How to hire a diet technician

How to hire a diet technician, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your diet technician 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 technician 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 diet technician's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, diet technicians 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 diet technician salaries for various positions.

   Type of Diet Technician	Description	Hourly rate
   Diet Technician	A Diet Technician identifies patients with nutritional risk using scoring guidelines and initiates referrals for dietetic assessment. They oversee food production or service and assist dietitians or nutritionists in food service supervision and planning.	$12-19
   Dietary Aide	A dietary aide is responsible for assisting food preparations and ensuring that the meals adhere to an individual's specific diet plans. Dietary aides must strictly follow sanitation standards and hygiene procedures to guarantee the safety and quality of the service... Show more	$10-16
   Technician	Technicians are skilled professionals who primarily work with technology in different industries. They are knowledgeable about the technical aspects of the various items they work with... Show more	$11-27

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Patient Care
   • Food Service
   • Allergies
   • Nutrition Education
   • Diet Orders
   • Patient Satisfaction
   • Rehabilitation
   • Menu Selections
   • Nutritional Risk
   • Tray Line
   • Food Handling
   • Culinary
   • RD

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Interview patients, determine dietary requirements and record dietary plans in medical charts using precise medical terminology.
   • Provide education to patients and family members of patients with medically restrict diets to promote optimal nutritional intake.
   • Determine WIC eligibility by identifying risk factors.
   • Conduct research and create PowerPoint presentations for wellness programs.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your diet technician job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A diet technician can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, diet technicians' average salary in georgia is 52% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level diet technicians 37% less than senior-level diet technicians.
   • Certifications. A diet technician with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a diet technician's salary.

   Average diet technician salary

   $15.94hourly

   $33,164 yearly

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   Entry-level diet technician salary

   $26,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

4. Writing a diet technician job description

   A diet technician 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 diet technician job description:

   Diet technician job description example

   CH: Clinical Nutrition - (Full-Time, Day Shift) -
   
   Our mission is to continue the teaching and healing ministry of Jesus Christ. Our core values are compassion, excellence, humility, integrity, justice, teamwork and wholeness.
   
   The Dietetic Technician 2 job functions may include inpatient care and/or Milk Lab preparations. Reviews medical records for criteria for referral to a Dietitian for consult or nutrition assessment, monitors for changes in nutritional status during admission, provides patients on a specialized diet program the opportunity to select menu items, assures that nutritional restrictions and food preferences have been met, and completes nutrient intake analysis reports. Assists with counseling patients and family members on basic medical nutrition therapy per approved protocols and under the supervision of a Dietitian. Accurately calculates and prepares milk and formula mixtures with aseptic technique. Participates in weekend and/or holiday rotation. Perform other duties as assigned.
   
   Associate's Degree in Dietetics, Foods, or Nutrition required. Bachelor's Degree in Foods or Nutrition preferred. Minimum one year of clinical nutrition experience preferred. Dietetic Technician, Registered (DTR) certification required.
   
   Knowledge of nutritional food values, meal planning and therapeutic menu processes. Handling/gripping, speed movements, fine dexterity, writing and speaking skills necessary for the job, able to operate calculator, computer, typewriter, copy machines, fax machine and telephone. Able to read; write legibly, and speak in English with professional quality; use computer and software programs necessary to the position; troubleshoot and calibrate equipment. Must be able to relate and communicate positively, effectively and professionally with others; collaborating and accepting direction; lead, supervise, teach, and collaborate; able to work calmly and respond courteously when under pressure, display a positive and professional demeanor to patients, family members, and co-workers; able to be assertive and consistent in following and/or enforcing policies. Ability to speak and write in English fluently. Ability to speak Spanish desirable. Able to manage multiple assignments simultaneously; make judgments; make and follow through on plans; reasoning and problem solving skills, organize and prioritize workload, pay close attention to detail, recall information with accuracy; perform basic math functions; work independently with minimal supervision; work well under pressure Able to distinguish colors and smells as necessary for patient care; hear sufficiently for general conversation in person and on the telephone; identify and distinguish various sounds associated with the work place; see adequately to read computer screens, medical records, and written documents necessary to position; discern temperature variances through touch.
   Additional Information
   
   * Organization: LLU Childrens Hospital
   * Employee Status: Regular
   * Schedule: Full-time
   * Shift: Day Job

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right diet technician 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 technician job on Zippia to find and recruit diet technician candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit diet technicians, 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.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you 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 technician

   Once you've decided on a perfect diet technician 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 employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is 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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