How to hire a project support specialist

How to hire a project support specialist, step by step

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

What does a project support specialist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a project support 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

   No

   A project support specialist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, project support specialists 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.

   The following list breaks down different types of project support specialists and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Project Support Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Project Support 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	$11-35
   Project Coordinator	Project coordinators act as the liaising body between different departments involved in a specific project. They are members of the group assigned to work together for special projects or undertakings that will benefit the organization... Show more	$15-36
   Support Lead	A support lead is typically in charge of overseeing the performance of a technical support team, ensuring efficiency and customer satisfaction. Their responsibilities revolve around assessing the performance of the workforce, resolving complex issues, identifying customer needs and sales opportunities, and training new team members... Show more	$30-56

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Project Support
   • Project Management
   • Logistics
   • NASA
   • SharePoint
   • Meeting Minutes
   • Management System
   • Data Entry
   • Expense Reports
   • Access Database
   • Status Reports
   • Data Analysis
   • Project Documentation
   • Financial Reports

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage various database (SQL) to prepare reports and data sheets.
   • Develop infrastructure to enable clients to better understand and manage risks associate with their decision environment to capture opportunities.
   • Used Linux commands and scripts to maintain backups for HPP.
   • Maintain production documentation to meet ISO 9002 and QS 9000 requirements.
   • Craft and assist with intricate queries using joins, parameters, dynamic SQL, data constraints, inserts, and truncations.
   • Work with infrastructure teams in network and server provisioning, coordinate any require change management, registration/update to project tracking system.

   More project support specialist duties

3. Make a budget

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

   Average project support specialist salary

   $42,465yearly

   $20.42 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level project support specialist salary

   $24,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average project support specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New Jersey	$65,001	$31
   2	New York	$58,475	$28
   3	District of Columbia	$57,090	$27
   4	Maryland	$56,390	$27
   5	North Carolina	$54,043	$26
   6	Ohio	$53,484	$26
   7	Virginia	$52,314	$25
   8	Massachusetts	$49,823	$24
   9	Illinois	$48,716	$23
   10	California	$43,740	$21
   11	Georgia	$42,598	$20
   12	West Virginia	$40,787	$20
   13	Texas	$40,779	$20
   14	Wisconsin	$39,042	$19
   15	Nevada	$36,861	$18
   16	Indiana	$36,220	$17
   17	North Dakota	$35,781	$17
   18	Louisiana	$35,228	$17
   19	Tennessee	$31,211	$15
   20	Colorado	$30,669	$15

   Average project support specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Southern California Edison	$88,039	$42.33	10
   2	SAP	$73,076	$35.13	1
   3	Sonalysts	$72,377	$34.80	1
   4	ESPO	$70,052	$33.68
   5	ASRC Federal	$69,474	$33.40	31
   6	St. Charles Community College	$66,135	$31.80	1
   7	Analysts	$61,656	$29.64
   8	Emory University	$59,352	$28.53	2
   9	Ericsson	$55,074	$26.48
   10	ICF	$50,119	$24.10	14
   11	Edison International	$49,951	$24.01	7
   12	Kiewit	$47,807	$22.98	15
   13	Celestar	$46,446	$22.33
   14	Burroughs	$42,392	$20.38	1
   15	Mazak	$42,038	$20.21
   16	Reno, NV	$41,294	$19.85
   17	Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings	$41,286	$19.85	32
   18	Asure Software	$40,633	$19.54	6
   19	MetroPlus	$39,912	$19.19
   20	Applus Tech	$39,831	$19.15

4. Writing a project support specialist job description

   A good project support specialist job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a project support specialist job description:

   Project support specialist job description example

   The Celestar Corporation has an IMMEDIATE NEED to identify a Microsoft Project - SharePoint Support Specialist who will be seated in the Southeast DC area for this LIVE opportunity. Please review the position description below. If interested and qualified, we welcome you to apply for this challenging opportunity.
   
   CLEARANCE REQUIREMENT: None - However, you must be a US or Naturalized Citizen who can favorably Pass a National Agency Check, Law and Credit (NACLC) Investigation
   RESPONSIBILITIES
   
   * Maintains Microsoft SharePoint pages for online libraries.
   * Maintains files on Microsoft Project Server.
   * Configures and maintains Project Web App Settings, e.g. Personal, Enterprise, Queue and Database Administration, Workflow and Task Management, etc
   * Creates, edits, and deletes pages, lists, folders, libraries, documents, and calendars.
   * Analyzes existing SharePoint sites to suggest possible enhancements/upgrades and once accepted, design, build and implement approved changes.
   * Provides user training on basic functionality and evaluates current and emerging SharePoint technologies and practices.
   * Collaborates with IT operations to ensure services, system monitoring, capacity, high availability, business continuation, and disaster recovery.
   * Sets up alerts and enforces usage policies.
   * Monitors SharePoint trends (e.g. site usage and growth - disk space usage and growth).
   
   REQUIREMENTS
   
   * Two (2) - Four (4) Years of Technical Support experience
   * Must have Hands-On experience with Microsoft Project and Microsoft SharePoint
   * Must be well versed with Microsoft Office Server and Microsoft SharePoint which supports interface from Microsoft Project.
   * A demonstrated understanding of the different user types and the how they interact with Microsoft Project Server and the functionality of each, as well as how to modify permissions.
   * Demonstrated experience in SharePoint front-end administration and site development (for example, administering lists, views, web parts, etc. with Full Control).
   * Proven track record of producing professional, clear documentation throughout a complete project cycle.
   * Security+ Certification - Highly Desired
   * Must be able to work onsite in DC (SE) Monday - Friday (No Telework).
   * Must have or be able to obtain (and maintain) a government clearance.
   
   IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a Best Athlete Selection Process! Please ensure that the required and/or desired experience is reflected on your resume to receive fair and competitive consideration.
   
   Come onboard with a company that Values its Employees!
   
   Celestar, a Veteran Owned Company, is Very Competitive with Salaries and Benefits. As an example, we offer Company Paid Benefits that include Employee and Family Dental Insurance, Employee Health Insurance, Life Insurance and Short Term Disability Insurance. We also offer a 401k retirement company match, paid Holidays and Personal Time Off!

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right project support specialist 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 project support specialists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit project support specialists 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 project support specialist job on Zippia to find and recruit project support specialist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with project support 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.

   Sometimes, it's not enough to interview project support specialist candidates, so you can ask them to do a test project. If you are not a technical person and don't know what a test project should be, you can use these websites:

   • 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 project support specialist

   Once you have selected a candidate for the project support 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 project support 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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