How to hire a junior information technology specialist

How to hire a junior information technology specialist, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your junior information technology specialist 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 junior information technology specialist 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

   Hiring the perfect junior information technology specialist 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.

   Here's a comparison of junior information technology specialist salaries for various roles:

   Type of Junior Information Technology Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Junior Information Technology Specialist	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	$17-27
   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
   Technology Coordinator	A technology coordinator is responsible for maintaining the organization's technology systems infrastructure, ensuring the efficiency of computer systems to meet project deliverables, and prevent delays in business operations. Technology coordinators evaluate new technology systems, studying its schematics and specifications, running diagnostic tests, and perform troubleshooting for inconsistencies and guide end-users for the system processes... Show more	$23-48

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Troubleshoot
   • Switches
   • NAT
   • Hardware Upgrades
   • Network Services
   • Server Hardware
   • DOD
   • Printers
   • VPN
   • User Accounts
   • Desk Support
   • Mac
   • System Administration
   • SharePoint

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Configure, manage, monitor, and troubleshoot computer systems, application/filer server hardware, operating systems, and peripheral equipment.
   • Configure and install routers and switches, diagnose issues, and maintain firewall.
   • Install hardware including routers, switches, modules, and other componets when need.
   • Collaborate with other development teams to provide quality support to Java MQ series application.
   • Maintain Java application to deliver multiple data extracts.
   • Utilize a range of diagnostic tools to troubleshoot intermittent network connectivity issues.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your junior information technology specialist job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A junior information technology specialist can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, junior information technology specialists' average salary in mississippi is 30% less than in hawaii.
   • Seniority. Entry-level junior information technology specialists 35% less than senior-level junior information technology specialists.
   • Certifications. A junior information technology specialist 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 junior information technology specialist's salary.

   Average junior information technology specialist salary

   $46,556yearly

   $22.38 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level junior information technology specialist salary

   $37,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 8, 2026

4. Writing a junior information technology specialist job description

   A good junior information technology 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 junior information technology specialist job description:

   Junior information technology specialist job description example

   Do you want to work at the leading edge of technology in networks, custom software products, and virtualization? Do you have the desire and ability to continuously expand your knowledge?
   Then look no further!
   
   L2T, LLC is a fast-growing, high-tech company based out of Northern Virginia. We invest in the future, and we want to invest in you. We'll take your technical passion and offer you growth opportunities through leadership, training, conferences, and mentorship that only comes from working with a group of passionate, like-minded individuals. Join our team and help us deliver the stable and secure communication solutions that allow our customers to succeed.
   
   Applicants selected must be willing and able to obtain a Security Clearance; Therefore, U.S. Citizenship is required.
   
   All L2T employees are required to comply with the latest COVID-19 workplace safety guidance issued by the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force. Responsibilities Build and deploy networks and systems. Provision, configure, and deploy firewalls, switches, routers. Create and manage VPNs, ACLs, and firewall policies. Apply patches and fixes to remediate identified vulnerabilities. Troubleshoot issues in deployed systems. Demonstrate a strong understanding of the OSI model. Demonstrate a professional understanding of subnetting, DNS, TCP/IP, security technologies. Author and maintain support documentation. Leverage automated deployment and provisioning tools. Demonstrate an understanding of system engineering processes and information security's role those in those processes. You will be responsible for the development, documentation, and execution of test cases. Identify and thoroughly document issues encountered in a bug tracking system. Communicate test results and feedback to the software team. Qualifications You are a highly organized individual who pays attention to detail. A strong desire to learn new skills. Ability to multi-task in a fast-paced work environment. Excellent written and verbal communication skills. You are self-motivated with the ability to work within a team and independently. You are a critical thinker with strong problem-solving skills. Familiarity with the software testing lifecycle. Familiarity with the testing phases and approaches. You are well-educated, with a college degree from an accredited school. Why you will stay here
   
   We offer a casual work environment, flexible working hours and a freshly renovated office building. In these challenging times, we provide the ability to work from home, with a company-provided laptop, or work from the office using a flexible work schedule.
   
   You will have the opportunity to work with highly technical individuals who are as passionate about technology as you are. You will work within a team that values each member, and believes strongly in peer-to-peer, on the job training, day in and day out.
   
   Our benefits 401(k) match of 6% with immediate vesting Highly subsidized Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance Legal Resources Plan Gym Facilities Vacation, Personal and Sick Leave (not combined as Paid Time Off) 11 Federal Holidays Life Insurance, Short and Long-term Disability coverage paid for by the company Free sodas and snacks Company sponsored weekly breakfast or lunch Holiday parties and networking events Participation in several charitable events
   
   We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate based on race, religion, gender, national origin, color, age, military service eligibility or veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, or any other protected class. We encourage and support workplace diversity. We can recommend jobs specifically for you! Click here to get started.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find junior information technology 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 junior information technology specialists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level junior information technology 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 junior information technology specialist job on Zippia to find and recruit junior information technology specialist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting junior information technology specialists requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   Sometimes, it's not enough to interview junior information technology specialist 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 junior information technology specialist

   Once you've decided on a perfect junior information technology specialist candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your 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.

   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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