How to hire a residential specialist

How to hire a residential specialist, step by step

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

What does a residential specialist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The residential specialist hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   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 residential 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 residential specialists.

   Type of Residential Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Residential Specialist	Social and human service assistants provide client services, including support for families, in a wide variety of fields, such as psychology, rehabilitation, and social work. They assist other workers, such as social workers, and they help clients find benefits or community services.	$12-21
   Residential Counselor	A residential counselor is responsible for guiding and providing the residents with their basic needs and other resources to support them in their daily living. Residential counselors' duties include maintaining the safety of the community by enforcing safety guidelines and procedures for the residents' compliance, organizing productive and engaging community activities, updating the residents of any changes and policies in the community, and resolving conflicts by counseling and understanding each resident's differences... Show more	$12-20
   Residential Coordinator	A residential coordinator oversees the daily operations of nursing homes, ensuring patients get to receive optimal care and service. Their responsibilities include setting goals and guidelines, coordinating staff, liaising with external parties such as vendors and suppliers, organizing activities and programs, establishing timelines, and developing strategies to optimize operations... Show more	$14-24

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Mental Health
   • Crisis Intervention
   • CPR
   • Patients
   • Social Work
   • Mental Illness
   • Patient Care
   • Residential Care
   • Meal Preparation
   • Eating Disorders
   • Medication Administration
   • Direct Care
   • Role Model
   • Residential Facility

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead support groups with an emphasis on recovery and strength base techniques, DBT, CBT, self-care and coping skills.
   • Dispense medication, maintain all certification in CPR, first aid, and other educational and licensing requirements.
   • Promote continuity of care by accurately and completely communicating to other caregivers the status of patients for which care is provided.
   • Assist residents with their activities of daily living (ADL).
   • Provide a proactive therapeutic approach to prevent or deescalate any crisis situation per TCI regulations.
   • Help Alzheimer's residents with activities of daily living such as, bathing, brushing teeth, feeding, and activities.

   More residential specialist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your residential specialist job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A residential specialist 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 residential specialist in West Virginia may be lower than in California, and an entry-level residential specialist usually earns less than a senior-level residential specialist. Additionally, a residential specialist 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 residential specialist salary

   $16.08hourly

   $33,451 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level residential specialist salary

   $25,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average residential specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$44,678	$21
   2	Hawaii	$39,207	$19
   3	North Carolina	$36,703	$18
   4	Illinois	$36,167	$17
   5	Washington	$36,026	$17
   6	New Jersey	$34,098	$16
   7	Connecticut	$33,264	$16
   8	New York	$32,893	$16
   9	Delaware	$32,623	$16
   10	Florida	$32,043	$15
   11	Ohio	$32,020	$15
   12	Wisconsin	$31,905	$15
   13	Colorado	$31,378	$15
   14	Maryland	$31,058	$15
   15	Missouri	$31,016	$15
   16	Virginia	$30,771	$15
   17	Tennessee	$27,094	$13
   18	South Carolina	$26,410	$13
   19	Rhode Island	$25,843	$12

   Average residential specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	University of California-Berkeley	$48,823	$23.47
   2	Washington State University	$42,108	$20.24
   3	First Republic Bank	$41,349	$19.88
   4	Professional	$36,552	$17.57	3
   5	Gustave A. Larson	$34,925	$16.79	3
   6	Thresholds	$34,425	$16.55	19
   7	Peoples Health	$34,284	$16.48	7
   8	Intercept Health	$34,190	$16.44	30
   9	Florida United Methodist Children's Home	$34,030	$16.36	1
   10	Gateway Hudson Valley	$34,014	$16.35
   11	Thompson Child & Family Focus.	$33,659	$16.18	14
   12	PosiGen	$33,219	$15.97
   13	Maid Right	$33,113	$15.92
   14	Home On The Range	$33,105	$15.92
   15	Lawrence Hall	$33,057	$15.89	3
   16	Samaritan Health Services Inc	$33,036	$15.88	1
   17	RWJBarnabas Health	$32,850	$15.79	13
   18	Urban Resources	$32,831	$15.78
   19	Trinitas Regional Medical Center	$32,760	$15.75
   20	Randstad North America, Inc.	$32,629	$15.69	2

4. Writing a residential specialist job description

   A residential 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 residential specialist job description:

   Residential specialist job description example

   Bancroft is a leading service-provider for children and adults with autism, other intellectual or developmental disabilities or those in need of neurological rehabilitation.
   
   We provide a full continuum of highly effective services - for people of all ages and every level of abilities - based on best practices and scientifically proven techniques. Our services include special education, vocational training, supported employment, structured day programs, group home and apartment programs both on-campus and in the community, short-term behavioral stabilization services for children, and in-home and outpatient rehabilitation services.
   
   As a nonprofit organization, we are solely committed to supporting people with special needs and their families, to help make it One World. For Everyone.
   
   Bancroft is actively seeking highly motivated individuals for our ABA Specialist opening supporting our Children's Community Program. Our Children's Community residences enable students to live more independently in the supported homes based in neighborhoods throughout the community while attending The Bancroft School.
   Responsibilities:
   With behavior analyst oversight, creates and coordinates the development and implementation of Individual Support Plans (ISPs) for persons served at specific Program site.
   In collaboration with behavior analyst, conducts, develops, and implements functional behavior assessments for persons served at Program site.
   Develops, evaluates, and confirms clinical outcomes of behavior plans to ultimately ensure a functionally- sound behavior plan as needed for persons served.
   Coordinates and creates agenda for family and funder contact.
   Coordinates health care and behavioral needs.
   Responsible for training, mentoring, and monitoring staff on care delivery.
   Leads interdisciplinary team (IDT) process and responsible for timely documentation. Advocates on behalf of persons served.
   
   What we offer you:
   
   Tuition Reimbursement of $5,250 each year toward a college degree
   Onsite M.A. in Applied Psychology: ABA through Rider University with tuition paid in full by Bancroft
   Chance to earn supervision hours toward BCBA or BCaBA requirements while simultaneously gaining hands on experience
   Opportunity to participation in clinical research and work with leaders in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis
   Qualifications:
   
   Bachelor's degree with a minimum of six months experience in Human Services or related field required. In programs where the incumbent is required to serve as a Qualified Intellectual Disabilities Professional (QIDP), one year of experience is required. Experience in Applied Behavior Analysis preferred.
   
   EEO Statement:
   
   Bancroft is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and supports diversity, equity and inclusion in its hiring and employment practices, so that every team member can feel a true sense of belonging, and maximize their unique potential. To this end, all applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, marital status, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.
   
   #CLIN

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting residential 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 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 residential specialist

   Once you've decided on a perfect residential specialist candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is 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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