How to hire a service provider

How to hire a service provider, step by step

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

What does a service provider do?

Post a service provider job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the service provider you need to hire. Certain service provider roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   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 service provider 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 service provider that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of service providers.

   Type of Service Provider	Description	Hourly rate
   Service Provider	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.	$11-24
   Advocate	An advocate is a voice for the voiceless. It is their responsibility to speak on behalf of an individual or a particular cause... Show more	$12-27
   Volunteer	Volunteers are usually unpaid individuals who render their service to a company or organization. Most of the time, volunteers are skilled in specific areas needed by the organization but prefer to provide free service... Show more	$11-19

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Cleanliness
   • Social Work
   • Mental Health
   • Patients
   • Community Resources
   • Crisis Intervention
   • Foster Care
   • HR
   • Direct Care
   • Developmental Disabilities
   • Respite Services
   • CPR
   • Social Services

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Develop contracting strategy to build capacity and achieve ongoing compliance with Medicare and Medicaid provider network adequacy requirements.
   • Certify to administer first aid, CPR; dispense medication.
   • Certify in first aid and CPR programs via company training.
   • Ensure contracts comply with HIPAA, fraud and abuse regulations and CMS guidelines.
   • Provide assistance to DHS provider staff in order for them to better navigate through the social service systems.
   • Exceed company standards for unit cleanliness and client/partner satisfaction.

   More service provider duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your service provider job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A service provider 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 service provider in Michigan may be lower than in Hawaii, and an entry-level service provider usually earns less than a senior-level service provider. Additionally, a service provider 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 service provider salary

   $35,089yearly

   $16.87 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level service provider salary

   $23,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 11, 2026

   Average service provider salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$44,234	$21
   2	Texas	$43,023	$21
   3	Washington	$42,322	$20
   4	Florida	$40,488	$19
   5	Colorado	$38,511	$19
   6	Illinois	$37,059	$18
   7	Connecticut	$35,530	$17
   8	District of Columbia	$34,628	$17
   9	Arizona	$33,977	$16
   10	Louisiana	$33,882	$16
   11	Oregon	$33,104	$16
   12	North Carolina	$32,985	$16
   13	Utah	$31,994	$15
   14	Minnesota	$29,755	$14
   15	New York	$29,734	$14
   16	New Jersey	$29,579	$14
   17	Georgia	$28,862	$14
   18	Wisconsin	$28,725	$14
   19	Alabama	$28,503	$14
   20	Pennsylvania	$28,340	$14

   Average service provider salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$114,913	$55.25	1
   2	Google	$87,989	$42.30
   3	Cisco	$80,986	$38.94
   4	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$62,745	$30.17
   5	Deloitte	$61,687	$29.66	36
   6	Palo Alto Networks	$60,382	$29.03
   7	Vertex Pharmaceuticals	$59,354	$28.54
   8	Lumeris	$55,806	$26.83
   9	U.S. Bank	$53,548	$25.74
   10	Rocketship Education	$52,329	$25.16
   11	Splunk	$51,584	$24.80
   12	Chicago Public Schools	$50,844	$24.44
   13	Intel	$49,203	$23.66
   14	Credit Suisse	$48,835	$23.48
   15	Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center	$48,691	$23.41	6
   16	Wells Fargo	$48,129	$23.14
   17	Tucson Unified School District	$46,795	$22.50	1
   18	Lenovo	$44,276	$21.29	1
   19	Western Union	$44,009	$21.16
   20	Cuesta College	$43,681	$21.00

4. Writing a service provider job description

   A job description for a service provider 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 provider job description:

   Service provider job description example

   Position Overview: The Division of Behavioral Health Services provides a wide array of preventive services to children and families that are faced with the significant challenges of navigating the complex systems involved in their lives. Children and adolescents in the program are typically diagnosed with one or more behavioral/mental health diagnoses. The Home and Community Service Provider (HCPS) will be responsible for providing interventions that support the wellbeing, safety and stability of children participating in the Division of Behavioral Health Services. Services will include Children and Family Treatment Support Services (CFTSS) as well as Home and Community Based Services (HCBS). Services are available to children/youth under the age of 21 who are Medicaid eligible, that meet medical necessity. All services can be delivered in the community where the child/youth lives, attends school, and/or engages in services. The HCPS will support children and their families in accessing resources that will foster growth and success and ensure that the needs of the youth/families are being met. Position requires evening and weekend commitments, serving the following areas: Orange, Ulster, Dutchess, Putnam, Sullivan, Rockland, and Westchester.
   
   • Bachelor’s Degree in related field, plus three years applicable experience, in children’s mental health, addiction, and/or foster care/child welfare/juvenile justice.• Must be computer literate• NYS Valid Driver’s license • Must have access to, and be proficient with computer systems• Evening and weekend availability• Must Pass Fingerprint/ Background Clearance• Ability to manage time: service provision and timely documentation submission
   
   The Children’s Village does not discriminate against any employee, prospective employee or contractor because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, creed, age, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, marital status, veteran status, genetic predisposition, domestic violence victim status, criminal conviction history or any other protected classification under federal, state or local law.
   Qualifications
   Education
   Required
   + Bachelors or better
   Experience
   Required
   + 3 years: applicable experience, in children’s mental health, addiction, and/or foster care/child welfare/juvenile justice

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with service provider candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   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 provider

   Once you've decided on a perfect service provider 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.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new service provider. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are 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.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a service provider?