How to hire a trade specialist

How to hire a trade specialist, step by step

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

What does a trade specialist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The trade 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

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a trade specialist 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 trade specialist that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of trade specialists.

   Type of Trade Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Trade Specialist	Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents connect buyers and sellers in financial markets. They sell securities to individuals, advise companies in search of investors, and conduct trades.	$12-23
   Investment Representative	Investment representatives, also known as financial advisers, usually work in a bank, investment company, credit institution, or other financial firm. They handle the marketing and promotion of financial services and give clients investment advice... Show more	$17-53
   Registered Representative	A registered representative's job involves researching market conditions, liaising with potential clients, implementing advertising campaigns, cultivating personal contacts, and creating investment plans. Their duties and responsibilities include soliciting business from potential clients and selling financial products and services to clients for investment purposes... Show more	$15-42

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • HVAC
   • Plumbing
   • Hand Tools
   • CDL
   • Dump Truck
   • Securities
   • Traffic Control
   • Asphalt
   • Manual Labor
   • Switches
   • Reconciliations
   • Trade Shows
   • Commodities

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage the accounts receivables for all commodities assign.
   • Prompt actions on CBP communications, avoiding exposure to fines and penalties.
   • Manage projects and partnerships to advance achievement of FDA's international public health goals.
   • Manage import and export projects, reviewing documentation to identify potential risks and make recommendations for mitigation to upper management.
   • Lead major initiatives in 3concurrent roles successfully manage affluent personal and business portfolio to proactively cross-sell additional products and services.
   • Task with providing P.M. maintenance, carpentry, plumbing, electrical, P.M. HVAC, emergency call-outs.

   More trade specialist duties

3. Make a budget

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

   $36,693yearly

   $17.64 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level trade specialist salary

   $27,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

   Average trade specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Minnesota	$48,672	$23
   2	New York	$44,770	$22
   3	Rhode Island	$40,373	$19
   4	New Jersey	$37,424	$18
   5	Illinois	$37,347	$18
   6	Massachusetts	$37,288	$18
   7	Connecticut	$36,274	$17
   8	West Virginia	$33,718	$16
   9	Texas	$33,275	$16
   10	California	$33,104	$16
   11	Indiana	$32,996	$16
   12	Washington	$31,957	$15
   13	Virginia	$31,947	$15
   14	District of Columbia	$31,477	$15
   15	North Carolina	$30,594	$15
   16	Missouri	$30,224	$15
   17	Michigan	$30,222	$15
   18	Delaware	$30,103	$14
   19	Maryland	$30,048	$14
   20	Oregon	$29,689	$14

   Average trade specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Ford Motor	$79,768	$38.35	15
   2	Google	$76,646	$36.85	7
   3	Morgan Stanley	$75,832	$36.46
   4	BP America Inc	$64,322	$30.92	1
   5	ABB	$62,219	$29.91	12
   6	Point72	$60,026	$28.86	1
   7	Citi	$55,394	$26.63
   8	Neuberger Berman	$54,636	$26.27
   9	SUNY New Paltz	$52,048	$25.02
   10	BMO Capital Markets	$51,694	$24.85
   11	BNY Mellon	$51,042	$24.54
   12	Edelman Financial Engines	$50,878	$24.46
   13	UBS	$50,017	$24.05	2
   14	Tri-State G&T	$49,935	$24.01
   15	Wells Enterprises	$45,844	$22.04	1
   16	Square	$45,682	$21.96
   17	J.P. Morgan	$45,187	$21.72
   18	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$44,358	$21.33	34
   19	New York State Restaurant Association	$43,170	$20.75
   20	The Trade Desk	$42,730	$20.54

4. Writing a trade specialist job description

   A good trade 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 trade specialist job description:

   Trade specialist job description example

   Minimum Qualifications Successful completion of a NYS two-year Trades Specialist (Plumber & Steamfitter) or NYS two-year plumbing training program; OR successful completion of any equivalent plumbing two-year training or apprenticeship program; * OR four (4) years of full-time experience in plumbing under a skilled journey-level plumber which would provide training equivalent to that given in an apprenticeship program. Apprenticeship training in plumbing or training gained by completion of technical courses in plumbing at a school, institute, or branch of the Armed Services may be substituted on a year-for-year basis.
   
   * Successful completion of the traineeship and the training program includes a total of 288 hours of trade-specific class room instruction, 45 hours of technical math course work, 45 hours of technical communications course work, and 15 hours of blueprint/schematic reading course work. Course work must be completed with an average of ?C? or better. Additionally, successful completion of the traineeship also includes 4,000 hours of on-the-job training.
   
   Duties Description As a Trades Specialist (Plumber & Steamfitter), you would perform journey level plumbing and steamfitting work and frequently supervise others in the installation, alteration and repair of pipes, fittings and fixtures of heating, ventilating, heating control, water, and drainage systems, according to specifications and plumbing codes.
   Job Requirements:
   
   * Working knowledge of methods, material, tools and equipment used in the craft or crafts to which assigned.
   * Working knowledge of applicable standards and plumbing and electrical code regulations.
   * Working knowledge of the rules and regulations of the facility governing the activities of State wards.
   * Ability to use the tools, machines, equipment and material of the craft or crafts to which assigned.
   * Ability to train and supervise others.
   * Ability to plan and lay out work and diagnose problems.
   * Ability to read and interpret plans, diagrams, architectural blueprints and specifications.
   
   Ability to understand and carry out written and oral instructions.
   
   Additional Comments Background Investigation/Justice Center Review:
   
   Prospective appointees will be: 1) Checked against the Staff Exclusion List (SEL) maintained by the Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs. Prospective employees whose names appear on the SEL as having been found responsible for serious or repeated acts of abuse or neglect will be barred from appointment and may have their names removed from the eligible list(s) for the title(s) if applicable. 2) Investigated through a Criminal Background Check (CBC), which includes State and federal Criminal History Record Checks. All convictions must be reported; conviction of a felony or misdemeanor, or any falsified or omitted information on the prospective appointee's employment application, may bar appointment or result in removal after appointment. Each case will be determined on its own merits, consistent with the applicable provisions of State and federal laws, rules, and regulations. Prospective employees will be fingerprinted in order to obtain a record of their criminal history information, and may be required to pay any necessary fees. 3) Screened against the Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment (SCR). Prospective employees will be required to pay any necessary fees. Additionally, prospective employees whose names are indicated on the SCR may be barred from appointment.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find trade 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 trade specialists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level trade 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 trade specialist job on Zippia to find and recruit trade specialist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as salesjobs, salesheads, allretailjobs.com, sales trax.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit trade 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.

   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 trade specialist

   Once you've found the trade specialist candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   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 trade specialist 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 trade specialist?