How to hire a field specialist

How to hire a field specialist, step by step

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

What does a field specialist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The field 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

   No

   Hiring the perfect field 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.

   This list presents field specialist salaries for various positions.

   Type of Field Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Field Specialist	Computer support specialists provide help and advice to people and organizations using computer software or equipment. Some, called computer network support specialists, support information technology (IT) employees within their organization... Show more	$14-38

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Troubleshoot
   • Work Ethic
   • Service Calls
   • Safety Procedures
   • OSHA
   • Technical Support
   • PowerPoint
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • CDL
   • ESP
   • HSE
   • Customer Relations
   • Product Knowledge

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage the development and employment of images for operational workstations.
   • Recommend solids-control processes to ensure economic removal and supervise rig personnel performing chemical additions and recording drilling fluid parameters.
   • Ensure correct mud systems are ran with the correct properties to maintain wellbore stability.
   • Train personnel on MWD and LWD operations; ensure all safety and service quality policies are follow.
   • Facilitate Oxy pre spud inspections.
   • Insure that contractor personnel follow all Oxy policies.

   More field specialist duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, field specialists' average salary in alaska is 41% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level field specialists 63% less than senior-level field specialists.
   • Certifications. A field specialist 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 specialist's salary.

   Average field specialist salary

   $49,496yearly

   $23.80 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level field specialist salary

   $30,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average field specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$66,493	$32
   2	Texas	$62,766	$30
   3	Louisiana	$61,478	$30
   4	Pennsylvania	$60,342	$29
   5	Massachusetts	$60,139	$29
   6	Oklahoma	$55,805	$27
   7	Minnesota	$53,240	$26
   8	New York	$51,854	$25
   9	Michigan	$50,391	$24
   10	Wisconsin	$50,145	$24
   11	Oregon	$49,965	$24
   12	Washington	$49,695	$24
   13	North Dakota	$49,309	$24
   14	Florida	$49,268	$24
   15	Illinois	$48,137	$23
   16	Maryland	$47,768	$23
   17	North Carolina	$47,671	$23
   18	Colorado	$45,925	$22
   19	Ohio	$45,107	$22
   20	Nebraska	$41,050	$20

   Average field specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	LUFKIN Industries	$98,440	$47.33	2
   2	Westinghouse Appliances Australia	$82,396	$39.61	24
   3	Rivian	$79,631	$38.28	66
   4	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute	$78,474	$37.73	1
   5	Agilent Technologies	$78,471	$37.73	8
   6	Baker Hughes	$77,180	$37.11	58
   7	Schlumberger	$75,789	$36.44	14
   8	Morgan Stanley	$75,622	$36.36
   9	SSOE Group	$75,490	$36.29
   10	Halliburton	$75,166	$36.14	7
   11	VIVA USA	$74,171	$35.66
   12	HNTB	$73,331	$35.26	42
   13	Duquesne Light Company	$70,024	$33.67	2
   14	CLEAResult	$69,755	$33.54	13
   15	General Electric	$69,068	$33.21	77
   16	Weatherford International	$68,678	$33.02	4
   17	Harsco	$68,100	$32.74	1
   18	RadianceTechnologies	$67,529	$32.47	1
   19	Patterson-UTI Energy	$66,966	$32.20	16
   20	Building & Earth	$66,939	$32.18	15

4. Writing a field specialist job description

   A job description for a field specialist role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a field specialist job description:

   Field specialist job description example

   Augustine Consulting, Inc. is a professional services provider of engineering and technical services to the United States Government. We seek an experienced Parachute Logistics Fielding Specialist (Fielding and Equipment Training) to serve as a part of the Company's Technical Services team in support of PM SSV T-11/T-11 R and MC-6 Advanced Tactical Parachute System (ATPS).
   
   This position is Part-time on call requiring one to two weeks of work per month.
   Duties and Responsibilities:
   Provide technical expertise to support engineering assessment of personnel air drop items. Assist Government personnel with on-site inspection of personnel parachutes during production lot inspections at manufacturer's facilities (Mills, Asheville, NC and Airborne Systems at Santa Anna, CA). Visually inspect each component of these systems, measure pre-determined features on each component, document the findings on the inspection sheets provided by the Government to ensure compliance to the Technical Data Package (TDP) and present findings to the Government representative leading the inspection.
   A Parachute Logistics Fielding Specialist who fits our team is:
   Dynamic: contributes energy and enthusiasm to our daily tasks, to the team's interactions, and to the Company's mission. Thorough: possesses an unparalleled work ethic; produces complete, even polished products; persistent; mission-focused; asks "Why?" as often as necessary to get to the root of the matter. Mature: respects others' opinions, beliefs, and culture; listens to ideas, shares thoughts, and works independently and together to contribute insights to the company's leaders. Forthright: speaks with conviction; argues based on understanding, respectfully. Inquisitive: seeks deeper explanations of how systems work, not the surface-level description of the actors involved; goes beyond "stick-fetching" to connect the unconnected. Timely: shows up, ready to think, prepared to get on with the day's assignments; contributes analytical insights that meet time-sensitive, reasonable requests. Honest: knows what's right, what's legal, what's appropriate; acts accordingly.
   Required Qualifications:
   Bachelor's degree and 10 years' relevant experience (airdrop positions exempt from Bachelor's degree requirement). Must be a U.S. citizen. Prior jump certification - as required. Competency in communication, leadership, team and risk management. Must have the ability to communicate with executive management to ensure program related issues are addressed. Have the ability to think and act independently in a distributed work situation. Must possess a SECRET clearance.
   Preferred Qualifications:
   A thorough understanding of operating a computer, which includes Microsoft Office 365 Suite of applications. Possess the ability to work effectively in a team environment.
   Augustine Consulting, Inc. offers a robust benefits package which includes:
   Competitive salary Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision plans Group Life and Voluntary Life Insurance plans Retirement Savings Plan Paid Time Off Tuition Reimbursement Program
   Augustine Consulting, Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, marital status, veteran status, disability status or any protected category prohibited by local, state or federal laws.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right field specialist for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your field specialist job on Zippia to find and attract quality field specialist candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with field specialist candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of 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.

   While interviews are great, you will only sometimes learn enough from a conversation with a field 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 field specialist

   Once you have selected a candidate for the field specialist 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 good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new field specialist. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are 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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How much does it cost to hire a field specialist?