How to hire an application engineer

How to hire an application engineer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step application engineer hiring guide:

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

What does an application engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the application engineer you need to hire. Certain application engineer 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

   Hiring the perfect application engineer 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 application engineers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Application Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Application Engineer	Sales engineers sell complex scientific and technological products or services to businesses. They must have extensive knowledge of the products’ parts and functions and must understand the scientific processes that make these products work.	$33-60
   Manufacturing Engineer	Manufacturing Engineers are responsible for handling and developing an efficient manufacturing system or procedure that will help a company produce up to standard products while in adherence to the policies, regulations, and expected cost and schedule. Furthermore, Manufacturing Engineers must also monitor quality control, identify or detect errors, provide and suggest improvements, oversee the procurement of materials involved in the production, and coordinate with various teams or departments within the company to ensure the effectiveness of innovations or new developments.	$28-49
   Software Engineer	A software engineer is a computer science professional who is responsible for the development of information systems, designing and building computer systems software and applications software. They often prefer to call themselves as a software developer or computer programmer... Show more	$35-65

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Technical Support
   • Java
   • C++
   • Customer Service
   • Troubleshoot
   • UL
   • CAD
   • Project Management
   • JavaScript
   • Windows
   • Linux
   • Autocad
   • Product Development
   • API

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage $10MM sales territory selling to large OEM's brake mfg.
   • Manage multiple projects, resources, customers, and tasks and log activities in CRM.
   • Manage a program to aid a customer to go from design, planning, prototyping, and to launch.
   • Identify and develop supply chain management opportunities, coordinate and lead RFI, RFQ responses and develop proposal and pricing strategy.
   • Manage and facilitate critical ASIC integration projects and processes.
   • Lead research and development in touchscreen-interface Linux devices for low-cost HMI implementation.

   More application engineer duties

3. Make a budget

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

   Average application engineer salary

   $92,921yearly

   $44.67 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level application engineer salary

   $69,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

   Average application engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$123,703	$59
   2	District of Columbia	$108,515	$52
   3	Colorado	$107,059	$51
   4	Oregon	$100,576	$48
   5	Arizona	$95,626	$46
   6	Texas	$93,594	$45
   7	New York	$91,782	$44
   8	Vermont	$87,670	$42
   9	Georgia	$86,194	$41
   10	Washington	$84,980	$41
   11	Massachusetts	$83,950	$40
   12	Illinois	$83,774	$40
   13	Delaware	$82,840	$40
   14	Mississippi	$82,511	$40
   15	North Carolina	$75,460	$36
   16	Minnesota	$74,039	$36
   17	Ohio	$70,326	$34
   18	Michigan	$68,679	$33
   19	Indiana	$65,664	$32

   Average application engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Morgan Lewis	$150,243	$72.23
   2	Meta	$146,694	$70.53	135
   3	Apple	$144,180	$69.32	299
   4	Google	$137,948	$66.32	88
   5	PayPal	$136,577	$65.66	5
   6	Match Group	$135,207	$65.00	3
   7	First Republic Bank	$134,994	$64.90
   8	Waymo	$133,902	$64.38	15
   9	Twitter	$133,171	$64.02	4
   10	Pacific Investment Management Company LLC	$131,896	$63.41	1
   11	Snowflake Computing	$131,705	$63.32	7
   12	Algolia	$131,404	$63.17
   13	Zoox	$130,934	$62.95	10
   14	MongoDB	$130,725	$62.85	17
   15	Netflix	$130,155	$62.57	4
   16	Brocade Services Corporation	$130,135	$62.56
   17	Intuitive Surgical	$129,753	$62.38	15
   18	Hunton & Williams LLP	$129,612	$62.31
   19	NVIDIA	$129,534	$62.28	92
   20	Palo Alto Networks	$129,411	$62.22	24

4. Writing an application engineer job description

   A job description for an application engineer 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 an application engineer job description:

   Application engineer job description example

   Provide engineering, estimating and planning services for refrigeration systems, Port-A-Pak, Econo-Pak, coil products, cases and panel products to the branch or distributors, including sales, service, construction, manufacturing and engineering departments to service customers' needs
   To provide accurate refrigeration legends to the Sales/Order Entry Department.
   
   Make recommendations to the sales department on innovative engineering approaches and advantages of various types of products for our supermarket customers. Work with sales, customers, drafters, and consulting engineering groups to ensure proper system layouts and design of commercial refrigeration systems. Assist field and customer service personnel in answering equipment application questions. Remain current with existing and emerging technologies in the industry. Provide process improvement ideas to enhance our level of customer service and better our department.
   Education & Experience:
   BS in applicable Engineering field or Technical degree
   OR 3 plus years direct experience in Supermarket Refrigeration Application or design required
   Additional Requirements:
   Ability to create reports and make presentations. Extensive knowledge of commercial refrigeration systems preferred. Strong computer skills, including Excel, Word, PowerPoint and some working knowledge of AutoCAD systems. Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to converse with sales personnel, engineers/architects, vendors, trade representatives and customers.
   Our organization offers benefits that are the best fit for you at every stage of your career:
   
   Comprehensive Insurance Plans: Health, Dental and Vision, 401k with Company Matching Contribution, Discretionary 401k Company Contribution, Tuition Reimbursement Program, Life/Disability Insurance, Family Leave, Panasonic Employee Discounts, Paid Vacation and Holidays, Wellness Program, Identity Protection, Community Stewardship, Employee Assistance Program and more.
   
   Hussmann is a subsidiary of Panasonic USA. We are a leader in providing display merchandisers, refrigeration systems, installation and services to food retailers around the world. We do more than provide a refrigeration system or install and maintain equipment. We provide our customers with solutions to make their businesses better. Finding a better way has always been the Hussmann way. Since 1906, our focus on innovation has helped food retailers succeed. We hold over a 122 U.S. patents as well as 320 international patents from more than a dozen countries. We collaborate with customers across a variety of food retail segments as we work towards fulfilling a promise for better businesses, better partners, and a better world.
   
   Hussmann is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to veteran status, disability, age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, genetics, marital status, pregnancy, or any other non-merit based factor.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right application engineer for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit application engineers, 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.

   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 application engineer

   Once you have selected a candidate for the application engineer 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 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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How much does it cost to hire an application engineer?