How to hire a forensic specialist

How to hire a forensic specialist, step by step

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

What does a forensic specialist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a forensic specialist, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   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 forensic 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 forensic specialists and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Forensic Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Forensic Specialist	Forensic science technicians aid criminal investigations by collecting and analyzing evidence. Many technicians specialize in either crime scene investigation or laboratory analysis... Show more	$15-37
   Crime Scene Technician	A crime scene technician specializes in gathering and processing evidence from crime scenes. They must visit and closely examine crime scenes, find potential clues, gather fingerprints and DNA samples, take photos and videos, recreate the crime scene through sketches or computerized models, and keep records... Show more	$15-38
   Fingerprint Technician	A Fingerprint Technician specializes in reviewing and classifying fingerprints, processing them according to their purpose. Although the extent of their responsibilities depends on their place or employment industry, it typically includes assisting clients in fingerprinting processes, facilitating fingerprint scanning methods, utilizing software to record and organize data, and maintaining an active communication line with staff for a smooth and efficient workflow... Show more	$12-28

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Social Work
   • Encase
   • Criminal Justice
   • Mental Health
   • Digital Forensics
   • Forensic Interviews
   • Incident Response
   • Crisis Intervention
   • FTK
   • Child Advocacy
   • Physical Evidence
   • Digital Evidence
   • Subpoenas
   • Data Entry

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage use and maintenance of company vehicle, surveying equip., cameras, and firearms.
   • Provide individualize intervention for problematic behaviors using TCI techniques such as de-escalation, to prevent and/or manage crisis.
   • Secure and track any DNA evidence submit for testing.
   • Examine evidence for the presence of biological material and collect potential DNA samples.
   • Provide individualize intervention for problematic behaviors using TCI techniques such as de-escalation, to prevent and/or manage crisis.
   • Assess for risk of suicide, homicide, psychosis and other safety concerns.

   More forensic specialist duties

3. Make a budget

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

   Average forensic specialist salary

   $51,653yearly

   $24.83 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level forensic specialist salary

   $33,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 2, 2026

   Average forensic specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$79,740	$38
   2	Nevada	$60,661	$29
   3	Hawaii	$59,988	$29
   4	District of Columbia	$59,964	$29
   5	Colorado	$59,192	$28
   6	Wyoming	$56,147	$27
   7	New Mexico	$56,060	$27
   8	Minnesota	$55,577	$27
   9	Texas	$54,875	$26
   10	Florida	$54,327	$26
   11	Pennsylvania	$53,584	$26
   12	New York	$53,339	$26
   13	Alabama	$50,361	$24
   14	Missouri	$47,495	$23
   15	Georgia	$42,309	$20

   Average forensic specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	QED Group	$77,359	$37.19
   2	Amyx	$64,293	$30.91
   3	Aerojet Rocketdyne	$63,077	$30.33
   4	Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Inc.	$62,385	$29.99	2
   5	Pacific Architects and Engineers	$57,412	$27.60
   6	Northrop Grumman	$57,164	$27.48
   7	ManTech	$56,226	$27.03
   8	Best Contracting Services	$55,189	$26.53
   9	NANA	$54,572	$26.24
   10	Envistacom	$53,957	$25.94
   11	The Independent Traveler	$53,454	$25.70
   12	Kansas City Police Department	$53,403	$25.67
   13	Prescient Edge	$53,325	$25.64	1
   14	City of Santa Monica	$52,645	$25.31
   15	State of Nevada Employees' Association Inc	$52,615	$25.30	13
   16	Wyoming	$48,721	$23.42	3
   17	Calhoun International	$48,524	$23.33
   18	Raytheon Technologies	$47,988	$23.07
   19	NHTC	$46,940	$22.57	1
   20	Safe Horizon	$46,589	$22.40	4

4. Writing a forensic specialist job description

   A job description for a forensic 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 forensic specialist job description:

   Forensic specialist job description example

   New Horizons is the largest mental health and addiction recovery provider on the Treasure Coast (and beyond), serving 15,000 children and adults annually through inpatient crisis services, 24-hour help line and mobile response team, and outpatient programs conveniently located across Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee and St. Lucie counties. In addition, New Horizons assists 22,000 students in area schools, and we work closely with the courts, law enforcement, jails, and hospitals to help improve the health of individuals and the quality of life in our community.
   
   We are seeking a caring and compassionate Forensic Specialist in our Forensic division to provide monitoring to forensic individuals with a mental health and or co-occurring disorders that have committed felony charges. This individual should be eager to learn and want meaningful work that offers opportunities for growth. Do you believe that your efforts can make a difference in the lives of the people we serve? This may be the opportunity for you! We offer:
   * Health Insurance (covers mental health)
   * Dental Insurance
   * Vision Insurance
   * Disability Insurance (STD; LTD)
   * Paid Time Off
   * Paid Holidays
   * Paid Sick Leave
   * Paid Training
   * Employee Assistance Program
   * Life Insurance
   * Retirement plan (403b)
   
   As a Forensic Specialist your responsibilities will include:
   
   * Monitors identified mentally ill individuals in jail at risk for commitment to the Department of Children and Families pursuant to Chapter 916, F.S.
   * Conduct Forensic activities for assigned individuals to include: service brokering, monitoring, and advocacy
   * Maintain close working relationships with local jail mental health personnel, judicial assistants in the circuit, the Office of the Public Defender, the Office of the State Attorney, and the Clerk of the Court's Office
   * Attend all scheduled court hearings involving mentally ill individuals adjudicated incompetent to proceed or not guilty by reason of insanity, including the determination of competency hearings.
   * Prepare for and discuss alternative dispositions at hearings
   * Participate in the development of the psychosocial assessment and the service/treatment plan within 30 days of admission.
   * Responsible for conducting visits to individuals within 10 days of notification of conditional release to evaluate and assist with transition to community.
   * Develop a community transition strategy for each identified client and work closely with the individual, interested family members when authorized, local mental health provider agency staff, state treatment facilities, District/region SAMH office, and placement sites
   * Conduct Forensic activities to state hospital individuals to ensure continuity of care and coordination of appropriate service provision throughout hospital admission and transition.
   * Track individuals on conditional release
   
   Requirements
   
   New Horizons will need you to have the following qualifications:
   
   * Minimum of a Bachelor's degree from an accredited university or college with major coursework in a human services field OR
   * a Bachelor's degree from an accredited university or college in an unrelated field and two (2) years human services experience
   * Two years human service experience if degree is not in Criminal Justice or Human service field.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right forensic 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 forensic specialist job on Zippia to find and recruit forensic specialist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting forensic 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.

   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 forensic specialist

   Once you've decided on a perfect forensic 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 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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How much does it cost to hire a forensic specialist?