How to hire an employment service specialist

How to hire an employment service specialist, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the employment service specialist you need to hire. Certain employment service 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

   An employment service specialist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, employment service specialists 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.

   Here's a comparison of employment service specialist salaries for various roles:

   Type of Employment Service Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Employment Service Specialist	Social and human service assistants provide client services, including support for families, in a wide variety of fields, such as psychology, rehabilitation, and social work. They assist other workers, such as social workers, and they help clients find benefits or community services.	$14-24
   Service Provider	Service providers are individuals or entities offering services to an organization and other parties. They provide storage, processing, or network services... Show more	$11-24
   Service Worker	A service worker is responsible for assisting the community welfare development by providing social services to an organization or specific individual groups, supporting their needs, and addressing their community concerns. Service workers also offer counseling services to their clients to guide them on how they manage their life crises, developing community activities and job opportunities to help citizens with their financial needs by consulting local organizations... Show more	$10-19

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Rehabilitation
   • Employment Services
   • Mental Health
   • Developmental Disabilities
   • Vocational Rehabilitation
   • Community Resources
   • Unemployment Insurance
   • Data Entry
   • Professional Work
   • Autism
   • Supportive Services
   • Career Exploration
   • Employment Outcomes
   • Competitive Employment

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead advocacy efforts to increase employment opportunities for veterans by contacting hiring executives and encourage the hiring of disable veterans.
   • Issue supportive service grants for childcare, education and transportation for TANF clients.
   • Assist in the auditing of TANF recipient records from a local contract holding agency.
   • Lead advocacy efforts to increase employment opportunities for veterans by contacting hiring executives and encourage the hiring of disable veterans.
   • Used Microsoft Powerpoint in order to create slides in order to lead client direct orientations and presentations.
   • Evaluate social, physical, mental functioning of CalWORKS clients through interviews, home visits, and work site visits.

   More employment service specialist duties

3. Make a budget

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

   Average employment service specialist salary

   $39,514yearly

   $19.00 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level employment service specialist salary

   $30,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 13, 2025

   Average employment service specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Hawaii	$57,920	$28
   2	Washington	$57,473	$28
   3	California	$51,667	$25
   4	New York	$49,425	$24
   5	Alaska	$46,987	$23
   6	Oregon	$44,279	$21
   7	Colorado	$43,423	$21
   8	Minnesota	$43,049	$21
   9	Maine	$42,669	$21
   10	Delaware	$41,396	$20
   11	Massachusetts	$41,124	$20
   12	Florida	$40,990	$20
   13	Wyoming	$40,835	$20
   14	Pennsylvania	$40,776	$20
   15	Illinois	$39,523	$19
   16	Indiana	$37,875	$18
   17	Ohio	$37,595	$18
   18	Georgia	$35,161	$17
   19	Nebraska	$35,003	$17
   20	Missouri	$34,291	$16

   Average employment service specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Deloitte	$53,062	$25.51	297
   2	The New York Foundling	$50,035	$24.06	7
   3	Community Action Partnership of Ramsey & Washington Counties	$44,974	$21.62
   4	Project Home, Inc.	$44,683	$21.48
   5	Goodwill Industries of Central Oklahoma	$44,519	$21.40
   6	San Bernardino County	$44,178	$21.24
   7	Goodwill ~ Redwood Empire	$43,997	$21.15
   8	State of West Virginia	$43,354	$20.84	22
   9	Salem-Keizer Public Schools	$42,958	$20.65	2
   10	Washington County Mental Health Services	$42,497	$20.43	7
   11	Gateway Hudson Valley	$41,941	$20.16
   12	Mental Health Systems	$41,345	$19.88	6
   13	Trinity Health	$41,132	$19.77	21
   14	Adecco	$40,955	$19.69	3
   15	Goodwill Industries of Greater Cleveland and East Central Ohio	$40,835	$19.63	3
   16	St. Louis Community College	$40,232	$19.34
   17	Goodwill of Orange County	$39,843	$19.16
   18	State of Colorado	$39,169	$18.83	5
   19	Wyoming	$38,826	$18.67	4
   20	State of Ohio	$38,650	$18.58	6

4. Writing an employment service specialist job description

   An employment service 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 employment service specialist job description:

   Employment service specialist job description example

   Goodwill Industries of Greater Cleveland and East Central Ohio is currently seeking a full-time Employment Specialist to join our Mission Services team.
   
   In this role, you will assume primary responsibility for providing services to individuals from intake through goal planning and discharge for vocational services programming.
   
   The Employment Specialist is responsible for working with individuals to match their background, skills, and interests with job openings, preparing candidates for interviews, and assisting with entry into the workforce. This individual is responsible for providing an array of vocational services to individuals at their assigned locations to facilitate skill building, job safety, and the appropriate work behavior necessary to be successful in employment.
   
   In addition to working with participants, the Employment Specialist establishes and maintains relationships with employers and public agencies in the community to facilitate learning and secure employment opportunities.
   Basic Requirements:
   
   * Bachelor's degree in education, social work, psychology, rehabilitation counseling, business, or related field preferred, or three years of experience providing vocational rehabilitation services to individuals with disabilities and/or barriers to employment and High School Diploma or equivalent.
   * Ability to complete State of Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities provider training.
   * Ability to obtain additional certifications may be required, including Certified Employment Support Professional (CESP).
   * Works a flexible and varying schedule that may include nights or weekends as determined by the needs of the individual served.
   * Ability to handle a variety of tasks that change often.
   * Ability to work independently with moderate supervision.
   * Travel is required within communities served and may include transporting the individual served as necessary.
   * Must have a valid driver's license and automotive insurance. Must regularly provide the agency with proof of valid auto insurance.
   * Certification in First Aid and CPR is required.
   
   This is a full-time, hourly position with offered benefits of Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Disability, Retirement, and Paid Time Off.
   
   Background checks and FBI/BCI checks required.
   
   Goodwill is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability status.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit employment service specialists, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   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 employment service specialist

   Once you've found the employment service specialist candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   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 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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