How to hire a records specialist

How to hire a records specialist, step by step

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

What does a records specialist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a records 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 records specialist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, records 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 records specialists and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Records Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Records Specialist	Medical records and health information technicians, commonly referred to as health information technicians, organize and manage health information data. They ensure its quality, accuracy, accessibility, and security in both paper and electronic systems... Show more	$12-20
   Health Information Technician	A health information technician is primarily responsible for managing and handling patient information, ensuring accuracy and confidentiality. They coordinate with various health care workers to gather patient data, laboratory results, test findings, and medical histories, encoding them in clinical databases in a timely and efficient manner... Show more	$12-21
   Medical Service Technician	A medical service technician provides health care and treatments to patients under the supervision or directives of a more experienced physician. Most of their responsibilities revolve around assessing a patient's condition, administering required aid, diagnosing patients, conducting check-ups, and counseling patients... Show more	$11-29

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Data Entry
   • Office Equipment
   • Word Processing
   • Database Systems
   • Management System
   • EHR
   • Criminal History
   • Computer System
   • EMR
   • HR
   • FERPA
   • Police Reports
   • Law Enforcement Agencies

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Develop numerous SQL scripts/queries for monitoring and managing the system.
   • Manage thousands of cases for several firms with deadlines for depositions while ensuring accuracy, confidentiality, and HIPAA compliance.
   • Train and mentore employees in EDMS.
   • Process project records for retention in EDMS.
   • Represent DOJ at an ODNI language training conference.
   • Liaise with GIS group to resolve mapping issues.

   More records specialist duties

3. Make a budget

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

   Average records specialist salary

   $16.00hourly

   $33,273 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level records specialist salary

   $26,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average records specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$40,336	$19
   2	Oregon	$39,666	$19
   3	Massachusetts	$39,341	$19
   4	Maryland	$39,324	$19
   5	Washington	$38,056	$18
   6	Wisconsin	$37,258	$18
   7	New York	$37,143	$18
   8	Alaska	$35,351	$17
   9	Colorado	$35,338	$17
   10	District of Columbia	$35,083	$17
   11	Montana	$34,716	$17
   12	Arizona	$33,402	$16
   13	Iowa	$33,271	$16
   14	South Carolina	$32,643	$16
   15	Virginia	$32,457	$16
   16	Idaho	$32,202	$15
   17	Missouri	$31,615	$15
   18	Ohio	$30,815	$15
   19	Utah	$30,804	$15
   20	Oklahoma	$30,529	$15

   Average records specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Mt. San Antonio College	$57,309	$27.55
   2	King County	$46,894	$22.55	2
   3	Epiq	$46,459	$22.34	5
   4	Dana-Farber Cancer Institute	$46,173	$22.20
   5	Salt Lake County	$44,905	$21.59	1
   6	City of Palm Bay	$44,413	$21.35
   7	Ohlone College	$44,237	$21.27
   8	Medical University of South Carolina	$43,459	$20.89	2
   9	Dairy Farmers of America	$42,885	$20.62
   10	McGuireWoods	$42,294	$20.33	7
   11	Polk County Sheriff's Office	$41,977	$20.18
   12	Washington County	$41,606	$20.00
   13	Jacobs Engineering Group	$41,127	$19.77
   14	Forum Extended Care Services	$40,553	$19.50
   15	UMass Lowell	$40,383	$19.41	1
   16	City of Tacoma	$40,296	$19.37
   17	Pfizer	$40,003	$19.23
   18	Iowa Department of Transportation	$39,981	$19.22
   19	Arapahoe County	$39,962	$19.21
   20	West Pharmaceutical Services	$39,789	$19.13

4. Writing a records specialist job description

   A records specialist 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. Below, you can find an example of a records specialist job description:

   Records specialist job description example

   This is a partially remote job (hybrid) with 3 days per week onsite and 2 days per week remote. The position will be fully onsite during the initial training period (approximately 60 days).
   
   Located in Boston and the surrounding communities, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is a leader in life changing breakthroughs in cancer research and patient care. We are united in our mission of conquering cancer, HIV/AIDS and related diseases. We strive to create an inclusive, diverse, and equitable environment where we provide compassionate and comprehensive care to patients of all backgrounds, and design programs to promote public health particularly among high-risk and underserved populations. We conduct groundbreaking research that advances treatment, we educate tomorrow's physician/researchers, and we work with amazing partners, including other Harvard Medical School-affiliated hospitals.
   
   Uses electronic tracking systems to thoroughly document progress in all tasks, including retrieval of pertinent patient materials.
   
   Uses standard processes and protocols to monitor and follow up with patients, hospitals, and other parties on materials status.
   
   Collaborates with fellow Records Specialists and New Patient Coordinators to ensure seamless coverage and task management in times of full and partial staffing levels; This may include assisting with registering, scheduling, or performing other tasks that are typically the responsibilities of the New Patient Coordinators.
   
   Maintains standard communication with DFCI clinical and support staff with regard to status of patient materials.
   
   Assists in processing paperwork and completing administrative tasks associated with clinical care including managing materials requests, orders, and records uploading.
   
   Responds to emails and manages other requests as appropriate for new patients. This includes the responsibility to relay detailed clinical information provided by patients, internal/external providers, and others such as staff from ancillary services.
   
   Resolves problems independently, ensures continuous communication with New Patient Coordinators, and appropriately escalates issues to management.
   Possesses a level of independence requiring knowledge of multiple disease specific programs. Provides administrative support and coordination for all aspects of patient care for new patients, primarily focused on supporting materials management. Triages issues and answering general questions, with the goal of resolving requests in real time. Recognizes emergencies and appropriately responds using standard operating procedures and critical thinking skills. Serves as a liaison for patients including efficient routing of calls per telephone triage guidelines. Can comprehend and implement new concepts or modifications to processes requests quickly. Ensures quality clinical care and adherence to standard operating procedures and compliance requirements. Schedules appointments following guidelines that support continuity of care and a high standard of timely communication and rescheduling as necessary. Appropriately arranges resources and materials to support the patient experience and visit for new patients, i.e. review and organize medical records, coordinate receipt of tissue, ensure patient hand carries CDs into appointment, ensure receipt of new patient appointment packet. Answers telephone calls, responds to emails, and manages other referral inputs, as appropriate for new patients. This includes the responsibility to collect detailed clinical information provided by patients, internal/external providers, and others such as staff from ancillary services, and either resolve problems directly or ensure appropriate escalation to management. Provides program specific information to callers and refers calls as necessary. Assists in processing paperwork associated with clinical care including: managing materials requests, signing up for EMR portal. Assists in the training of new staff. Other duties as required. At Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, we work every day to create an innovative, caring, and inclusive environment where every patient, family, and staff member feels they belong. As relentless as we are in our mission to reduce the burden of cancer for all, we are equally committed to diversifying our faculty and staff. Cancer knows no boundaries and when it comes to hiring the most dedicated and diverse professionals, neither do we. If working in this kind of organization inspires you, we encourage you to apply. A Bachelor's Degree in health administration or related field is strongly preferred , and/or a minimum of 1 year of related health care and/or customer service experience. Knowledge of medical terminology is a plus Ability to function as an integral member of the team Excellent communication, organizational, and customer service skills Strong attention to detail Must possess the ability to multi-task and problem solve on the spot Excellent phone etiquette Ability to work productively in a remote environment PC proficiency required Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is an equal opportunity employer and affirms the right of every qualified applicant to receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, national origin, sexual orientation, genetic information, disability, age, ancestry, military service, protected veteran status, or other groups as protected by law.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find records specialists for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any records specialists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level records specialists with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   To find records specialist candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit records specialists, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up 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 records specialist

   Once you've found the records specialist candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new records specialist. 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 records specialist?