How to hire a direct support professional

How to hire a direct support professional, step by step

Here's a step-by-step direct support professional hiring guide:

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

What does a direct support professional do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your direct support professional 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 direct support professional 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 direct support professional 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.

   Here's a comparison of direct support professional salaries for various roles:

   Type of Direct Support Professional	Description	Hourly rate
   Direct Support Professional	Personal care aides help clients with self-care and everyday tasks. They also provide social supports and assistance that enable clients to participate in their communities.	$8-25
   Residential Aide	A residential aide is responsible for assisting residents and patients in a community facility, supporting them in their daily activities and personal routines. Residential aides monitor the patients' health conditions, coordinate with medical professionals, and ensure that they receive the proper medications... Show more	$9-15
   Hair Stylist	A Hair Stylist's role is to provide services such as haircuts, treatments, coloring, styling, and even maintenance. Most of the time, the clients choose which style or treatment they would prefer, which is why a Hair Stylist must have extensive knowledge and keep up the current trends in Hair Styling... Show more	$12-25

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Direct Support
   • Developmental Disabilities
   • Autism
   • Direct Care
   • DSP
   • Mental Health
   • Intellectual Disabilities
   • Home Health
   • Compassion
   • Medical Appointments
   • Group Homes
   • Home Management
   • Community Integration
   • Foster Care

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Work with adults who have disabilities to help manage everyday tasks such as laundry, cooking, preparing groceries, etc.
   • Provide care to adults with intellectual & developmental disabilities while administering their medication via AMAP certification
   • Support the development of individuals with autism by promoting community involvement and performing exercises to strengthen their cognitive and social skills.
   • Assist with toileting, including urinals.
   • Maintain medical records according to all HIPPA guidelines.
   • Assist coordinator to train new DCW on assign shift.

   More direct support professional duties

3. Make a budget

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

   $15.42hourly

   $32,077 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level direct support professional salary

   $18,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 21, 2025

   Average direct support professional salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$60,753	$29
   2	Arizona	$41,435	$20
   3	Nevada	$39,677	$19
   4	Washington	$37,057	$18
   5	Texas	$36,370	$17
   6	Oregon	$36,067	$17
   7	Massachusetts	$34,511	$17
   8	New York	$33,196	$16
   9	Connecticut	$32,959	$16
   10	North Dakota	$32,888	$16
   11	New Jersey	$32,250	$16
   12	New Hampshire	$32,003	$15
   13	Pennsylvania	$30,864	$15
   14	Maine	$30,105	$14
   15	Maryland	$30,021	$14
   16	Minnesota	$29,949	$14
   17	South Dakota	$28,695	$14
   18	Wisconsin	$27,996	$13
   19	Illinois	$26,448	$13
   20	Virginia	$26,414	$13

   Average direct support professional salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$174,908	$84.09	25
   2	Apple	$165,744	$79.68	8
   3	Google	$165,062	$79.36	43
   4	Pixelworks	$157,931	$75.93
   5	Neuralink IT Solutions	$147,977	$71.14
   6	Xilinx	$142,379	$68.45
   7	Joby Aviation	$140,309	$67.46
   8	Cadence Design Systems	$140,303	$67.45
   9	Yahoo	$138,919	$66.79
   10	Dolby Laboratories	$135,636	$65.21
   11	Broadcom	$134,961	$64.89	13
   12	Cisco	$132,813	$63.85	33
   13	Cirrus Logic	$129,997	$62.50
   14	Renesas Electronics	$129,733	$62.37
   15	Microsemi	$129,629	$62.32
   16	Intel	$129,617	$62.32	4
   17	Synaptics	$129,004	$62.02
   18	Rock Springs Elementary School	$127,878	$61.48	1
   19	Capgemini	$127,359	$61.23	7
   20	Nuance Communications	$127,112	$61.11

4. Writing a direct support professional job description

   A direct support professional 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 direct support professional job description:

   Direct support professional job description example

   Are you looking for an opportunity to advance your career while working with an extraordinary team? At Merakey, we put heart and soul into everything we do. We are seeking
   Direct Support Professionals (DSP)to join our team at our program in Philadelphia, PA.
   
   If you are a Caregiver, Direct Care Worker, Home Health aide or always wanted to be one, this is the opportunity for you as we are hiring immediately!
   
   No experience required - we provide PAID training.
   
   Earn $17.00/hour with the selection of the Enhanced Pay Option.
   
   Our ideal DSP candidate will have a strong desire to create long-term impacts on their individuals lives and enjoy encouraging, mentoring, and coaching others to achieve their goals. Spend your day in a variety of settings making memories with our individuals. By following the Individual Support Plan, you can enjoy your days at the park and sensory gardens, while working on social and communication skills. Enhancing independence by assisting with daily hygiene and personal care. Foster a true sense of pride in your individual, by teaching them to navigate daily living activities, such as housekeeping and laundry.
   
   BENEFITS
   
   Merakey offers Medical, Dental, Vision insurance plans, competitive compensation plans, Work/Life balance, flexible schedules, cell phone discount plan, employee referral bonuses, tuition reimbursement and much more!
   
   To fill out an on-line application: www.merakey.org/careers
   
   
   ABOUT MERAKEY
   Merakey is a leading developmental, behavioral health, and education non-profit provider with a fifty-year history. We offer a breadth of integrated services to individuals and communities across the country. Our belief that every individual has the right to achieve growth, dignity, and fulfillment guides all of our decisions. At Merakey, we care about each other and are committed to providing the very best care to those we serve. Merakey strictly follows a zero-tolerance policy for abuse.
   
   Merakey is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer! We deeply value diversity and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, ethnic background, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, genetic information, or disability status. Moreover, we are committed to creating teams that reflect the diversity of the communities we serve and encourage applicants from underrepresented backgrounds to apply.
   The ideal candidate will possess the following qualifications:
   
   Must be at least 18 years old.
   Must possess a valid driver's license.
   Must have a verifiable High School diploma/G.E.D.
   Experience in a home health aide setting, or school setting working with people who have Intellectual and Developmental disabilities is preferred.
   Must have a desire to help others reach their fullest potential.
   Dual Diagnosis experience is preferred.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting direct support professionals 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.

   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 direct support professional

   Once you've decided on a perfect direct support professional 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 equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new direct support professional 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 direct support professional?