How to hire a diet aide

How to hire a diet aide, step by step

Here's a step-by-step diet aide hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your diet aide 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 diet aide 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

   Hiring the perfect diet aide 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.

   The following list breaks down different types of diet aides and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Diet Aide	Description	Hourly rate
   Diet Aide	Food preparation workers perform many routine tasks under the direction of cooks, chefs, or food service managers. Food preparation workers prepare cold foods, slice meat, peel and cut vegetables, brew coffee or tea, and perform many other food service tasks.	$12-17
   Food Prep/Dishwasher	A food prep/dishwasher's role is to perform food preparation and cleaning duties in a kitchen, under the supervision and directives of a chef or manager. One of their primary responsibilities is washing dishes, sanitizing utensils, and preparing ingredients by washing, peeling, and cutting them according to size... Show more	$11-17
   Kitchen Staff	The kitchen staff consists of preparation workers who execute several routine tasks as directed by chefs, food service managers, and cooks. These works should have the ability to follow cooking instructions and deliver well-prepared meals... Show more	$11-17

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Food Service
   • Customer Service
   • Dishes
   • Tray Line
   • Meal Trays
   • Food Handling
   • Safety Standards
   • Food Carts
   • Food Preferences
   • Meal Service
   • Culinary
   • Cleanliness
   • Food Trays

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Assist in conducting comprehensive interviews with family members and doctors of patients to get accurate dietary information.
   • Develop personalized meal plans to encourage optimal nutrition and intake in diabetic, cardiac and oncology patients.
   • Ensure proper preparation and delivery of appropriate meals to residents of a long term and rehabilitation facility.
   • Prepare different meals for specific allergies, diets and preferences.
   • Put groceries away, order groceries, do diet cards for all residents per their diets on computer.
   • Demonstrate expertise with the Meditech system.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your diet aide job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A diet aide salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, diet aides' average salary in tennessee is 48% less than in rhode island.
   • Seniority. Entry-level diet aides earn 31% less than senior-level diet aides.
   • Certifications. A diet aide 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 a diet aide's salary.

   Average diet aide salary

   $14.60hourly

   $30,373 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level diet aide salary

   $25,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

4. Writing a diet aide job description

   A job description for a diet aide 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 diet aide job description:

   Diet aide job description example

   ***Up to $500 Sign-On Bonus!***

   
   

   Join our team and grow with us both professionally and personally!

   
   

   Acts Retirement-Life Communities is the nation’s largest not-for-profit owner, operator, and developer of resort-style continuing care senior living communities, including independent living, assisted living and skilled nursing care. The Acts family proudly consists of 26 communities in 9 states, and over 7,000 employees. Acts provides residents with a lifestyle that includes on-campus conveniences, services, and amenities such as casual and fine dining venues, beauty salons, fitness centers, security, healthcare, activity programs, and much more. Our employees are inspired by a culture of Loving-Kindness, and we are fully committed to appreciating the array of backgrounds and talents demonstrated by our employees.

   
   

   Acts is currently seeking qualified candidates for our Lead Diet Aide position in our Culinary Department.

   
   

   In this role, you will oversee and serve residents therapeutically correct diets while following the established nutrition services menu and practicing the standards for safe food handling and preparation. You will also assume accountability for the accuracy of meal service and staffing in the absence of the Nutrition Services Manager.

   
   

   The ideal candidate will meet the following requirements:

   
   

   + High school diploma or equivalent

   
   

   + 1-3 years of experience in a food/healthcare setting

   
   

   To protect the health and safety of our residents, employees, and the communities we serve, Acts has implemented a universal COVID-19 and Influenza (Flu) vaccination requirement for all employees. Qualified reasonable accommodation requests for medical and religious exemption will be reviewed by the Human Resources Department.

   
   

   Full-time employees are eligible for a generous benefit package including health benefits (medical, dental and vision), health spending account, life insurance, disability programs, 401(k) with 4% company match, paid time off (PTO) and holidays, and much more! Some part-time positions may also be eligible to receive certain benefits.

   
   

   For more information or to apply, visit us at www.acts-jobs.org.

   
   

   Acts is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Acts is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities in our recruiting process.

   
   

   Street: 3025 Chesbrough Boulevard

   
   

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find diet aides 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 diet aides they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level diet aides 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 diet aide job on Zippia to find and recruit diet aide candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit diet aides, 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.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete 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 diet aide

   Once you've decided on a perfect diet aide 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 important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new diet aide 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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