How to hire a service engineer

How to hire a service engineer, step by step

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

What does a service engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The service engineer hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   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 service engineer 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 service engineers.

   Type of Service Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Service Engineer	Mechanical engineering is one of the broadest engineering disciplines. Mechanical engineers design, develop, build, and test mechanical and thermal sensors and devices, including tools, engines, and machines.	$29-58
   Consulting Engineer	A consulting engineer is a professional who aids in the planning, designing, and construction of a project from the public and private clients. Consulting engineers are required to advise on the best component suitable according to the needs of their clients... Show more	$34-62
   Equipment Engineer	The duties of an equipment engineer depend on one's organization or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around designing and developing mechanical and electronic equipment, analyzing and improving existing systems, performing customization according to customers' preferences, installing and removing attachments, and conducting regular maintenance procedures... Show more	$33-65

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Infrastructure
   • Cloud
   • Technical Support
   • Java
   • Database
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Azure
   • Linux
   • PowerShell
   • Technical Assistance
   • OS
   • Windows Server
   • Unix

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead FDA remediation upgrade of medical infusion pumps used in hospitals and clinics nationwide.
   • Expand responsibilities include testing applications on newly update managed desktop image.
   • Manage RF servers and performing network troubleshooting and preventative maintenance on network elements.
   • Manage Jenkins security by providing specific access to authorize developers/testers using project base matrix authorization strategy.
   • Develop Perl scripts to automate object model and functional mapping into the application metadata and database.
   • Perform installations of operating systems such as VMWARE, Linux and windows.

   More service engineer duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, service engineers' average salary in arkansas is 52% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level service engineers 49% less than senior-level service engineers.
   • Certifications. A service engineer 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 service engineer's salary.

   Average service engineer salary

   $87,151yearly

   $41.90 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level service engineer salary

   $62,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average service engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$133,075	$64
   2	Washington	$113,631	$55
   3	Arizona	$97,618	$47
   4	New York	$86,363	$42
   5	Massachusetts	$85,312	$41
   6	Virginia	$85,196	$41
   7	Georgia	$83,052	$40
   8	New Jersey	$82,558	$40
   9	Texas	$80,266	$39
   10	Illinois	$79,737	$38
   11	Colorado	$79,710	$38
   12	North Carolina	$76,974	$37
   13	Pennsylvania	$76,369	$37
   14	Indiana	$72,427	$35
   15	Florida	$72,246	$35
   16	Minnesota	$71,846	$35
   17	Ohio	$71,324	$34
   18	Kansas	$68,962	$33

   Average service engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	The Citadel	$153,274	$73.69	2
   2	Meta	$140,675	$67.63	608
   3	Apple	$138,570	$66.62	451
   4	Google	$132,901	$63.89	165
   5	Safeway	$129,673	$62.34
   6	Atlassian	$127,928	$61.50	31
   7	Microsoft	$125,874	$60.52	164
   8	Zoox	$124,982	$60.09	46
   9	Adobe	$123,094	$59.18	57
   10	ConocoPhillips	$122,508	$58.90	1
   11	BP America Inc	$122,355	$58.82	11
   12	MongoDB	$121,848	$58.58	29
   13	Intuit	$120,329	$57.85	33
   14	Teradata	$117,738	$56.60	50
   15	TEKsystems	$117,583	$56.53	33
   16	Skyfire	$117,140	$56.32	1
   17	Cloudflare	$117,038	$56.27	26
   18	University of Maryland Medical System	$115,096	$55.33
   19	HBO	$113,517	$54.58
   20	Denodo	$113,228	$54.44

4. Writing a service engineer job description

   A job description for a service engineer 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 service engineer job description:

   Service engineer job description example

   • At least 3 years service experience with radiation therapy linear accelerators and simulators.
   • Needs to use Radiation Safety protocols & High Voltage safety.
   • Needs to be able to lift 50 to 75 lbs.
   • High School Diploma or GED equivalent required within one (1) year of hire.
   • Candidates who do not possess a High School Diploma or GED equivalent will be provided the opportunity to enroll in a GED/HSEA program at time of hire as a condition of employment. A hired candidate will be provided one (1) year from date of hire to successfully complete a GED program and obtain their HSEA.
   • RWJBarnabas Health is committed to our communities and the members we serve. RWJBH understands that in order to create strong, healthy, and sustainable communities, we have to re-engineer and transform current systems. Providing educational support and resources contributes to our overall social impact mission and community investment efforts.

   Other Duties:

   Please 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.

   We offer a great work environment, competitive rates and excellent benefits, including:

   Medical/Dental/Vision plans

   401 (k)

   Vacation/Personal/Holiday/Sick Time Off

   Short & Long Term Disability

   Basic Life & Accidental Death Insurance

   Tuition Reimbursement

   Health Care/Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts

   RWJBarnabas Health is the most comprehensive health care delivery system in New Jersey and the state s second largest private employer with more than 32,000 employees, 9,000 physicians and 1,000 residents and interns. The system includes eleven acute care hospitals, three acute care children s hospitals and a leading pediatric rehabilitation hospital (Children s Specialized Hospital).

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find service engineers 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 service engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit service engineer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting service 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. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 service engineer

   Once you've decided on a perfect service 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.

   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.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new service engineer. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are 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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