How to hire a senior support specialist

How to hire a senior support specialist, step by step

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

What does a senior support specialist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a senior support specialist, 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

   Hiring the perfect senior support 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.

   This list shows salaries for various types of senior support specialists.

   Type of Senior Support Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Support 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	$34-76
   Supervisor, Technical Support	A supervisor of technical support oversees the technical support operations in a company, ensuring efficiency and client satisfaction. It is their duty to set guidelines and timelines, monitor the daily operations of staff, coordinate with managers and engineers, delegate tasks among teams, and liaise with potential business partners... Show more	$29-58
   Systems Support Engineer	Systems support engineers are information technology professionals who are responsible for building and maintaining the IT infrastructure of an organization. They are required to provide network administration and technical support to identify complex problem issues and come up with solutions to solve them... Show more	$29-52

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Technical Support
   • Troubleshoot
   • Phone Calls
   • Data Entry
   • Computer System
   • Excellent Organizational
   • Mac
   • Desktop Support
   • Management System
   • PowerPoint
   • Software Applications
   • Remote Support
   • CAD

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage UNIX OS technical documentation and marketing materials.
   • Maintain desktop encryption keys for all company laptops.
   • Implement desktop and laptop encryption applications in NY area offices.
   • Oversee the backing up of company data and creation of PC images for each type of machine.
   • Perform moves, adds, and changes of PC equipment such as desktops, laptops, monitors.
   • Perform DB2 data loads on a UNIX platform, verify and update test data, utilizing execution of SQL queries.

   More senior support specialist duties

3. Make a budget

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

   Average senior support specialist salary

   $106,515yearly

   $51.21 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior support specialist salary

   $71,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 21, 2026

   Average senior support specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New Jersey	$118,139	$57
   2	California	$116,648	$56
   3	Connecticut	$115,986	$56
   4	Maryland	$112,852	$54
   5	Texas	$109,899	$53
   6	North Carolina	$109,645	$53
   7	New York	$106,170	$51
   8	Massachusetts	$104,673	$50
   9	District of Columbia	$97,381	$47
   10	Michigan	$93,193	$45
   11	Pennsylvania	$92,271	$44
   12	Illinois	$85,945	$41
   13	Indiana	$84,611	$41
   14	Arizona	$84,595	$41
   15	Georgia	$84,504	$41
   16	Ohio	$78,654	$38
   17	Missouri	$76,546	$37
   18	Minnesota	$75,430	$36
   19	Washington	$70,159	$34
   20	Wisconsin	$69,581	$33

   Average senior support specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Eclaro	$138,274	$66.48
   2	Booz Allen Hamilton	$127,175	$61.14	12
   3	Biogen	$126,823	$60.97
   4	ManTech	$126,703	$60.91	12
   5	Resource Logistics	$126,236	$60.69
   6	Systems Planning and Analysis	$124,796	$60.00	9
   7	OBXtek	$122,620	$58.95	1
   8	Technical and Management Resources	$119,773	$57.58
   9	Bering Straits	$119,676	$57.54	2
   10	CACI International	$118,871	$57.15	65
   11	Prudential Bank	$118,342	$56.90	3
   12	Amyx	$117,517	$56.50	9
   13	Chiron Technology Services	$117,158	$56.33
   14	Dime Community Bank	$116,012	$55.77	1
   15	Ricoh	$115,862	$55.70	23
   16	Landstar System	$114,765	$55.18	4
   17	NCI	$114,623	$55.11
   18	UnitedHealth Group	$114,236	$54.92	27
   19	Humana	$113,283	$54.46	158
   20	Manifest Solutions	$109,755	$52.77

4. Writing a senior support specialist job description

   A job description for a senior support specialist 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 senior support specialist job description:

   Senior support specialist job description example

   Pershing provides a flexible and progressive work environment. Roles can be hybrid in nature (office + WFH) or fully based from home (remote) depending on needs of the employee and the business.
   Authentic, innovative, and results-driven? Raise your hand if that sounds like you!
   
   We're looking for an amazing individual to join our growing team. The longevity of our firm is a testament to its strength and stability. Your ability to contribute fresh and diverse perspectives in a team-based environment will usher us into future and take us to the next level.
   
   BNY Mellon's Pershing offers a fast-paced environment and dynamic culture where "client first" is paramount. We serve introducing broker dealers and advisory firms who are professionally managed and growth oriented, supporting high net worth and ultra-high net worth investors who lead complex financial lives.
   
   Our commitment to career growth and mobility is at the core of our people-oriented culture, as evidenced by our tenured staff. We welcome the opportunity to speak with you!
   
   Supports the life-cycle of a deal from market planning and supporting prospecting campaigns, opportunity development and deal management. Assists relationship managers and engages with clients/prospective clients to ensure all interactions are of high quality. Oversees the deal management process and ensures high quality delivery in all interactions with clients/prospects. Provides feedback on metrics, methodology and proposal response to improve processes, as needed. Oversees legal/business reviews for all potential projects. Reviews and approves final go/no-go carefully considering the impact on the target client and potential future projects. Leverages research/information and collaborates with internal business units to monitor current clients and identify new business opportunities with current or prospective clients. Supports prospecting campaigns and management of new deals. Assists relationship managers to ensure client/prospect satisfaction. Drives improvements, as needed. Acts as main coordinator for business development or relationship management teams. Engages with client and ensures client interactions are high quality. No direct reports. Leads Business Development support teams and provides guidance to less experienced colleagues. Contributes to the achievement of team objectives. Directly contributes to revenue generation goals.
   
   Bachelors degree or the equivalent combination of education and experience in business management or related field is required. 10-12 years of total work experience in sales preferred.
   
   BNY Mellon is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Minorities/Females/Individuals with Disabilities/Protected Veterans. Our ambition is to build the best global team - one that is representative and inclusive of the diverse talent, clients and communities we work with and serve - and to empower our team to do their best work. We support wellbeing and a balanced life, and offer a range of family-friendly, inclusive employment policies and employee forums.
   
   BNY Mellon is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Minorities/Females/Individuals With Disabilities/Protected Veterans.
   
   Our ambition is to build the best global team - one that is representative and inclusive of the diverse talent, clients and communities we work with and serve - and to empower our team to do their best work. We support wellbeing and a balanced life, and offer a range of family-friendly, inclusive employment policies and employee forums.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find senior support specialists 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 senior support specialist job on Zippia to find and recruit senior support 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

   To successfully recruit senior support specialists, 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 senior support specialist 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 senior support specialist

   Once you've decided on a perfect senior support 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 senior support specialist 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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