How to hire a help desk assistant

How to hire a help desk assistant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step help desk assistant hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your help desk assistant job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a help desk assistant for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A help desk assistant's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, help desk assistants 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.

   This list shows salaries for various types of help desk assistants.

   Type of Help Desk Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Help Desk Assistant	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	$6-26
   Computer Support Technician	A computer support technician is responsible for diagnosing and resolving computer and network issues, identifying the source of malfunctions, and improving infrastructure to avoid downtimes and operational delays. Computer support technicians manage the efficiency of all equipment and peripherals for the computers, assist in installing components, and keeping adequate resources or alternatives for defective items... Show more	$16-24
   Desk Support Technician	A desktop support technician is responsible for assisting end-users with their network issues, grant authorization requests, and create user accounts. Desktop support technicians maintain the safety and security of networks, preventing unauthorized access and illegal dissemination of database information... Show more	$12-29

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Computer Lab
   • Customer Service
   • Desk Support
   • Help Desk
   • Help-Desk Support
   • Computer Software
   • Mac
   • Remote Desktop
   • Technical Assistance
   • User Accounts
   • Computer Equipment
   • Software Issues
   • Front Desk
   • Software Problems

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage the PC refresh program transferring all user data remotely and installing require software applications.
   • Produce legal proposals, memorandum agreements and PowerPoint presentations.
   • Create PowerPoint presentations used for business development.manage daily office operations and maintenance of equipment.
   • Analyze networking problems concerning LAN architecture and constructed/ran cable to support lab expansion projects.
   • Evaluate network utilization and redesign the county wide-area network by replacing existing network infrastructure with network switches and installing network cabling.
   • Build VPN packages and ship as requested.

   More help desk assistant duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your help desk assistant job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A help desk assistant can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, help desk assistants' average salary in mississippi is 51% less than in connecticut.
   • Seniority. Entry-level help desk assistants 75% less than senior-level help desk assistants.
   • Certifications. A help desk assistant with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a help desk assistant's salary.

   Average help desk assistant salary

   $13.59hourly

   $28,262 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level help desk assistant salary

   $14,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average help desk assistant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Connecticut	$43,209	$21
   2	New Jersey	$39,047	$19
   3	New York	$35,915	$17
   4	Massachusetts	$35,882	$17
   5	California	$32,819	$16
   6	Ohio	$27,418	$13
   7	Illinois	$27,292	$13
   8	North Carolina	$26,650	$13
   9	Iowa	$25,447	$12
   10	Tennessee	$24,134	$12
   11	Texas	$24,101	$12
   12	Florida	$23,483	$11
   13	Arkansas	$23,056	$11

   Average help desk assistant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Information Technology and Innovation Foundation	$52,773	$25.37
   2	Stockton University	$43,067	$20.71
   3	Skidmore College	$36,876	$17.73
   4	Chugach Alaska	$35,115	$16.88	3
   5	Lawrence Family Development Charter School	$32,689	$15.72
   6	ProAmpac	$32,068	$15.42
   7	University of Tennessee	$29,751	$14.30	6
   8	Community Renewal Team Inc	$29,666	$14.26	2
   9	Education and Training Resource	$29,481	$14.17
   10	Riverside Unified School District	$27,683	$13.31
   11	Access: Supports for Living	$26,825	$12.90
   12	Adtalem Global Education	$26,347	$12.67
   13	ArcBest	$26,050	$12.52
   14	University of Arkansas	$25,527	$12.27	42
   15	SUNY Delhi	$25,372	$12.20
   16	University of Florida	$24,426	$11.74	6

4. Writing a help desk assistant job description

   A job description for a help desk assistant 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 help desk assistant job description:

   Help desk assistant job description example

   Tier 1 Help Desk/Computer Operator/Customer Assistant

   NASA Shared Services Center - Stennis, MS

   Full-time 40 hour/week position: M-F

   Rate: $15.28/hr + $4.54 Health and Welfare per hour (if H&W isn't used towards benefits costs, it is automatically put into a 401k savings account for you on your behalf)

   Hours:

   Shift - Monday-Friday; 1pm to 9:30PM

   The site supported is 24x7x365 so the chosen candidates may be asked to work other hours to cover for absences or high-volume activities

   IT Coalition, Inc. is a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) focused on providing information technology, information security, and business and financial services to the Federal Government. IT Coalition is located in Alexandria, VA and offers an outstanding compensation and benefits plan and a challenging and rewarding professional work environment.

   The NASA Shared Services Center's (NSSC) mission is to provide timely, accurate, high quality, cost-effective, and customer-focused support for selected NASA business and technical services . IT Coalition is currently searching for a several Tier 1 Service Desk Support Assistants to provide Helpdesk support to NASA end users.

   ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

   Troubleshoot and resolve IT issues for NASA customers contacting the NASA Enterprise Service Desk via telephone, e-mail and web.

   • Provide Tier 1 support for NASA IT services including but not limited to desktop, mobile devices, networks, and password resets.
   • Document all support activity in ServiceNow tracking system.
   • Troubleshoot and resolve IT issues for NASA customers contacting the NASA Enterprise Service Desk via telephone, e-mail and web.

   Required:

   • High School Diploma
   • Some IT experience geared towards Tier 1 helpdesk duties

   Other Qualifications:

   • Customer Service skills are required
   • Strong analytical and problem solving skills
   • Strong interpersonal skills for communicating with internal and external personnel of all levels
   • Ability to multi-task and work independently with minimal supervision
   • Ability to keep sensitive and confidential material private
   • US Citizenship required due to background check requirements

   
   
   

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find help desk assistants 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.

   To find help desk assistant candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit help desk assistants, 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.

   While interviews are great, you will only sometimes learn enough from a conversation with a help desk assistant applicant. In those cases, having candidates complete a test project can go a long way in figuring out who's the most likely to succeed in the role. If you aren't a technical person and 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 help desk assistant

   Once you've selected the best help desk assistant 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 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 help desk assistant 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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