How to hire a desktop support consultant

How to hire a desktop support consultant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step desktop support consultant hiring guide:

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

What does a desktop support consultant do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the desktop support consultant you need to hire. Certain desktop support consultant 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 desktop support consultant's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, desktop support consultants 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 desktop support consultant salaries for various roles:

   Type of Desktop Support Consultant	Description	Hourly rate
   Desktop Support Consultant	Computer support specialists provide help and advice to people and organizations using computer software or equipment. Some, called computer network support specialists, support information technology (IT) employees within their organization... Show more	$15-30
   Computer Technician	Computer technicians are skilled information technology professionals who handle concerns related to computers. They are responsible for assisting clients in software installations, troubleshooting needs, and repair needs... Show more	$13-26
   Help Desk Analyst	Help Desk Analysts generally provide technical support by assisting customers with their system issues. These analysts are expected to be highly knowledgeable about application processes and basic troubleshooting... Show more	$12-25

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Desktop Support
   • Customer Service
   • Troubleshoot
   • PC
   • Technical Support
   • OS
   • SCCM
   • Computer System
   • Mac
   • Remote Desktop
   • Software Issues
   • User Support
   • Network Printers
   • VPN

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Install and manage several networking components including routers, switches, routing switches, wireless access points, and hubs.
   • Manage update deployment and verify policy adherence utilizing SCCM.
   • Manage backups, replications and disaster recovery plans of company mission critical servers and database files to ensure redundancy.
   • Perform data backup, virus scanning, and OS updating procedures.
   • Create and support user accounts for VOIP network utilizing Cisco IP phones.
   • Configure all applications, changes, and deletions of MITEL VOIP systems.

   More desktop support consultant duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your desktop support consultant job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A desktop support consultant salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, desktop support consultants' average salary in nebraska is 39% less than in massachusetts.
   • Seniority. Entry-level desktop support consultants earn 48% less than senior-level desktop support consultants.
   • Certifications. A desktop support consultant with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a desktop support consultant's salary.

   Average desktop support consultant salary

   $46,733yearly

   $22.47 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level desktop support consultant salary

   $33,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 20, 2025

   Average desktop support consultant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Massachusetts	$60,600	$29
   2	New York	$60,585	$29
   3	Maryland	$57,978	$28
   4	New Jersey	$56,775	$27
   5	California	$53,899	$26
   6	Washington	$52,512	$25
   7	Wisconsin	$51,369	$25
   8	Oregon	$49,427	$24
   9	Ohio	$49,003	$24
   10	Illinois	$47,269	$23
   11	Kentucky	$47,179	$23
   12	Louisiana	$46,670	$22
   13	Georgia	$45,937	$22
   14	Minnesota	$45,393	$22
   15	Texas	$45,375	$22
   16	Colorado	$44,933	$22
   17	Michigan	$44,646	$21
   18	Arizona	$44,369	$21
   19	Oklahoma	$44,295	$21
   20	Missouri	$43,037	$21

   Average desktop support consultant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	NTT Data International L.L.C.	$77,217	$37.12	72
   2	SAP	$74,279	$35.71	7
   3	Deloitte	$66,398	$31.92	370
   4	Houlihan Lokey	$64,702	$31.11
   5	Cognizant	$62,591	$30.09	131
   6	HCL Technologies	$59,456	$28.58	20
   7	Booz Allen Hamilton	$58,152	$27.96	18
   8	RSM US	$56,415	$27.12	22
   9	Tech Providers	$56,358	$27.10
   10	Northwestern Mutual	$56,001	$26.92	7
   11	LinkedIn	$53,544	$25.74	2
   12	Prosum	$51,806	$24.91	6
   13	Strategic Systems International	$51,752	$24.88	1
   14	Emory University	$51,729	$24.87	3
   15	University of Michigan	$50,068	$24.07	5
   16	CFD Research	$48,761	$23.44
   17	Prairie View A&M University	$47,863	$23.01
   18	Blu	$47,755	$22.96
   19	Volt Information Sciences	$46,883	$22.54
   20	Bank of America	$46,623	$22.41	31

4. Writing a desktop support consultant job description

   A desktop support consultant job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a desktop support consultant job description:

   Desktop support consultant job description example

   WheelsUp is seeking a qualified, self-motivated candidate to fill a position in our IT Desktop Support Specialist role. Utilizing our ticketing system, the candidate will provide support for issues reported by onsite and remote staff. The Deskside Support Technician serves as the primary contact for solving and escalating tickets to 3rd tier support as needed. This role requires the ability to be on-call after hours and weekends as part of a rotation
   Responsibilities
   
   * Field incoming requests to the Service Desk via both telephone and e-mail to ensure courteous, timely and effective resolution of end user issues
   * Provide in person and remote end user support with an emphasis on quality resolutions
   * Help improve end user productivity by completing triage, offering advice, and teaching products and capabilities
   * Support for computer hardware and any authorized desktop software for Windows, MacOS and iOS base systems
   * Provide operating system and application support to diagnose and resolve unique, non-recurring problems
   * Reimage systems as required
   * VPN troubleshooting and support
   * Partners, as required, with other IT teams as appropriate to ensure problem resolution is obtained and, if necessary, root cause is identified
   * Ensures configuration and inventory management database entries are complete and accurate
   * Field incoming requests to the Service Desk via both telephone and e-mail to ensure courteous, timely and effective resolution of end user issues
   * Identify and learn appropriate software and hardware used and supported by the organization
   * Reinforce SLAs to manage end-user expectations
   * Identifies potential escalations and proactively alerts management as needed.
   * Perform other duties as assigned
   
   Qualifications
   
   * Must possess a professional demeanor and strong customer service skills
   * Experience troubleshooting/repairing desktop and laptop hardware and software
   * Onsite and remote support experience necessary.
   * Basic understanding of networks, Client servers and telecoms
   * Strong Microsoft Office skills (Outlook, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint)
   * Strong Microsoft operating system troubleshooting skills
   * Experience supporting MacOS based laptops and software
   * Strong problem solving and critical thinking skills
   * Strong written and verbal communication skills
   * Must be self-motivated and the ability to work independently with minimal supervision
   * Must have excellent time management skills
   * Must be detail and process oriented
   * Ability to work flexible hours from time to time to cover for other staff and to be on call rotation (nights & weekends)

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find desktop support consultants for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your desktop support consultant job on Zippia to find and attract quality desktop support consultant candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit desktop support consultants, 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.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   If your interviews with desktop support consultant applicants aren't enough to make a decision, you should also consider including a test project. These are often the best, most straightforward, and least bias-prone ways of determining who will likely succeed in the role. If you don't know how to design an appropriate test, you can ask someone else on the team to create it or take a look at these websites to get a few ideas:

   • 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 desktop support consultant

   Once you've selected the best desktop support consultant candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new desktop support consultant. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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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