How to hire a research specialist

How to hire a research specialist, step by step

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

What does a research specialist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a research 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

   Hiring the perfect research 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.

   This list shows salaries for various types of research specialists.

   Type of Research Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Research Specialist	Market research analysts study market conditions to examine potential sales of a product or service. They help companies understand what products people want, who will buy them, and at what price.	$16-37
   Research Manager	A Research Manager performs research, data collection, and economic, statistical, and demographic analysis. They also determine and implement research and development strategies, policies, and plans.	$24-63
   Research Consultant	A research consultant is a professional who is responsible for collecting and analyzing multiple types of data across a variety of formats and present research reports for research and analytics companies, public institutions, and private businesses. Research consultants are required to design research strategies to complete the needs of research projects as well as create a basic plan of action for finding data... Show more	$28-55

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Data Collection
   • Patients
   • Research Projects
   • Data Analysis
   • Molecular Biology
   • Cell Culture
   • PI
   • Media Preparation
   • Analyze Data
   • Data Entry
   • Laboratory Equipment
   • Customer Service
   • RNA
   • Technical Support

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage both GLP and non-GLP studies that are contracted to CROs.
   • Create weekly presentations using Microsoft PowerPoint and manage monthly board meetings.
   • Manage social media publications to spread awareness and notifications on Facebook.
   • Assist in surgical procedures on both rabbits and rats to obtain tissue specimens for RNA isolation for subsequent RT-PCR
   • Perform and supervise applied bench scale and pilot scale process research on extraction, distillation, and reaction processes.
   • Perform the timely and accurate execution of CESG protocols, procedures and results within the cloning and crystallography teams.

   More research specialist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your research specialist job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A research specialist salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, research specialists' average salary in mississippi is 56% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level research specialists earn 55% less than senior-level research specialists.
   • Certifications. A research specialist with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a research specialist's salary.

   Average research specialist salary

   $52,662yearly

   $25.32 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level research specialist salary

   $35,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average research specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$83,399	$40
   2	New York	$68,352	$33
   3	New Jersey	$65,360	$31
   4	California	$63,449	$31
   5	District of Columbia	$62,597	$30
   6	Minnesota	$61,440	$30
   7	Connecticut	$59,918	$29
   8	Massachusetts	$59,915	$29
   9	Michigan	$58,762	$28
   10	Virginia	$55,937	$27
   11	Ohio	$55,878	$27
   12	Texas	$54,561	$26
   13	Iowa	$53,328	$26
   14	Maryland	$53,080	$26
   15	North Carolina	$52,766	$25
   16	Illinois	$52,559	$25
   17	Pennsylvania	$50,758	$24
   18	Tennessee	$48,242	$23
   19	Wisconsin	$47,051	$23
   20	Missouri	$46,776	$22

   Average research specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Novartis	$108,330	$52.08	5
   2	SAS Institute	$105,788	$50.86	4
   3	Bristol-Myers Squibb	$105,329	$50.64	7
   4	Nike	$103,834	$49.92	11
   5	Citi	$103,563	$49.79	3
   6	MUFG EMEA	$99,970	$48.06
   7	Brandywine Global Investment Management	$97,886	$47.06
   8	BMO Capital Markets	$95,669	$45.99	3
   9	Bose	$94,394	$45.38	1
   10	Bayer	$94,318	$45.35	28
   11	McKinsey & Company Inc	$94,259	$45.32	21
   12	HSBC Bank	$93,653	$45.03
   13	Morgan Stanley	$90,482	$43.50	13
   14	Landesa	$90,207	$43.37
   15	Aramco Services Company	$88,610	$42.60	5
   16	Kimberly-Clark	$88,179	$42.39	1
   17	Altice USA	$87,608	$42.12
   18	Gillette	$87,185	$41.92
   19	Nokia	$86,699	$41.68	19
   20	The Dow Chemical Company	$84,812	$40.77	28

4. Writing a research specialist job description

   A research 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. To help get you started, here's an example of a research specialist job description:

   Research specialist job description example

   Every day, Global Payments makes it possible for millions of people to move money between buyers and sellers using our payments solutions for credit, debit, prepaid and merchant services. Our worldwide team helps over 3 million companies, more than 1,300 financial institutions and over 600 million cardholders grow with confidence and achieve amazing results. We are driven by our passion for success and we are proud to deliver best-in-class payment technology and software solutions. Join our dynamic team and make your mark on the payments technology landscape of tomorrow.
   Summary of This Role
   Researches and responds to customer requests via mail, email, fax and other means pertaining to cardholder/corporate accounts and ensures compliance with client, regulatory, and Association rules and regulations. Utilizes extensive knowledge of banking products and services to research, update and document cardholder accounts. Recognizes potential fraud, credit, collection and chargeback issues and forwards them to the appropriate department.
   
   What Part Will You Play?
   
   Becomes familiar with client products and services while assisting with routine updates and documentation (e.g. name/address changes, returned mail, etc.) of cardholder/corporate accounts. Follows client policies and procedures to validate report disputes from appropriate credit bureau systems as directed.Becomes familiar and assists with determining/recognizing the basis of cardholder requests that involve potential fraud, credit, collection or chargeback issues and forwards to the appropriate department for resolution. Picks up, reviews, sorts, digitally scans, and distributes mail for appropriate action, as directed.Follows basic client standards/policies/procedures, regulations and Association (Visa, MasterCard, etc.) requirements as observed through training, reference material and various software tools to prevent violations and punitive financial action, as directed.
   
   What Are We Looking For in This Role?
   Minimum Qualifications
   
   High School Diploma or EquivalentTypically No Relevant Experience RequiredMust be able to work in the Columbus, GA office Must have intermediate or above Excel skills Must have prior call center experience
   
   What Are Our Desired Skills and Capabilities?
   
   Skills / Knowledge - Acquires and applies job skills and learns company policies and procedures to complete assigned routine tasks.Job Complexity - Works on assignments that are routine to semi-routine in nature, requiring limited decision outside of stated processes, but recognizes the need for occasional deviation from accepted practice. Has little or no role in the decision-making.Supervision - Normally receives detailed instructions and follows established procedures on all work, requires instructions on all assignments. Works under close supervision.Computer skills - Knowledge in applicable software, e.g. Lotus Notes, Global Payments Applications, on Base, Microsoft Office, Credit Bureau system, client websites, payment processing systems Communication skills - Frequent written and verbal communication with cardholders, clients and vendors (US Postal Service) Industry knowledge - Strong knowledge of government regulations, client policies and Association compliance
   Global Payments Inc. is an equal opportunity employer.
   Global Payments provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, veteran status, genetic information or any other basis protected by law. Those applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application and/or interview process should notify a representative of the Human Resources Department.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting research 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 research specialist

   Once you've found the research 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.

   To prepare for the new research specialist first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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 research specialist?