How to hire a residential worker

How to hire a residential worker, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The residential worker 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

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a residential worker to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a residential worker that fits the bill.

   Here's a comparison of residential worker salaries for various roles:

   Type of Residential Worker	Description	Hourly rate
   Residential Worker	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.	$12-20
   Direct Care Counselor	A direct care counselor provides direct counseling and assistance to the elderly or individuals with disabilities and mental issues. They usually work at rehabilitation centers or care facilities and work together with nurses or caregivers to administer different treatment plans, monitor and support the patients' progress, and help the patients carry out daily activities such as performing hygienic or routine living tasks... Show more	$10-23
   Child Care Counselor	Child care counselors monitor the progress of children who have behavioral, physical, and mental issues in between counseling appointments. These counselors create daily schedules for children that include field trips, play dates, and learning plans to ensure that children get the most out of their days... Show more	$13-22

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Mental Health
   • Rehabilitation
   • Residential Care
   • Crisis Intervention
   • Mental Illness
   • Behavioral Problems
   • Role Model
   • Substance Abuse
   • Incident Reports
   • Administer Medications
   • Direct Care
   • CPR
   • Independent Living
   • Developmental Disabilities

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead support groups with an emphasis on recovery and strength base techniques, DBT, CBT, self-care and coping skills.
   • Assist with ADL s including hygiene and medication administration.
   • Assist in the ADL's of intellectually challenge adults and children.
   • Assist residents with daily treatment and care.train in basic medical skills, CPR, a and fire protection.
   • Promote continuity of care by accurately and completely communicating to other caregivers the status of patients for which care is provided.
   • Set up new claim folders and distribute to adjusters/assistants.Prepare quarterly claim loss reports for account review meetings.Draft and/or edit PowerPoint presentations.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your residential worker job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A residential worker can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, residential workers' average salary in utah is 38% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level residential workers 36% less than senior-level residential workers.
   • Certifications. A residential worker with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a residential worker's salary.

   Average residential worker salary

   $16.35hourly

   $33,998 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level residential worker salary

   $27,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 19, 2026

4. Writing a residential worker job description

   A job description for a residential worker role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a residential worker job description:

   Residential worker job description example

   Be the change you wish to see in the world! Come join our team to empower children and families in our communities to transform their lives and develop to their full potential.
   Pressley Ridge Benefits
   The well-being of our employees and their families is important to us. At Pressley Ridge, we strive to provide the most competitive and comprehensive employee benefit programs that are affordable and help you and your family achieve and maintain your best possible health.
   + Free single medical coverage available with a Health Savings Account (HSA) with 50% employer match
   + Prescription coverage
   + Dental and vision plans
   + Patient advocate and Medicare specialists available at no cost
   + Dependent Care Flexible Savings Account
   + Wellness incentive (up to $250)
   + 403b with up to 9% employer give/match
   + Free life insurance and AD&D
   + Paid Time Off (PTO)
   + 9 paid holidays (7 recognized holidays plus a floating and birthday holiday per year)
   + Tuition reimbursement (if applicable)
   + Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
   Position Summary
   The Direct Support Professional supports the students who reside in our residential cottages and assist in developing, implementing, and monitoring individual and group service plans and procedures during program hours that result in improved adaptive social/interpersonal functioning and high rates of successful program completion among youth in an assigned group.
   Essential Responsibilities
   + Facilitates therapeutic, life skills, and recreationalactivities
   + Builds and maintains positive relationships with students
   + Provide direct supervision of youth
   + Manages conflict and facilitates group and individualproblem-solving
   + Maintains written records
   Qualifications
   + Proficiency in American Sign Language (ASL) required. Applicants not meeting the minimum ASL proficiency are required to complete coursework and meet the minimum proficiency after hire.*
   + Clearances. State Police; FBI clearance; child abuse clearance; CPSL Mandated Reporter-Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse training; any additional background checks/clearances required by state governing bodies.
   Working Conditions
   + Physical Demands. Requires vision, speech, and hearing (with the exception of Pressley Ridge School for the Deaf) and a moderate to high level of physical activity including; sitting, standing, walking lifting and carrying as required. Must be able to meet the demands and complete Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI).
   + Environmental Factors. Indoors/Outdoors: Residential treatment facility, school, home, community.
   + Working Hours. 40 hour week, variable schedule based o
   Qualifications
   Education
   Required
   + Bachelors or better in Human Services
   Experience
   Required
   + Proficiency in American Sign Language (ASL)
   Preferred
   + 1 year: Working with children/families.
   Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
   The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find residential workers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your residential worker job on Zippia to find and recruit residential worker candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting residential workers 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 worker

   Once you've decided on a perfect residential worker 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 residential worker 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 residential worker?