How to hire a service aide

How to hire a service aide, step by step

Here's a step-by-step service aide hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a service aide job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new service aide
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a service aide do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a service aide, 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 service aide 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.

   The following list breaks down different types of service aides and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Service Aide	Description	Hourly rate
   Service Aide	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.	$11-18
   Student Volunteer	A student volunteer is an individual who participates in the university's volunteer program to gain work experience and develop new skills. Student volunteers make significant contributions to organizations and local communities by using their skills and giving their time... Show more	$11-17
   Support Worker	A support worker is responsible for supporting the community programs and development efforts to sustain and ensure the citizens' stability, providing them resources for their daily needs, and helping them with financial assistance requests. Support workers conduct family counseling to identify their challenges and needs and coordinate with the necessary organizations to process their requests... Show more	$10-28

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Customer Service
   • Rehabilitation
   • Food Preparation
   • Patient Rooms
   • Culinary
   • Patient Care
   • CPR
   • Home Health
   • Food Handling
   • Cleanliness
   • Nursing Home
   • OSHA
   • Independent Living

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage day-to-day operations including contract management, accounts payable, receivables, payroll and general administrative assistance.
   • Provide high-quality patient care as an in-demand HST within acute-care, rehabilitation, home-healthcare and nursing-home settings.
   • Process CalWorks, CalFresh, and Medi-Cal applications, renewals, and quarterly & semi-annual reports.
   • Assist employees in caring for dementia and Alzheimer's patients participate in daily activities and read to seniors.
   • Perform urinary catheter maintenance in an incontinent client.
   • Perform general maintenance to ensure cleanliness and safety of working environment.

   More service aide duties

3. Make a budget

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

   Average service aide salary

   $14.90hourly

   $31,000 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level service aide salary

   $24,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 22, 2025

   Average service aide salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$34,323	$17
   2	Colorado	$32,398	$16
   3	Illinois	$31,850	$15
   4	New York	$31,751	$15
   5	Oregon	$30,773	$15
   6	Wisconsin	$30,364	$15
   7	North Carolina	$28,425	$14
   8	Michigan	$28,356	$14
   9	Texas	$28,170	$14
   10	Massachusetts	$28,069	$13
   11	New Mexico	$28,042	$13
   12	Ohio	$27,355	$13
   13	Arizona	$27,200	$13
   14	Minnesota	$27,003	$13
   15	Missouri	$26,902	$13
   16	Florida	$25,829	$12
   17	Tennessee	$24,846	$12
   18	Virginia	$24,788	$12

   Average service aide salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	City of Seattle	$39,291	$18.89	1
   2	Student Conservation Association	$39,007	$18.75	1
   3	Lifespan	$38,485	$18.50
   4	Town of Davie, FL	$38,324	$18.43	1
   5	Public Health Solutions	$37,843	$18.19	2
   6	State Bar of Michigan	$37,702	$18.13	17
   7	Oregon Health & Science University	$37,437	$18.00	2
   8	Brigham and Women's Hospital	$36,938	$17.76	21
   9	Fort Bend County	$36,748	$17.67	1
   10	Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital	$35,970	$17.29	1
   11	Winterthur Museum	$35,729	$17.18
   12	Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center	$35,564	$17.10
   13	Chicago Family Health Center	$35,415	$17.03
   14	Hawaii Pacific Health	$35,218	$16.93	14
   15	Encompass Health	$34,556	$16.61	258
   16	Sutter Health	$34,410	$16.54	18
   17	Commonwealth Of Pennsylvania	$34,287	$16.48
   18	Monroe County	$34,151	$16.42	13
   19	Samaritan House	$34,106	$16.40	1
   20	Health Alliance	$33,909	$16.30	10

4. Writing a service aide job description

   A job description for a service aide 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 service aide job description:

   Service aide job description example

   • Must be able to read, write, and speak the English language.
   • Be at least 18 years of age.
   • Post high school course work in medical services or college degree preferred
   • Possess the ability to make independent decisions when circumstances warrant such action.
   • Possess the ability to deal graciously with personnel resident’s family members, visitors, and the general public.
   • Must have patience, tact, cheerful disposition and enthusiasm, as well as being willing to handle elders based on whatever maturity level they are currently functioning.
   • Must have some understanding of social, psychological and recreational needs of the aged.
   • Must have a sincere desire to work with the aged.
   • Willingness to work harmoniously with other associates.
   • Must be able to cope with mental and emotional stress of the position.
   • Must be able to relate to and work with ill, disabled, elderly, emotionally upset, and at times hostile people within the facility.
   • Must complete facilities internal 40-hour orientation training

   ABOUT US:

   Centers Health Care is a fully integrated post-acute care continuum offering rehabilitation and skilled nursing services in more than 45 locations covering four states. In addition, we provide special services including in-center and home dialysis, ventilator care, and care for those with Alzheimer’s. The Centers Health Care family offers Skilled Nursing, Urgent Care, Managed Care, Renal Dialysis Services, Clinical Laboratory Services, Adult Day Health Care, and Assisted Living services, as well as every level of Home Care. Centers is well known for our commitment to our employees, offering outstanding ongoing training and development, career advancement opportunities, competitive pay rates, generous compensation packages and more.

   CentersHealthCare.com/careers

   Equal Opportunity Employer –M/F/D/V

   Powered by JazzHR

   7GSl6niQqj

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right service aide 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 service aides they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit service aides 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 service aide job on Zippia to find and recruit service aide candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting service aides 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.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates 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 service aide

   Once you have selected a candidate for the service aide 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 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 service aide 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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