How to hire a help desk engineer

How to hire a help desk engineer, step by step

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

What does a help desk engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your help desk engineer 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 engineer 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 engineer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, help desk engineers 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 engineers.

   Type of Help Desk Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Help Desk Engineer	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	$17-35
   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
   Information Engineer	An information engineer is responsible for monitoring the efficiency of computer systems and network infrastructure, performing configuration to boost the optimal performance of the technology systems. Information engineers assist end-users in resolving network issues, identifying the source of inconsistencies, and create resolution reports for reference to avoid reoccurrence... Show more	$37-66

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Troubleshoot
   • Help-Desk Support
   • Technical Support
   • Escalate
   • PC
   • Windows Server
   • Provide Technical Assistance
   • OS
   • Linux
   • Help Desk
   • Mac
   • Technical Assistance
   • Customer Service
   • Technical Issues

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage and maintain consistency of software configurations for the Citrix & VMWare environments.
   • Manage VOIP phone user, hunt groups, short codes, incoming call routes, time profiles, and auto attendants.
   • Configure, establish and manage local area network (LAN) connectivity and remote access per customer configuration requirements.
   • Configure and install new Linux systems.
   • Provide tehcnical support for RedHat Linux.
   • Utilize remedy for ticket logging and closure.

   More help desk engineer duties

3. Make a budget

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

   Average help desk engineer salary

   $52,444yearly

   $25.21 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level help desk engineer salary

   $36,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average help desk engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Pennsylvania	$65,269	$31
   2	Massachusetts	$64,419	$31
   3	New York	$60,875	$29
   4	Maryland	$60,220	$29
   5	California	$59,203	$28
   6	Virginia	$54,074	$26
   7	Ohio	$50,541	$24
   8	Illinois	$49,631	$24
   9	Washington	$47,508	$23
   10	Texas	$47,324	$23
   11	Georgia	$47,309	$23
   12	Missouri	$46,958	$23
   13	Arizona	$44,496	$21

   Average help desk engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Bain & Company	$86,011	$41.35
   2	Booz Allen Hamilton	$83,961	$40.37	100
   3	Cognizant	$72,586	$34.90	178
   4	TTX	$69,029	$33.19
   5	Lockheed Martin	$66,710	$32.07	169
   6	Acadia Realty Trust	$65,077	$31.29
   7	GPAC	$62,245	$29.93
   8	Net at Work	$62,168	$29.89
   9	Metro Systems	$60,705	$29.19
   10	Leidos	$60,463	$29.07	255
   11	SAIC	$59,513	$28.61	139
   12	TEKsystems	$58,327	$28.04	148
   13	SSE plc	$57,484	$27.64
   14	Infinity Consulting Solutions	$56,096	$26.97
   15	Infinity Network Solutions	$53,869	$25.90
   16	VitalSource	$53,677	$25.81
   17	Stratosphere Networks	$52,825	$25.40
   18	Endsight	$52,543	$25.26
   19	Hr Solutions	$52,426	$25.20
   20	DRW	$52,130	$25.06	1

4. Writing a help desk engineer job description

   A good help desk engineer 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 help desk engineer job description:

   Help desk engineer job description example

   : IT Help Desk Engineer
   Department : MIT Help Desk
   Reports To : IT Service Delivery Manager
   Salary grade : DOE
   FLSA Statu s: Full Time / Exempt
   Location : Houston/ The Woodlands Description
   
   The IT Help Desk Engineer will assist in the day-to-day tasks and operations of the Managed IT Services Department. This individual will be involved with basic service ticket response, remote support, and project work for clients. Responsibilities Service calls for current customer base - server, workstation, switch, router, end-user and other basic troubleshooting, while effectively communicating issues and alternative solutions. Takes initiative to achieve valued-added results and improve upon solutions offered. Assist with Project Work for New or Current Customers - install, modify, and repair computer hardware and software, router/switch networking, installing agents and antivirus, patch and update management. Customer Service - the ability to interface with end-users, listen to concerns/problems and see them through to resolution, while developing / fostering collaborative working relationships with the customer. Time Management - identify / implement solutions to broad, complex, and critical customer enhancement challenges in a fast paced environment; while using a high degree of insight, research, analytical skills, to develop new or enhanced methods and techniques to resolve problem through multiple project deployment daily.
   
   Experience & Required Skills Provide a timely, polite, efficient service and a positive Company image. Able to prioritize in order to meet goals and deadlines Highly experienced working both alone and as a team member Experience implementing and supporting wide ranging technologies
   
   Education & Certification Minimum: Associates or Technical Degree or equivalent experience (5+ years or more) Preferred CompTIA A+, Network+, Security+ required to varying degrees CCNA (Cisco) Routing and Switching (recommended)
   
   Physical Requirements Lifting and / or exerting of force up to 50 pounds occasionally and 10 pounds of
   lifting /force frequently
   
   Special Requirements
   Applicants for this position must pass a Criminal Justice Information Systems (CJIS) fingerprint-based background check and maintain CJIS eligibility Note: This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice to meet the needs of the organization. ExperiencePreferred 5 year(s): IT Help Desk experience Licenses & CertificationsRequired Security+ Network+ CompTIA A+ Preferred Cisco CCNA BehaviorsPreferred Team Player: Works well as a member of a group Detail Oriented: Capable of carrying out a given task with all details necessary to get the task done well MotivationsPreferred Growth Opportunities: Inspired to perform well by the chance to take on more responsibility Goal Completion: Inspired to perform well by the completion of tasks Ability to Make an Impact: Inspired to perform well by the ability to contribute to the success of a project or the organization

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right help desk engineer for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with help desk engineers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit help desk engineers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with help desk engineer candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of 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.

   Sometimes, it's not enough to interview help desk engineer 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 help desk engineer

   Once you've selected the best help desk engineer 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 help desk engineer. 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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How much does it cost to hire a help desk engineer?