How to hire a geneticist

How to hire a geneticist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step geneticist hiring guide:

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

What does a geneticist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the geneticist you need to hire. Certain geneticist 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

   A geneticist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, geneticists 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 geneticist salaries for various roles:

   Type of Geneticist	Description	Hourly rate
   Geneticist		$14-58

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Development Process
   • PCR
   • Disease Resistance
   • Genetic Data
   • Genetic Analysis

   Responsibilities:

   • Assist in design and set-up of SNP analysis system on Linux computer.
   • Design and test PCR primers; improve PCR techniques for maximum yield from primers.
   • Specialize in a number of genomics projects particularly in the creation of low- and high-density SNP chips and their analysis.
   • Perform radioactive PCR and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis for SSR discovery.
   • Develop first interactive animal colony database at NIDA-IRP using FileMaker software.
   • Develop of an inexpensive genotyping by next generation sequencing assay that result in a patent application.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your geneticist job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A geneticist salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a geneticist in Iowa may be lower than in Alaska, and an entry-level geneticist usually earns less than a senior-level geneticist. Additionally, a geneticist with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average geneticist salary

   $61,396yearly

   $29.52 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level geneticist salary

   $30,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average geneticist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$79,808	$38
   2	Massachusetts	$79,583	$38
   3	Maryland	$78,280	$38
   4	District of Columbia	$77,129	$37
   5	New Hampshire	$76,519	$37
   6	Ohio	$74,468	$36
   7	Arizona	$69,440	$33
   8	North Carolina	$64,895	$31
   9	South Carolina	$63,007	$30
   10	New Jersey	$62,981	$30
   11	Minnesota	$61,476	$30
   12	Missouri	$58,905	$28
   13	Utah	$58,860	$28
   14	Nebraska	$58,726	$28
   15	Florida	$57,215	$28
   16	Georgia	$56,743	$27
   17	Tennessee	$56,626	$27
   18	Texas	$56,620	$27
   19	Colorado	$56,409	$27
   20	Washington	$56,405	$27

   Average geneticist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Children's Minnesota	$151,283	$72.73	1
   2	OSF HealthCare	$112,489	$54.08	1
   3	Baystate Health	$105,032	$50.50
   4	Cook Children's Medical Center	$94,838	$45.60	7
   5	Dayton Children's Hospital	$90,001	$43.27	1
   6	University of California-Berkeley	$85,818	$41.26
   7	Syngenta	$85,394	$41.05
   8	Wentworth-Douglass Hospital	$84,624	$40.68
   9	Akron Children's Hospital	$84,172	$40.47	2
   10	University Of Minnesota Physicians	$83,054	$39.93	1
   11	Mercy Children's Hospital	$81,240	$39.06
   12	Myriad Genetics	$81,178	$39.03	1
   13	Health Alliance	$81,114	$39.00
   14	St. Peter's Health	$77,314	$37.17	2
   15	Phoenix Children's	$77,234	$37.13
   16	Castle Medical	$76,284	$36.67
   17	Rutgers University	$75,746	$36.42	129
   18	Corteva	$74,674	$35.90
   19	Cobb-Vantress	$74,037	$35.59
   20	Cleveland Clinic	$73,533	$35.35	42

4. Writing a geneticist job description

   A geneticist 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 geneticist job description:

   Geneticist job description example

   Since The Community Health Clinic (CHC) opened in 2013, over 700 patients have benefited from its clinical genetics services. The CHC is located in Topeka, Indiana. Topeka is a one hour drive from Fort Wayne and South Bend and two to three hours from larger cities like Chicago, Indianapolis, and Ann Arbor.
   
   The CHC is part of a consortium of clinics dedicated to providing care to the Plain Community, an otherwise underserved population. These clinics are located in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Wisconsin and are predicated upon providing accessible and affordable care to a population that otherwise experiences barriers to healthcare. For more information about the CHC and its model of care, www.indianachc.org. The CHC is seeking a Physician Geneticist interested in treating children with metabolic and genetic disorders. This position offers two unique opportunities: first, specialized training and support in establishing a medical program with clinical and molecular research components; and second, access to an insular, homogenous, medically underserved population willing to contribute to the body of genetic research for the sake of the local and global community.
   
   Successful candidates will have or wish to develop experience in diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of children with chronic and complex diseases. Desired personal qualities include compassion, gentleness, and a respect for cultural differences. Work for a well-funded clinic providing innovative, accessible, community-oriented specialized care and research coordination for the high proportion of children and families affected by rare genetic disorders in Plain populations.
   Qualifications
   
   • Board eligible/board certified in Clinical Genetics or Biochemical/Molecular Genetics.
   
   • Experience or desire to develop experience in diagnosing, evaluating, and treating children with chronic and complex diseases
   
   • Personal qualities of compassion, cultural sensitivity, and gentleness
   
   Benefits
   
   • Full-time; predominantly daytime outpatient care with rare inpatient service at local hospitals
   
   • Highly competitive salary
   
   • Long- and short-term disability
   
   • 401k package
   
   • Generous vacation time and paid holidays
   
   • Malpractice insurance
   
   • CME
   
   • Potential for educational loan repayment
   
   Employment assistance program for significant other
   
   The Community Health Clinic is an equal opportunity employer.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with geneticist 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.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to 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 geneticist

   Once you've selected the best geneticist candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the 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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new geneticist. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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 geneticist?