How to hire a digital specialist

How to hire a digital specialist, step by step

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

What does a digital specialist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your digital 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 digital 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

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a digital specialist 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 digital specialist that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of digital specialists.

   Type of Digital Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Digital Specialist	Market research analysts study market conditions to examine potential sales of a product or service. They help companies understand what products people want, who will buy them, and at what price.	$16-51
   Research Internship	A research intern is responsible for assisting the research team with conducting an investigation, compiling information, and analyzing results for an organized research study. Research interns' duties also include understanding the work processes and operation procedures, sharing strategies and recommendations on research methods, reaching out to appropriate research correspondents, managing clients' inquiries and concerns, keeping important client records for reference, studying current market trends, and maintaining the eagerness to learn... Show more	$12-28
   Marketing Department Internship	A marketing department internship is a marketing degree program requirement in most colleges. This is the work experience period where interns get to apply the knowledge they acquire in the real world... Show more	$12-18

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Digital Marketing
   • Google Analytics
   • Customer Service
   • Media Sales
   • SEM
   • Social Media Marketing
   • WordPress
   • PowerPoint
   • Troubleshoot
   • Facebook
   • HTML
   • Email Marketing
   • Client Facing
   • Content Management

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage the tier-2 ticketing system and propagate hot topic responses to the SharePoint knowledge base.
   • Develop and post product demos on YouTube, providing quick understanding of functionality to differentiate solutions and generate leads.
   • Make edits to web content as necessary via content management system and html.
   • Re-Design multiple client sites, including art and UX updates, in both stand alone HTML and CMS projects.
   • Update and monitor CRM program on daily basis.
   • Market social media (Facebook) to generate website traffic for campaign reviews and highlights.

   More digital specialist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the digital specialist job description is a good way to get more applicants. A digital 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 digital specialist in Louisiana may be lower than in New Jersey, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level digital specialist. Additionally, a digital specialist with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average digital specialist salary

   $61,349yearly

   $29.49 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level digital specialist salary

   $34,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 21, 2026

   Average digital specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New Jersey	$95,936	$46
   2	New York	$95,041	$46
   3	California	$90,023	$43
   4	District of Columbia	$86,900	$42
   5	Massachusetts	$76,215	$37
   6	Washington	$75,897	$36
   7	Minnesota	$68,355	$33
   8	Indiana	$67,406	$32
   9	Illinois	$66,905	$32
   10	Oregon	$66,734	$32
   11	Texas	$62,851	$30
   12	North Carolina	$62,120	$30
   13	Nebraska	$61,046	$29
   14	Colorado	$60,847	$29
   15	North Dakota	$60,501	$29
   16	Pennsylvania	$60,363	$29
   17	Maryland	$60,266	$29
   18	Utah	$59,866	$29
   19	Ohio	$58,169	$28
   20	Maine	$58,009	$28

   Average digital specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	McKinsey & Company Inc	$131,490	$63.22	32
   2	Meta	$125,217	$60.20	38
   3	Microsoft	$122,329	$58.81	10
   4	AbbVie	$111,096	$53.41	12
   5	Sanofi US	$105,646	$50.79	1
   6	Point72	$105,378	$50.66	2
   7	Chevron	$101,172	$48.64	4
   8	Salt River Project	$100,440	$48.29
   9	Citi	$92,587	$44.51	6
   10	360i	$91,845	$44.16
   11	BNY Mellon	$91,695	$44.08	2
   12	Sandoz	$91,573	$44.03
   13	Cengage Learning	$90,496	$43.51	7
   14	SAGE Publishing	$89,115	$42.84
   15	Brookfield Properties	$88,202	$42.40	3
   16	Amazon	$87,545	$42.09	61
   17	Ernst & Young	$85,263	$40.99	209
   18	Accenture	$84,427	$40.59	68
   19	Colgate-Palmolive	$84,418	$40.59
   20	Novelis	$84,143	$40.45	2

4. Writing a digital specialist job description

   A good digital specialist job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a digital specialist job description:

   Digital specialist job description example

   FactSet's product suite of smart analytics and unique data empower the world's leading financial service professionals to make more informed decisions every day. We are a global organization, unified by a sense of inclusivity and the FactSet spirit of going above and beyond. Our philosophy is to embrace diversity, and that our best ideas can come from anyone, anywhere, at any time. We continuously look ahead to advance the future and technology of our industry, by rolling up our sleeves to solve tough problems together, and by learning from our successes, as well as our failures.
   
   As a Digital Specialist you will create compelling, consistent, and differentiated experiences that deliver sustainable value through integrated marketing and training solutions. You will work with Wealth Management Financial Advisors (FA) and Client Associates (CA).
   
   You will be responsible for training on all vendor and client-proprietary technology platforms by creating impactful interactions that increase awareness, drive adoption and position the technology as a valuable resource to increase client satisfaction and capacity. The key objective for the role is to optimize the use of varied and consistent training vehicles across a variety of channels with the appropriate frequency to build and demonstrate product offerings to the applicable audiences.
   Responsibilities:
   Develop a deep understanding of the technology product offerings Build and maintain strong relationships internally and with the user population Create and update training materials, including training scripts, tip sheets, and FAQs on new and existing technology platforms Schedule and facilitate training visits at the client's wealth management branch locations or events as specified by the client. Onsite training visits will be delivered in classroom format and/or one-to-one sessions Deliver virtual training sessions via scheduled online learning portal (representing approximately 35 virtual training sessions per month) Create on-demand training sessions for use on the client's learning portal Provide quantitative and qualitative twice-monthly training metrics Leverage the issue management escalation process according to a pre-established client process Measure success by acceptance and adoption
   
   Required Skills:
   Bachelors' degree required5+ years of experience required Exceptional verbal and written communication skills Desire to grow and learn in an ever-changing environment Excellent interpersonal skillsA proven ability to work on teams Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office or a basic programming language Travel required (post pandemic)
   
   Why Life is Better as a FactSetter:
   Secure your future with our discounted employee stock purchase program and 401K matching4 weeks paid time off your first year of employment No or low cost medical, dental and vision care Reimbursement for eligible expenses related to the CFA, CIPM, CAIA and FRM exams Wellness programs including gym discounts and more16 weeks paid parental leave for the primary caregiver (4 weeks for secondary) Employee referral bonuses And more!
   
   FactSet is an Equal Opportunity Employer - M/F/Veteran/Disability/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right digital specialist 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 digital specialists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit digital specialists 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 digital specialist job on Zippia to find and recruit digital specialist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as swipe files, exit five, marketinghire, american marketing association.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with digital specialist candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 digital specialist

   Once you have selected a candidate for the digital 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 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 digital specialist 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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How much does it cost to hire a digital specialist?