How to hire a test specialist

How to hire a test specialist, step by step

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

What does a test specialist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the test specialist you need to hire. Certain test specialist 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

   A test specialist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, test specialists from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of test specialist salaries for various roles:

   Type of Test Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Test Specialist		$29-46
   Quality Assurance Team Leader	A quality assurance (QA) team leader is a professional who is responsible for managing a team of engineers from the quality assurance department of an organization to participate in the overall QA planning and activities. QA team leaders are required to play the key role as a member of the project management team to ensure that the product exceeded user expectations... Show more	$36-60
   Quality Assurance Engineer	A Quality Assurance Engineer's role is to oversee the overall production and ensure that the product is cost-efficient and aligns with the company's standards. The responsibility mainly revolves around conducting activities that examine and scrutinize the condition of a product or service to identify issues and come up with possible solutions to resolve the issue or attain stronger customer satisfaction... Show more	$29-52

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Test Results
   • Test Cases
   • Java
   • Test Data
   • Test Scripts
   • Regression
   • Test Procedures
   • Test Equipment
   • Troubleshoot
   • Selenium
   • Development Life
   • Life Cycle
   • Api Testing
   • QA

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Create weekly drive routes and work with RF engineers to achieve desire coverage.
   • Manage defects and finalize testing documents to meet standards of IBM's QA process.
   • Validate the UI and backend of web base applications that are used to manage medical information.
   • Lead UAT testing for the local project, as well as maintained test activity logs, reporting status to management.
   • Deal with clients or their representatives during the entire SDLC, UAT and post releases.
   • Defect reporting and tracking using ALM.

   More test specialist duties

3. Make a budget

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

   Average test specialist salary

   $76,761yearly

   $36.90 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level test specialist salary

   $61,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 22, 2026

   Average test specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Maryland	$89,025	$43
   2	California	$89,024	$43
   3	Washington	$86,481	$42
   4	New Jersey	$83,833	$40
   5	Delaware	$83,467	$40
   6	Virginia	$82,796	$40
   7	Pennsylvania	$80,029	$38
   8	Massachusetts	$79,274	$38
   9	New York	$79,164	$38
   10	Illinois	$75,465	$36
   11	Texas	$74,994	$36
   12	Colorado	$74,993	$36
   13	North Carolina	$74,556	$36
   14	Minnesota	$74,307	$36
   15	Arkansas	$74,047	$36
   16	Missouri	$73,771	$35
   17	Georgia	$73,277	$35
   18	Kansas	$73,106	$35
   19	South Carolina	$72,509	$35
   20	Ohio	$72,334	$35

   Average test specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Sony Interactive Entertainment America	$128,375	$61.72
   2	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$116,644	$56.08	48
   3	Aetna	$114,356	$54.98
   4	Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings	$108,861	$52.34	21
   5	American Family Insurance	$105,932	$50.93
   6	Amazon	$103,616	$49.82	209
   7	TEKsystems	$103,015	$49.53	22
   8	Farmers Insurance	$99,870	$48.01	4
   9	MetLife	$96,196	$46.25	12
   10	Florida Blue	$93,906	$45.15
   11	BankUnited	$92,998	$44.71	2
   12	Midland Company (The)	$92,299	$44.37
   13	TSYS	$91,864	$44.17	1
   14	Microsoft	$91,365	$43.93	8
   15	Toro	$90,560	$43.54	1
   16	Amica Insurance	$89,608	$43.08
   17	Kforce	$89,210	$42.89	25
   18	Lowe's Companies	$89,208	$42.89
   19	ICONMA	$89,008	$42.79
   20	Alene Candles	$87,474	$42.05	1

4. Writing a test specialist job description

   A good test specialist job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a test specialist job description:

   Test specialist job description example

   Among our many accolades, we have been designated 8 times the only A-Rated for Safety Hospital, awarded M a g n et Recognition for superior nursing, named Best Regional Hospital by US News and World Report and ranked among the 100 best places to work in healthcare (nationally). Jersey City Medical Center is also ideally located in the vibrant Jersey City waterfront community overlooking the harbor, just 10 minutes from New York City, with a grand view of the Statue of Liberty.

   Job Description

   Sonographers provide patient services using Diagnostic Ultrasound equipment. The sonographer is competent in the productions and analysis of ultrasound images used by Physicians for patient diagnosis and treatment. In addition, the individual must be prepared to render quality patient care by exercising discretion and judgment in the performance of sonographic services.

   Additional Requirements

   Graduate of accredited School of Sonography. Licensed by the State of New Jersey. Certified by American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers or registry eligible Maintains required BLS Heart Saver/ Health Care Provider course completion status/ CPR Maintains CME Credits Successful completion of all Orientation Programs. A ccess and evaluate patient history and physical findings. Accurately image the4 anatomical structures requested. Enter patient information, select appropriate transducer, set initial power input and instrumentation gain for patient size and age, and select menu items as required for type of equipment and provide consistent and optimal image quality. Interact with Physicians regarding sonographic data. Know acoustical physics doppler ultrasound principles and ultrasound instrumentation. Knowledge of Physiology Disease, pathology and patho-physiology. Knowledge of gross and sectional anatomy. odify standard imaging protocol as required by patient history or initial sonographic findings. Obtains proper medical history and insures accurate patient demographic and medical information. Recognize examination findings that may require immediate clinical response and notify Radiologist. Recognize sonographic representation of normal and abnormal structures, organs, system relationships and relational anatomy. Understand published statements regarding interaction between ultrasound and tissue and probability of biological effects in clinical examinations to provide accurate information to patients. Physicians and other health care providers.

   We are committed to High Reliability and consistent demonstration of our Safety Together behaviors and tools:

   S - Speak up for Safety

   A - Accurately communicate

   F - Focus on the task

   E - Exercise and accept a questioning attitude

   T - Thoughtfully interact

   Y - You and Me Together

   RWJBarnabas Health offers excellent-provided benefits which include: competitive compensation, comprehensive medical/dental benefits, 403 (B) savings plan, Flexible Spending Plans, PTO program, tuition reimbursement and so much more.
   
   Equal Employment Opportunity

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find test specialists for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any test specialists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level test specialists with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit test specialists, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up 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.

   Sometimes, it's not enough to interview test specialist candidates, so you can ask them to do a test project. If you are not a technical person and don't know what a test project should be, you can use these websites:

   • TestDome
   • CodeSignal
   • Testlify
   • BarRaiser
   • Coderbyte

   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 test specialist

   Once you have selected a candidate for the test specialist 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 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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