How to hire a software development engineer

How to hire a software development engineer, step by step

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

What does a software development engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the software development engineer you need to hire. Certain software development engineer roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   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 development engineer 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 development engineer that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of software development engineers.

   Type of Software Development Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Software Development Engineer	Software developers are the creative minds behind computer programs. Some develop the applications that allow people to do specific tasks on a computer or another device... Show more	$38-70
   Test Engineer	Test engineers are professionals who observe and record the quality of products, which includes functionality, durability, speed, and safety. They are responsible for checking the materials and procedures thoroughly throughout the production cycle... Show more	$28-50
   Design, Development	Design development engineers are engineering professionals who are responsible for developing a detailed design and engineering document for a construction project. These engineers are required to review engineering drawings from vendors and recommend changes when necessary, as well as the bill of materials... Show more	$32-61

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Java
   • Software Development
   • AWS
   • Python
   • Web Services
   • Object Oriented Programming
   • Amazon Web Services
   • Linux
   • API
   • Scrum
   • C
   • C++
   • SDET
   • Code Reviews

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Used JavaScript to perform client side validations and managing DOM components.
   • Develop dynamic e-mails using JavaScript, and hand coding of HTML, XHTML, and CSS.
   • Used git for source management and Jenkins for continuous integration to perform the regression testing.
   • Develop Junit test cases and maven scripts.
   • Update the CocoaPods and other require ruby gems.
   • Maintain the code repository on SVN through frequent updates.

   More software development engineer duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, software development engineers' average salary in hawaii is 40% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level software development engineers earn 46% less than senior-level software development engineers.
   • Certifications. A software development 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 software development engineer's salary.

   Average software development engineer salary

   $109,147yearly

   $52.47 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level software development engineer salary

   $80,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average software development engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$128,246	$62
   2	Washington	$113,416	$55
   3	Oregon	$100,566	$48
   4	New York	$98,121	$47
   5	Massachusetts	$92,475	$44
   6	Arizona	$88,491	$43
   7	New Jersey	$87,901	$42
   8	Maine	$85,977	$41
   9	Virginia	$85,036	$41
   10	Pennsylvania	$84,300	$41
   11	Texas	$83,923	$40
   12	Delaware	$82,739	$40
   13	District of Columbia	$82,554	$40
   14	Michigan	$78,321	$38
   15	Minnesota	$76,906	$37
   16	North Carolina	$75,710	$36
   17	Illinois	$75,666	$36
   18	Colorado	$75,574	$36
   19	Georgia	$74,778	$36
   20	Nebraska	$73,343	$35

   Average software development engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$152,536	$73.33	3,500
   2	Dotdash	$149,522	$71.89	1
   3	Upstart Network	$148,647	$71.46
   4	TikTok	$148,542	$71.41	157
   5	ByteDance	$148,218	$71.26	220
   6	Airbnb	$148,168	$71.23	4
   7	Apple	$147,397	$70.86	711
   8	Cloudflare	$145,264	$69.84	47
   9	The Walt Disney Company	$143,392	$68.94	444
   10	Twitter	$143,345	$68.92	3
   11	Discovery	$143,331	$68.91
   12	Pacific Investment Management Company LLC	$142,451	$68.49	9
   13	Foundation Medicine	$142,103	$68.32	2
   14	PitchBook Data	$141,761	$68.15	6
   15	Google	$141,197	$67.88	816
   16	DoorDash	$141,035	$67.81	133
   17	CTC	$140,411	$67.51	9
   18	Aspiration	$140,274	$67.44
   19	Yelp	$140,110	$67.36
   20	Palo Alto Networks	$138,983	$66.82	146

4. Writing a software development engineer job description

   A job description for a software development 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 software development engineer job description:

   Software development engineer job description example

   As a member of our Software Engineering Group, we look first and foremost for people who are passionate around solving business problems through innovation and engineering practices. You'll be required to apply your depth of knowledge and expertise to all aspects of the software development lifecycle, as well as partner continuously with your many stakeholders on a daily basis to stay focused on common goals. We embrace a culture of experimentation and constantly strive for improvement and learning. You'll work in a collaborative, trusting, thought-provoking environment-one that encourages diversity of thought and creative solutions that are in the best interests of our customers globally.
   
   Our platform is used by Advisors and end clients to effectively help them with their Wealth management needs. As a software engineer- Software Developer in Test (SDET), you will drive innovative solutions to grow our existing platforms while developing and testing new solutions and integrations. You will work with a group of talented engineers in new build efforts to deliver products of the highest standard. Your deep experience in application design, solutions architecting, analytics, development and testing will be required to complement our strategic direction and solve complex problems.
   This role requires a wide variety of strengths and capabilities, including:
   **Qualifications**
   + University degree, or specialized training or equivalent work experience
   + Good understanding and advanced knowledge of application, data and infrastructure architecture disciplines
   + Good experience in Wealth Management Trading platforms (Equity, MF, Options) and Order Management systems.
   + Working proficiency in developmental toolsets.
   + Ability to understand, explain and debug both development and architecture solutions.
   + Actively participate in an Agile / Scrum team to deliver high-quality feature releases on an accelerated cadence.
   + Contribute to design and development of key common services (Restful Microservices, SOAP). Preferred experience with Apigee and AWS Cloud.
   + Designing, Developing and Coding scripts for automation testing.
   + Developing scripts using tools like Selenium with Java. (e.g Page Object Implementation, API Test Automation)
   + Should have 3 or more years of experience on the toolsets (Jira, SOAP UI/Ready API, Java for API (Restful & SOAP) automation, Postman, Jmeter, DB2, Sybase, RestAssured/Karate or similar frameworks.
   + Experience with CI/CD tools like Jenkins, Version Control tools (BitBucket, Git).
   + Ability to collaborate with high-performing teams and individuals throughout the firm to accomplish common goals.
   + Good oral and written communication skills.
   + Managing and tracking work using management tools like JIRA.
   + Follow and promote Agile practices like TDD/BDD.
   + Research new technologies, identify and learn best practice, adapt quickly and provide technical guidance to other team members
   + Work with multiple globally distributed teams to deliver solutions across regions
   + Advice, collaborate and synthesize feedback from Wealth Managers and Product Desks.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right software development engineer for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your software development engineer job on Zippia to find and attract quality software development engineer candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit software development engineers, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   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 software development engineer 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 software development engineer

   Once you have selected a candidate for the software development engineer position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with 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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How much does it cost to hire a software development engineer?