How to hire an electrical specialist

How to hire an electrical specialist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step electrical specialist hiring guide:

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

What does an electrical specialist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The electrical specialist 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

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   Hiring the perfect electrical specialist 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.

   The following list breaks down different types of electrical specialists and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Electrical Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Electrical Specialist	Electrical and electronics engineering technicians help engineers design and develop computers, communications equipment, medical monitoring devices, navigational equipment, and other electrical and electronic equipment. They often work in product evaluation and testing, using measuring and diagnostic devices to adjust, test, and repair equipment... Show more	$25-50
   Results Technician	The duties of a Results Technician primarily depend on their line of work or industry of employment. Usually, their responsibilities revolve around conducting tests and assessments based on project guidelines, gathering and reviewing data, performing research and analyses, producing progress reports, and utilizing the research findings to develop and recommend strategies according to project objectives... Show more	$17-32
   Industrial Electrician	An Industrial Electrician installs, maintains, and repairs electrical systems in industrial facilities. They are usually part of a construction team to put in and check new equipment and systems.	$22-39

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Electrical Equipment
   • PLC
   • Electrical Systems
   • Control Systems
   • Transformers
   • Ladders
   • Safety Procedures
   • Ac
   • Dc
   • Hand Tools
   • Electrical Components
   • Plant Equipment
   • Distribution Systems
   • Electrical Troubleshooting

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage load/unload operations for rail base raw material (HDPE and PPE feedstock) delivery.
   • Climb ladders and utility poles.
   • Install control distribution apparatus, such as switches, relays and circuit breaker panels.
   • Assemble DC drives, electronic motion control finish product, wiring harnesses and cables.
   • License electrical contractor with extensive knowledge of electrical field work and NEC / NYS electric codes.
   • Mount motors, transformers, and lighting fixtures into position and complete circuits according to diagram specifications.

   More electrical specialist duties

3. Make a budget

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

   Average electrical specialist salary

   $75,131yearly

   $36.12 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level electrical specialist salary

   $54,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average electrical specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$89,623	$43
   2	Texas	$72,766	$35
   3	Michigan	$71,184	$34
   4	Arizona	$70,211	$34
   5	Connecticut	$70,206	$34
   6	Washington	$69,320	$33
   7	Virginia	$69,171	$33
   8	Colorado	$68,594	$33
   9	New Jersey	$65,745	$32
   10	Massachusetts	$65,391	$31
   11	Iowa	$63,618	$31
   12	Illinois	$62,963	$30
   13	Maryland	$62,549	$30
   14	Wisconsin	$62,248	$30
   15	Oregon	$61,723	$30
   16	New York	$60,288	$29
   17	Pennsylvania	$59,647	$29
   18	Missouri	$57,897	$28
   19	Florida	$55,925	$27
   20	Maine	$44,513	$21

   Average electrical specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Occidental Petroleum	$93,581	$44.99	7
   2	Halliburton	$93,024	$44.72	1
   3	PBF Energy	$88,161	$42.39	1
   4	General Atomics	$86,164	$41.42	22
   5	Kao Brands	$84,193	$40.48
   6	Randstad North America, Inc.	$83,873	$40.32
   7	Salt River Project	$83,578	$40.18
   8	Cornerstone Chemical	$83,554	$40.17
   9	ALTIVIA	$82,385	$39.61
   10	Burns & McDonnell	$81,748	$39.30	206
   11	Aerojet Rocketdyne	$80,600	$38.75
   12	Sika	$80,458	$38.68
   13	Whirlpool	$79,999	$38.46	1
   14	Molson Coors	$79,940	$38.43	6
   15	Gregory Poole	$79,477	$38.21
   16	Cargill	$79,293	$38.12	5
   17	Alstom	$79,185	$38.07	2
   18	CVR Energy	$79,156	$38.06
   19	Florida Power & Light	$78,748	$37.86
   20	Jacobs Engineering Group	$78,083	$37.54

4. Writing an electrical specialist job description

   An electrical specialist 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 an electrical specialist job description:

   Electrical specialist job description example

   PBF Energy Inc. (NYSE:PBF) is one of the largest independent refiners in North America, operating, through its subsidiaries, oil refineries and related facilities. We are a growing organization seeking a talented Electrical Specialist to join our team as a pivotal member here at PBF Energy. This role is located at Torrance Refining Company in Torrance, CA.
   
   The Electrical Specialist provides guidance to operation on how to safely use electrical equipment and systems to operate the operation units. He or she must be familiar with refinery electrical systems, interact professionally with cross-functional teams, and be involved as a team member in issue resolution, such as inappropriateness of standard material. This position works in complete coordination with the Reliability Electrical Engineer and reports to the Electrical Reliability Supervisor. The Electrical Specialist is the hands-on technical expert in the field of electrical engineering and must be aware of the various difficult phases of projects.
   PRINCIPLE RESPONSIBILITIES
   Interacts daily with the Electrical Reliability Engineer and other members of the Reliability department to execute technical requirements Administrates the various phases of electrical jobs to be executed by craft workers and contractors Provides expertise and knowledge on electrical systems ranging from 480 V to 12,000 VStudies and executes the applied electrical engineering procedures/specifications Applies the latest procedures to overcome any drawbacks/incoherence in the execution of work and ensure a smooth workflow Recognizes and rectifies defects during troubleshooting Assists the Capital Project Management team during the various stages of preparation, scheming, enhancement, and experimenting Accompanies and oversee the work of vendors Keeps documents updated and stored properly Assists in procurement of parts and ensuring preventive maintenance scheduling and execution is completed during specified timeframes Maintains a strong working relationship with Electrical Maintenance Craft
   
   JOB QUALIFICATIONS
   15 years of hands-on electrical work experience required10+ years of refinery or related industry experience preferred Willingness to learn Ability to work under pressure and handle call outs after hours Ability to handle multiple projects/tasks at once Ability to recognize problems and work out solutions jointly with the Electrical Reliability EngineerStrong safety focus with demonstrated knowledge of code requirements, including OSHA and Process Safety Management.
   
   This description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee.
   
   PBF Energy will only consider the candidates that meet the above requirement(s). Candidates should include their salary requirements in order to be seriously considered for this position.
   
   Thanks to all candidates for being interested in careers offered at PBF Energy. Only the candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. Placement agencies or third-party recruiters need not respond.
   
   PBF Energy is an equal opportunity employer. This position is subject to federally mandated drug/alcohol testing.

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5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit electrical specialists, 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.

   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 electrical specialist

   Once you've decided on a perfect electrical 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.

   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 electrical 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 an electrical specialist?