How to hire a diet clerk

How to hire a diet clerk, step by step

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

What does a diet clerk do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The diet clerk hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a diet clerk to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a diet clerk that fits the bill.

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

   Type of Diet Clerk	Description	Hourly rate
   Diet Clerk	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.	$12-18
   Sandwich Artist	Sandwich artists are employees at any restaurant that specializes in sandwiches. They manage the sandwich station and answer any inquiries that customers may have on the different ingredients available... Show more	$8-14
   Nutrition Aide	Nutrition Aides prepare and deliver meals for residents in nursing homes or patients in medical clinics or hospitals. These professionals spend half of their time with patients and the remaining half in the kitchen - where they complete trash disposal and ware washing and deliver nourishment and food to the required facility locations... Show more	$12-17

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Allergies
   • Tube Feedings
   • Customer Service
   • Menu Selections
   • Food Service
   • Food Handling
   • Meal Service
   • Patient Menus
   • Room Service
   • Clerical Support
   • Culinary
   • Computer System
   • Diet Restrictions

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Demonstrate strong math skills in managing inmate s accounts and calmly and effectively deescalating outbursts of belligerent inmates.
   • Assist patients with making menu choices in an informative and helpful fashion and keep track of patient's allergies and diet changes
   • Demonstrate ability to adjust patient menus base on food preferences, allergies, disease/condition according to physician specifications.
   • Develop and apply creative problem-solving methods for patients challenge with specialize diet regiments.
   • Experience hospital representative directly responsible for counseling and assisting patients on nutritional care and management.
   • Prepare confidential reports, PowerPoint presentations, correspondence, organizational charts and other documents as required.

   More diet clerk duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your diet clerk job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A diet clerk 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 diet clerk in Kansas may be lower than in Rhode Island, and an entry-level diet clerk usually earns less than a senior-level diet clerk. Additionally, a diet clerk 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 diet clerk salary

   $15.29hourly

   $31,802 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level diet clerk salary

   $26,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 21, 2026

   Average diet clerk salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$39,859	$19
   2	California	$39,211	$19
   3	New York	$36,379	$17
   4	Minnesota	$31,679	$15
   5	Texas	$30,674	$15
   6	Colorado	$30,205	$15
   7	New Jersey	$30,138	$14
   8	Nevada	$29,059	$14
   9	Illinois	$28,980	$14
   10	Michigan	$28,506	$14
   11	Wisconsin	$28,359	$14
   12	Indiana	$26,656	$13
   13	Ohio	$25,882	$12
   14	Missouri	$24,106	$12
   15	Alabama	$23,139	$11
   16	Tennessee	$22,478	$11

   Average diet clerk salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	University of Washington	$37,284	$17.93
   2	Sutter Health	$34,428	$16.55	5
   3	Alameda Health System	$33,744	$16.22
   4	University of Rochester	$33,710	$16.21	3
   5	Highland General Hospital	$33,076	$15.90
   6	Bryn Mawr Urology	$32,998	$15.86
   7	Prime Healthcare	$32,928	$15.83	10
   8	Moffitt Cancer Center	$32,906	$15.82	2
   9	Kaiser Permanente	$32,680	$15.71	17
   10	Christiana Care Health Services, Inc.	$32,671	$15.71
   11	BJC HealthCare	$32,485	$15.62	1
   12	Dignity Health	$32,415	$15.58	7
   13	Lexington Medical Center	$32,333	$15.54
   14	Southern New Hampshire Health	$32,287	$15.52
   15	Sonoma Valley Community Health Center	$32,220	$15.49	1
   16	Scripps Health	$32,150	$15.46	2
   17	Compass Group USA	$31,996	$15.38	117
   18	Trinity Health	$31,949	$15.36	60
   19	Froedtert Hospital	$31,938	$15.35	1
   20	Meriter Home Health	$31,927	$15.35	1

4. Writing a diet clerk job description

   A job description for a diet clerk 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 clerk job description:

   Diet clerk job description example

   EDUCATION
   HS Diploma: High School Diploma or General Education Diploma (GED) or equivalent education/experience.
   
   EXPERIENCE
   1 year requires basic experience as typically acquired in a similar environment.
   
   SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE
   Knowledge of various nutritional diet principles, views, and equipment used in the treatment of patients with varying conditions.
   
   Possess written and verbal communications skills to explain sensitive information clearly and professionally to diverse audiences, including non-medical people.
   
   Well-developed time management and organizational skills, including the ability to prioritize assignments and work within standardized operating procedures and scientific methods to achieve objectives and meet deadlines.
   
   General knowledge of computer applications, such as Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel and Outlook), electronic health records (EHR).
   
   Interpret a variety of data and instructions, furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.
   
   Prioritize assignments and work within standardized policies, procedures, and scientific methods to achieve objectives and meet deadlines.
   
   Work independently, as well as be part of the team, including accomplishing multiple tasks in an environment with interruptions.
   
   Identify, evaluate and resolve standard problems by selecting appropriate solutions from established options.
   
   Ensure the privacy of each patient's protected health information (PHI).
   
   Build collaborative relationships with peers and other healthcare providers to achieve departmental and corporate objectives.

   Job Shift:

   Varied

   Schedule:

   Per Diem/Casual

   Shift Hours:

   8

   Days of the Week:

   Variable

   Weekend Requirements:

   Every Weekend

   Benefits:

   No

   Unions:

   No

   Position Status:

   Non-Exempt

   Weekly Hours:

   1

   Employee Status:

   Per Diem/Casual

   Number of Openings:

   1

   Sutter Health Affiliates are equal opportunity employers EOE/M/F/Disability/Veterans.

   Schedule/Shift: Per Diem/Casual/ Days

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right diet clerk for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting diet clerks requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   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 diet clerk

   Once you have selected a candidate for the diet clerk 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.

   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.

   To prepare for the new diet clerk 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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