How to hire a field interviewer

How to hire a field interviewer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step field interviewer hiring guide:

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

What does a field interviewer do?

Post a field interviewer job for free, promote it for a fee

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your field interviewer 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 field interviewer 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

   A field interviewer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, field interviewers 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.

   This list presents field interviewer salaries for various positions.

   Type of Field Interviewer	Description	Hourly rate
   Field Interviewer	Information clerks perform routine clerical duties such as maintaining records, collecting data, and providing information to customers.	$12-22
   Registration Clerk	A registration clerk is responsible for performing administrative and clerical tasks for patients' admission in a health care setting. Registration clerks assist patients with filling out hospital forms, verifying their medical histories, and confirming their insurance details... Show more	$10-18
   Admissions Clerk	An admissions clerk caters to all incoming customers, applicants, or patients in a facility. Their primary job is to handle the personal data of those customers, applicants, or patients... Show more	$11-19

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • In-Person Interviews
   • Research Projects
   • Management System
   • Laptop Computers
   • Conduct Interviews
   • GPS
   • Gain Cooperation
   • Broadband
   • Medicare
   • Commercial Buildings
   • Blood Samples
   • Capi
   • MEP
   • Blood Pressure

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Work with and lead operators, effectively conveying information, ensuring successful wireline operation performance.
   • Create assembly and layout drawings using AutoCAD and DeedCheck technology.
   • Perform Geotechnical field work, soil collection, and grind water monitoring.
   • Document nest locations using GPS/range finders and enter to ArcView or ArcGIS.
   • Render CPR and emergency first aid and assist in deciding appropriate treatment level.
   • Create and track cases in Salesforce to make sure all issues are resolve.

   More field interviewer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your field interviewer job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A field interviewer can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, field interviewers' average salary in mississippi is 43% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level field interviewers 47% less than senior-level field interviewers.
   • Certifications. A field interviewer with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a field interviewer's salary.

   Average field interviewer salary

   $16.64hourly

   $34,621 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level field interviewer salary

   $25,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

   Average field interviewer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Connecticut	$41,473	$20
   2	New Hampshire	$40,988	$20
   3	District of Columbia	$39,979	$19
   4	New York	$39,747	$19
   5	Massachusetts	$39,466	$19
   6	Rhode Island	$38,146	$18
   7	Minnesota	$37,937	$18
   8	New Jersey	$37,849	$18
   9	Washington	$37,481	$18
   10	California	$37,444	$18
   11	Maryland	$36,440	$18
   12	Wisconsin	$35,870	$17
   13	Illinois	$35,651	$17
   14	Michigan	$34,875	$17
   15	Delaware	$34,625	$17
   16	Pennsylvania	$34,585	$17
   17	Oregon	$34,539	$17
   18	Hawaii	$33,655	$16
   19	Colorado	$32,816	$16
   20	Indiana	$32,591	$16

   Average field interviewer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Westat	$42,601	$20.48	278
   2	RTI International Metals	$36,547	$17.57	6
   3	Mathematica	$35,953	$17.29
   4	NORC at the University of Chicago	$33,717	$16.21
   5	Nielsen Holdings	$33,502	$16.11	46
   6	Headway Workforce Solutions	$33,426	$16.07	3
   7	Johns Hopkins University	$32,179	$15.47
   8	West Virginia University	$31,922	$15.35	1
   9	Remedy Intelligent Staffing	$31,482	$15.14
   10	Chestnut Health Systems	$27,196	$13.07	3

4. Writing a field interviewer job description

   A field interviewer 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 field interviewer job description:

   Field interviewer job description example

   Westat is currently seeking motivated and detail-oriented individuals in Queens County to work as Field Interviewers for the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), a continuing, national study of healthcare costs and usage in the United States.
   
   This Federal Government project is subject to the Service Contract Act (SCA). The hourly rate for this position is determined by the location where work is performed. The hourly rate for this location is $22.46. In addition to hourly pay, a Health and Welfare payment of $4.41, which may be reduced based on group benefit election, will be paid weekly for up to 40 work hours per week. Paid training. While working in the field, travel time and mileage is reimbursed.
   
   MEPS, a continuing study since 1996, is sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, a part of the Department of Health and Human Services. Field Interviewers are responsible for contacting these households in-person and/or by phone to gain cooperation - setting appointments, conducting interviews in-person using a Westat-provided laptop computer, and collecting MEPS-related electronically signed and/or hard-copy documents. Field Interviewers report regularly to a field supervisor, complete and submit administrative paperwork, and comply with data security and confidentiality requirements.
   Interested in more information about MEPS? Click here.
   
   Protecting the health and safety of our employees and survey participants is a top priority for Westat. Based on recommendations from the CDC and other public health authorities, we require staff to protect and monitor their health while working on their assignment. The use of personal protective equipment, regular testing for COVID-19, or other screening activities is required. As a Federal Government contractor, Westat will require staff to provide proof that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 upon hire, and to follow all safety protocols, subject to approved accommodations under applicable law.
   
   Basic Requirements:
   Candidates must:
   Be 18 or older (or an emancipated minor) with the ability to enter binding confidentiality agreements to protect project information; Be available to complete a mandatory, paid web-based home study training prior to in-person training; Be available to travel on January 18, 2023, and complete a five-and-a-half-day, in-person training that begins on January 19 and ends on January 24; Be available to complete additional web-based training, including a practice computer-assisted video interview (CAVI), immediately following the in-person training.
   
   Minimum Requirements:
   Reside in and travel to the geographic location determined by the project to contact the households in your assignment and to conduct in-person interviews; Be available to work a minimum of 20 hours per week, including daytime, evening, and weekend hours, based on the preferences of the households in your assignment; Complete a minimum of four interviews per week when work is available, until the assignment is complete; Be able to meet the physical requirements of the position, with or without reasonable accommodations: Lift and carry 20 pounds of equipment and materials; Walk several blocks; and Climb stairs while carrying equipment to gain entry to sampled households. Have regular and reliable access to a secure high-speed internet connection for data transmission and virtual meetings, during the training and data collection periods; Have regular and reliable access to an insured vehicle under your name. Work-related mileage is reimbursed at the prevailing GSA rate; and Have a valid (current) driver's license that is not under suspension.
   
   Preferred Criteria
   Have in-person interviewing and/or CAVI experience; Have public contact and/or cold-calling experience; and Be comfortable working in unfamiliar locations, knocking on doors, and communicating with people from all kinds of backgrounds and socio-economic groups.
   
   MS Teams or Zoom may be used to conduct interviews with candidates for this position.
   
   Residents of New York City, NY, and Philadelphia, PA, must apply to the location-specific requisition.
   
   This is a part-time non-exempt position not initially eligible for health insurance. This position is eligible for overtime pay, sick leave, paid vacation, and holiday leave, and may qualify for the Family and Medical Leave Act based on hours worked. Upon successful completion of this assignment, you will be eligible for consideration for reassignment on other Westat field data collection projects if they become available.
   
   Westat is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, citizenship status, genetic information, gender identity or expression, or any other protected status under applicable law.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting field interviewers 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 field interviewer

   Once you have selected a candidate for the field interviewer 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 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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