk youth and families is preferred, but not required.
   Equal Employment Opportunity/M/F/disability/protected veteran status
   Tags: work from home, WFH, remote work, flexible hours, youth, teen, community, mental health, social services, human services, addiction counseling, supportive, career, treatment, crisis, kids, children, therapy, multilingual, bilingual, behavior, compassion, positive, impact, continuing education, development, professional development, professional growth, advancement, family, families
   
   PI193103681

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right community worker 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 community workers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit community workers 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 community worker job on Zippia to find and recruit community worker candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit community workers, 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 community worker

   Once you've decided on a perfect community worker candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   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.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new community worker. 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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How much does it cost to hire a community worker?