How to hire a document specialist

How to hire a document specialist, step by step

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

What does a document specialist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the document specialist you need to hire. Certain document specialist roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   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 document 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 document specialist that fits the bill.

   This list presents document specialist salaries for various positions.

   Type of Document Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Document Specialist		$11-29
   Document Control Manager	A document control manager's duties cycle around ensuring that all documents, digital or not, are stored completely, securely, and safely in different storage places and databases. They are the ones who implement systematized management of documents, which helps companies and organizations consolidate files, even destroy them if they want to... Show more	$26-60
   Document Controller	Document controllers take responsibility for controlling the day-to-day management of documents in a department or company. The controllers make sure that document management is accurate, efficient, and always on time... Show more	$12-30

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Clinical Documentation
   • Patients
   • Customer Service
   • Data Entry
   • DRG
   • PowerPoint
   • Word Processing
   • CDI
   • ICD-10
   • Physician Documentation
   • CMS
   • CDS
   • SharePoint
   • Technical Documentation

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage files, medical records and major customers requiring IPRO services.
   • Manage the migration of the entire documentation set from FrameMaker to DITA.
   • Lead the transition from paper charts to electronic medical records and the transition to ICD-10.
   • Manage archiving process of sending all complete clinical studies TMF document to off-site archiving center.
   • Lead complete overhaul of documentation design, look, and feel using hone FrameMaker templates.
   • Deploy and manage dynamic training plans, forms, and records, in ERP and paper-base system.

   More document specialist duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, document specialists' average salary in oklahoma is 40% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level document specialists earn 61% less than senior-level document specialists.
   • Certifications. A document specialist 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 document specialist's salary.

   Average document specialist salary

   $39,044yearly

   $18.77 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level document specialist salary

   $24,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average document specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$54,483	$26
   2	District of Columbia	$52,051	$25
   3	Virginia	$51,668	$25
   4	Pennsylvania	$51,152	$25
   5	Hawaii	$49,894	$24
   6	North Carolina	$49,652	$24
   7	New York	$48,365	$23
   8	Massachusetts	$46,380	$22
   9	Nevada	$45,430	$22
   10	Arizona	$44,031	$21
   11	Ohio	$43,548	$21
   12	Maryland	$40,466	$19
   13	Texas	$39,170	$19
   14	Illinois	$38,900	$19
   15	Florida	$38,379	$18
   16	Indiana	$38,264	$18
   17	Colorado	$37,412	$18
   18	Georgia	$35,800	$17
   19	Utah	$34,314	$17
   20	Minnesota	$33,796	$16

   Average document specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Adobe	$93,086	$44.75
   2	NVIDIA	$88,477	$42.54
   3	Jacobs Engineering Group	$85,453	$41.08
   4	Ropes & Gray	$85,427	$41.07
   5	AbbVie	$81,394	$39.13	2
   6	ABB	$77,999	$37.50	1
   7	Zoetis	$73,291	$35.24	4
   8	Merck	$70,577	$33.93	3
   9	HCL Technologies	$70,386	$33.84	13
   10	St. Rose Hospital	$69,089	$33.22
   11	Valley Children's	$67,774	$32.58
   12	Northwell Health	$67,202	$32.31	4
   13	Citi	$64,986	$31.24
   14	HDR	$64,887	$31.20	8
   15	Axiologic Solutions	$63,886	$30.71
   16	One Brooklyn Health	$63,843	$30.69
   17	HealthTrio	$63,604	$30.58
   18	Knapp Medical Center	$62,961	$30.27
   19	Mission Regional Medical Center	$62,884	$30.23	5
   20	Blessing Hospital Emergency Room	$62,768	$30.18

4. Writing a document specialist job description

   A good document 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 document specialist job description:

   Document specialist job description example

   Who We Are
   Newport helps companies offer their associates a more secure financial future through retirement plans, insurance and consulting services. Newport offers comprehensive plan solutions and consulting expertise to plan sponsors and the advisors who serve them. As a provider and partner, Newport is independent, experienced and responsive.
   Summary of Position: This position is responsible for preparing retirement plan amendments and updated ancillary documents (e.g. summary plan descriptions, summary of material modifications, notices, etc.) for 401(k), 403(b), 457(b) and DB plans, as well as updating the plan document and other systems with the changes. This role is remote and pay is between $18-19.50/DOE + full benefits and 16 days PTO. Working hours are M-F 8-5 with occasional flexibility.
   
   Responsibilities:
   Monitor incoming amendment requests.Review requests to identify potential issues (e.g., mid-year amendment to safe harbor plan, benefit cutbacks, etc.), and discuss with Team Lead or Document Consultants as needed.Proactively communicate with relationship manager as needed to obtain additional or missing information to confirm all plan design changes.Respond to requests and questions in a timely and professional manner.Update the plan document system to prepare plan amendment.Proofread final work product to assure accuracy and professional deliverable.Ensure timely delivery of final amendment package within deadlines as set by department.Coordinate periodic follow-up for unsigned amendments.Assist with various special projects as deemed necessary by supervisor.
   
   Qualifications:
   2-3 years of related experience in qualified retirement plan environment, or related field.Excellent verbal and written communication skills.Must be highly organized with strong attention to detail and solid prioritization skills.Solid analytical, time management and problem resolution skills.Ability to work well in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with a high degree of accuracy.Must be focused and driven with the ability to manage multiple priorities with tight deadlines.Strong Microsoft OfficeAbility to work well with others in a team environment
   
   Education/Certifications:
   Bachelor's degree preferred or equivalent experience.Successful completion of ASPPA examinations/credentials a plus

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find document specialists 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 document specialists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level document specialists 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 document specialist job on Zippia to find and attract quality document specialist candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting document specialists 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.

   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.

   While interviews are great, you will only sometimes learn enough from a conversation with a document specialist applicant. In those cases, having candidates complete a test project can go a long way in figuring out who's the most likely to succeed in the role. If you aren't a technical person and don't know how to design an appropriate test, you can ask someone else on the team to create it or take a look at these websites to get a few ideas:

   • TestDome
   • CodeSignal
   • Testlify
   • BarRaiser
   • Coderbyte

   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 document specialist

   Once you've decided on a perfect document specialist 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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new document specialist. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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 document specialist?