How to hire a software applications specialist

How to hire a software applications specialist, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your software applications 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 software applications 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

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a software applications specialist to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a software applications specialist that fits the bill.

   Here's a comparison of software applications specialist salaries for various roles:

   Type of Software Applications Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Software Applications 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	$36-62
   Software Trainer	Software Trainers are training specialists who teach computer programs and applications like desktop publishing programs, computer network systems software, and spreadsheets. They effectively explain the technical complexities of computer software... Show more	$27-38

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Technical Support
   • POS
   • Microsoft SQL
   • Troubleshoot
   • User Training
   • Software Support
   • Software Issues
   • XML
   • Software Solutions
   • Technical Problems
   • Training Sessions
   • User Acceptance
   • PC
   • Help Desk

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Build, manage and maintain physical server hardware and perform upgrades and OS patching as needed.
   • Add Java, HTML code as necessary under the guidelines provide.
   • Maintain and provide administrative support for the organization s SharePoint site.
   • Propose and launch a company wide job task and PC skills analysis.
   • Perform all unit testing on software as well as occasional QA of the customization.
   • Customize functions, troubleshoot problems and provide support to users with the organization s various database software applications.

   More software applications specialist duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, software applications specialists' average salary in nebraska is 38% less than in oregon.
   • Seniority. Entry-level software applications specialists earn 42% less than senior-level software applications specialists.
   • Certifications. A software applications specialist 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 software applications specialist's salary.

   Average software applications specialist salary

   $100,491yearly

   $48.31 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level software applications specialist salary

   $76,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

   Average software applications specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$119,042	$57
   2	Oregon	$118,497	$57
   3	Arizona	$117,064	$56
   4	Washington	$114,897	$55
   5	New Jersey	$106,845	$51
   6	Texas	$102,301	$49
   7	North Carolina	$100,360	$48
   8	Maryland	$96,369	$46
   9	Minnesota	$91,814	$44
   10	Illinois	$90,589	$44
   11	District of Columbia	$90,079	$43
   12	Colorado	$89,958	$43
   13	Missouri	$89,700	$43
   14	Idaho	$85,821	$41
   15	Pennsylvania	$79,334	$38
   16	South Carolina	$78,807	$38

   Average software applications specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Apple	$133,424	$64.15	16
   2	Fluor Corporation	$99,462	$47.82	16
   3	Topcon Positioning Systems	$96,426	$46.36
   4	Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company of Idaho	$95,149	$45.74
   5	One Network Enterprises	$91,893	$44.18
   6	Tot-Al Care	$89,243	$42.91
   7	Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission	$88,903	$42.74
   8	Maryland Environmental Service	$88,709	$42.65
   9	ERP Logic	$86,572	$41.62
   10	DuPage Credit Union	$85,583	$41.15
   11	Ilantus Technologies	$84,140	$40.45
   12	Pyramid Healthcare	$82,808	$39.81
   13	20-20 Technologies	$81,625	$39.24	2
   14	The Goodman Group	$76,976	$37.01	1

4. Writing a software applications specialist job description

   A software applications specialist 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 software applications specialist job description:

   Software applications specialist job description example

   The Senior Specialist is highly knowledgeable within designated Information Technology (IT) area of responsibility and applies that knowledge toward broad and diverse assignments. This role plans and coordinates activities related to the design, development, implementation, and integration of IT solutions. The Senior Specialist analyzes, evaluates, and proposes recommendations innovative solutions. The Senior Specialist applies proven communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills to help identify, communicate, and resolve issues in order to maximize the benefit of IT systems. This position may lead and guide other IT staff.
   •Lead the deployment, monitoring, maintenance, development, upgrade, and support of all IT solutions
   •Execute IT projects, including conceptualizing, organizing, planning, anticipating project needs
   •Benchmark, analyze, report on, and make recommendations for the improvement and growth of the IT solutions within designated area
   •May negotiate and administer vendor, outsourcer, and consultant contracts and service agreements
   •Work with stakeholders to define business solutions requirements for technology enhancements implementations
   •Implement clear IT project management techniques and processes
   •Other duties as assigned
   
   Fluor is proud to offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to promote employee health, wellness, and financial security. Our offerings include medical, dental and vision plans, EAP, disability coverage, life insurance, AD&D, voluntary benefit plans, 401(k) with a company match, and training and development courses.
   
   The salary range for this position is between $106,000 - 190,000.
   
   Basic Job Requirements
   
   •Accredited four (4) year degree or global equivalent in applicable field of study and ten (10) years of work-related experience or a combination of education and directly related experience equal to fourteen (14) years if non-degreed; some locations may have additional or different qualifications in order to comply with local requirements
   •Ability to communicate effectively with audiences that include but are not limited to management, coworkers, clients, vendors, contractors, and visitors
   •Job related technical knowledge necessary to complete the job
   •Ability to learn and apply knowledge of applicable local, state/province, and federal/national statutes and guidelines
   •Ability to attend to detail and work in a time-conscious and time-effective manner
   
   Preferred Qualifications
   
   •Accredited degree or global equivalent in Business, Management, Computer Science, Engineering, Systems Analysis, or related discipline
   •Literate in multiple business domains
   •Ability to communicate and persuade all management levels and thrive in a cross-functional environment
   •Strong written and verbal communication skills
   •Strong interpersonal skills in areas such as teamwork, facilitation, and negotiation
   •Excellent analytical, technical, planning, and organizational skills
   
   Other Job Requirements
   
   Required Technologies:
   5+ MS SQL Server
   3+ R Script
   3+ Python
   
   Preferred:
   Java
   
   DB2 Experience Beneficial
   
   Notice to Candidates:
   
   Background checks are carried out as part of any conditional offer made, including (but not limited to & role dependant) education, professional registration, employment, references, passport verifications and Global Watchlist screening.
   
   Benefits
   
   Fluor is proud to offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to promote employee health, wellness, and financial security. Our offerings include medical, dental and vision plans, EAP, disability coverage, life insurance, AD&D, voluntary benefit plans, 401(k) with a company match, and training and development courses.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right software applications specialist 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 software applications specialists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit software applications specialists 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.

   To find software applications specialist candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with software applications specialist 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. 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 software applications 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 software applications specialist

   Once you've decided on a perfect software applications 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.

   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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