How to hire a network field engineer

How to hire a network field engineer, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a network field engineer, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A network field engineer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, network field 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.

   Here's a comparison of network field engineer salaries for various roles:

   Type of Network Field Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Network Field Engineer	Computer networks are critical parts of almost every organization. Network and computer systems administrators are responsible for the day-to-day operation of these networks.	$18-41
   Network Operation Technician	A network operation technician is responsible for providing technical assistance with computer network issues. Network operation technicians repair and troubleshoot networks and routers, identifying the source of defects by listening to the customers and determining step-by-step guidelines for resolution... Show more	$19-47
   Network Support Analyst	Network support analysts are professionals who provide technical support as well as maintain various network components for an organization's network system. These analysts are responsible for installing and configuring local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), internet systems, and other components of network systems... Show more	$25-61

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Lan Wan
   • Tcp Ip
   • Troubleshoot
   • RF
   • Switches
   • Routers
   • Network Hardware
   • Test Equipment
   • Fiber Optic
   • T1
   • Technical Support
   • Linux
   • Windows Server
   • TCP/IP

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Help to manage the network and broadband Internet connectivity.
   • Manage multiple SCO UNIX servers, including application hosting, and support.
   • Manage project to maximize available bandwidth and throughput by implementing QOS technologies including compression, traffic shaping and priority/custom queuing.
   • Rack, mount, cable and deploy initial configuration of new routers, switches, modems, and wireless access points.
   • Travel nationally to install, maintain, and repair wireless networking infrastructure, including routers, switches, and access points.
   • Provide full desktop support, LAN support and remote support.

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, network field engineers' average salary in maine is 38% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level network field engineers earn 55% less than senior-level network field engineers.
   • Certifications. A network field engineer 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 network field engineer's salary.

   Average network field engineer salary

   $58,622yearly

   $28.18 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level network field engineer salary

   $39,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

4. Writing a network field engineer job description

   A network field engineer 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 network field engineer job description:

   Network field engineer job description example

   Travel 75% of the time. Maintain company truck and tools.

   Top Skills' Details

   1) Infrastructure -- this team will be responsible for both the hands-on implementation and configurations of infrastructure equipment as well as the design of the LAN
   2) Network engineer -- this team provides support for all of the network equipment at each Vulcan location, (business offices and quarrys), which includes servers, POS, card readers, wi-fi, VLAN, access points, etc.
   3) Wireless -- this person will have to have senior level experience designing and installing wireless access points, VLAN, wireless LAN....

   Job Description

   Vulcan Materials, is the nation's leading producer of construction aggregates like asphalt, ready-mix, concrete, etc. They are headquartered in Birmingham, but have approximately 400-500 locations around the country consisting of both business offices as well as quarrys. *Think big, massive holes in the ground where they take rocks and turn it into a construction material.*
   This candidate will be joining a large, decentralized team responsible for the design and implementation of the infrastructure at their locations -- mainly within a geographic area, but certainly can and will expand nationally. Typically, each technician is responsible for all of the locations within a couple of states, but provide backup support for the rest of the country. The internal network engineer team is responsible for everything to the firewall, but then this team does all of the layer 2 and 3 infrastructure -- managed switches, VLANs, wireless, etc.
   This person must be interested and able to travel (will be provided a company vehicle, and all airline travel is expensed) and also "get dirty." These quarries are outside and in construction zones in all of the weather elements, so hard hats, steel-toed boots, safety glasses, etc, will be needed. The job description is below.
   
   Technology Installation. Plant and administrative network design and implementation including Cellular, Managed Network Switches, Fiber optic, Fiber optic terminations, Vlans, Wireless Point to point, Structured Wiring and WiFi all optimized for Plant automation systems along with normal business use.
   Provide Support. Provides support for existing area IT technology in the office and plant environments as needed to support the business.
   Train. Provides onsite technical knowledge transfer to end-users and other support personnel as needed to support the business. Evaluates training needs, training materials available and recommends training alternatives as approved by the Enterprise Manager. Assists in the coordination, planning, and scheduling of area training programs as approved by the Enterprise Manager. Provides knowledge transfer to other field support technicians to support enterprise technology project rollouts.
   Record Information. Recording of support calls that are directly received into the centralized help desk ticket tracking system.
   Coordinate Resources. Serves as project manager as well as leads implementation resource for enterprise technology upgrades and installations. Coordination with onsite internal and external technical resources as needed to meet support requirements.
   Troubleshoot. Assists in the troubleshooting of Telecom WAN chronic sites which includes coordination of the managed technical service provider. Operation of technical tools to collect and document system information that can provide troubleshooting data to analyze and solve problems.
   Champion Continuous Improvement. Stay abreast of professional and technical developments in order to maintain and improve the skills and knowledge needed for superior job performance and to help improve operational efficiency.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find network field engineers 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 network field engineers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level network field engineers 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 network field engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit network field engineer 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 network field engineers 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 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 network field engineer 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 network field engineer

   Once you've decided on a perfect network field engineer 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.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   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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