What does a forensic specialist do?
Forensic Specialists analyze and evaluate physical evidence using different analysis methods like chemical, instrumental, microscopic, and physical. They are sometimes required to work with blood and other biological fluids, hair, gunshot residue, etc. Forensic Specialist duties depend on their area of expertise. Some specialists spend their days in a lab; others spend their visiting crime scenes searching for evidence. No matter what specialization they're in, their core responsibilities are to collect, document, preserve, test, and report evidence that is then submitted to those in charge of the case.
Forensic specialist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real forensic specialist resumes:
- 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.
- Work closely with paraprofessionals and clinical/professional staff to maintain communication and provide feedback, standardize procedure and expedite PCP implementation.
Forensic specialist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 10% of Forensic Specialists are proficient in Social Work, Encase, and Criminal Justice. They’re also known for soft skills such as Detail oriented, Math and science skills, and Problem-solving skills.
We break down the percentage of Forensic Specialists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Social Work, 10%
Assisted families with intellectually disabled children; intervened in behavioral crisis components; created family goals in conjunction with social workers.
- Encase, 8%
Perform data reduction with denisting/filtering in EnCase and export for processing team to process the culled data.
- Criminal Justice, 8%
Worked mutually with local criminal justice system to implement sentence alternatives and sanctions.
- Mental Health, 6%
Testified before Circuit 3 and 8 Judges in regular misdemeanor and felony courts, Mental Health Court, and Felony Forensics.
- Digital Forensics, 5%
Performed hundreds of digital forensics investigations in support of EMC's Office of General Counsel.
- Forensic Interviews, 5%
Provide high quality forensic interviews for children that have allegations of maltreatment to gain information for an investigation.
Common skills that a forensic specialist uses to do their job include "social work," "encase," and "criminal justice." You can find details on the most important forensic specialist responsibilities below.
Detail oriented. The most essential soft skill for a forensic specialist to carry out their responsibilities is detail oriented. This skill is important for the role because "forensic science technicians must be able to notice small changes in mundane objects to be good at collecting and analyzing evidence." Additionally, a forensic specialist resume shows how their duties depend on detail oriented: "conduct interviews with family, police, ems and write a detailed death investigation report;. "
Math and science skills. Many forensic specialist duties rely on math and science skills. "forensic science technicians need a solid understanding of statistics and natural sciences to be able to analyze evidence.," so a forensic specialist will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways forensic specialist responsibilities rely on math and science skills: "created & performed media presentations for mediations and litigation. "
Problem-solving skills. This is an important skill for forensic specialists to perform their duties. For an example of how forensic specialist responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "forensic science technicians use scientific tests and methods to help law enforcement officials solve crimes." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a forensic specialist: "addressed co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders with motivational interviewing, cognitive-behavioral, and solution-focused strategies. ".
Communication skills. A big part of what forensic specialists do relies on "communication skills." You can see how essential it is to forensic specialist responsibilities because "forensic science technicians write reports and testify in court." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical forensic specialist tasks: "supervised visits between non-custodial parents and their children to improve communication and attachment. "
The three companies that hire the most forensic specialists are:
- Pacific Architects and Engineers
7 forensic specialists jobs
- Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Inc.4 forensic specialists jobs
- Amyx3 forensic specialists jobs
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Compare different forensic specialists
Forensic specialist vs. Latent fingerprint examiner
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between forensic specialists and latent fingerprint examiner. For instance, forensic specialist responsibilities require skills such as "social work," "encase," "mental health," and "digital forensics." Whereas a latent fingerprint examiner is skilled in "identification system," "fingerprint cards," "ncic," and "iai." This is part of what separates the two careers.
The education levels that latent fingerprint examiners earn slightly differ from forensic specialists. In particular, latent fingerprint examiners are 15.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a forensic specialist. Additionally, they're 1.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Forensic specialist vs. Ballistic technician
Each career also uses different skills, according to real forensic specialist resumes. While forensic specialist responsibilities can utilize skills like "social work," "encase," "criminal justice," and "mental health," ballistic technicians use skills like "r," "bullet," "ammunition," and "atf."
Average education levels between the two professions vary. Ballistic technicians tend to reach lower levels of education than forensic specialists. In fact, they're 20.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Forensic specialist vs. Evidence technician
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a forensic specialist is likely to be skilled in "social work," "encase," "mental health," and "digital forensics," while a typical evidence technician is skilled in "crime lab," "ncic," "hazardous materials," and "transport evidence."
Evidence technicians earn the highest salary when working in the government industry, where they receive an average salary of $46,518. Comparatively, forensic specialists have the highest earning potential in the government industry, with an average salary of $52,710.Most evidence technicians achieve a lower degree level compared to forensic specialists. For example, they're 13.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Forensic specialist vs. Dna analyst
Types of forensic specialist
Updated January 8, 2025
