How to hire a software engineering specialist

How to hire a software engineering specialist, step by step

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

What does a software engineering specialist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your software engineering 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 engineering 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

   Hiring the perfect software engineering 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.

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

   Type of Software Engineering Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Software Engineering Specialist	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	$39-63
   Software Developer	A software developer is responsible for designing application systems to support the user and business' needs. Duties of a software developer include testing software codes, performing diagnostic programs and troubleshooting, interpreting system data and establishing efficient parameters, and ensuring the compatibility of the systems... Show more	$32-54
   Software Tester	The responsibility of software testers involves the quality assurance of software development and deployment. Software testers conduct manual and automated tests to make sure that the software is developed for its purpose... Show more	$29-48

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Java
   • Software Development
   • Python
   • Windows
   • API
   • C
   • C++
   • Linux
   • CSS
   • Software Products
   • User Interface
   • Visualization
   • Software Applications
   • Debugging

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Contribute to implementing microservices used to manage entities and maintain a synchronize state between supplier and distributor.
   • Evaluate development software using Java and create prototype applications with C++, and other software development tools.
   • Perform extensive system and data analysis for converting project from windows application to web application.
   • Used m2Eclipse plugin for eclipse.
   • Create cronjobs that call various perl scripts.
   • Develop bash (linux) scripts for daily tasks.

   More software engineering specialist duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, software engineering specialists' average salary in colorado is 36% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level software engineering specialists earn 38% less than senior-level software engineering specialists.
   • Certifications. A software engineering 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 engineering specialist's salary.

   Average software engineering specialist salary

   $104,819yearly

   $50.39 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level software engineering specialist salary

   $82,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average software engineering specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$141,170	$68
   2	Washington	$120,748	$58
   3	Georgia	$107,309	$52
   4	New York	$107,244	$52
   5	Michigan	$106,178	$51
   6	Virginia	$105,789	$51
   7	Illinois	$103,948	$50
   8	Pennsylvania	$100,258	$48
   9	Texas	$100,045	$48
   10	Massachusetts	$99,985	$48
   11	North Carolina	$99,964	$48
   12	Arizona	$99,314	$48
   13	Ohio	$99,027	$48
   14	Wisconsin	$98,562	$47
   15	Minnesota	$95,720	$46
   16	Connecticut	$95,479	$46
   17	Florida	$93,488	$45
   18	Missouri	$86,174	$41
   19	Colorado	$85,183	$41

   Average software engineering specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$158,513	$76.21	3,582
   2	Microsoft	$136,444	$65.60	801
   3	Electronic Arts	$131,624	$63.28	3
   4	Mattel	$122,294	$58.80
   5	Ford Motor	$120,056	$57.72	568
   6	Autodesk	$119,486	$57.45	17
   7	Stride	$118,009	$56.74	3
   8	EOG Resources	$117,075	$56.29	10
   9	SAS Institute	$116,134	$55.83	31
   10	Mozilla	$115,645	$55.60	8
   11	Equifax	$115,318	$55.44	15
   12	Argonne National Laboratory	$115,000	$55.29
   13	TSYS	$114,212	$54.91	4
   14	Amgen	$113,889	$54.75	12
   15	The-Panther-Group	$113,630	$54.63	5
   16	ICONMA	$113,145	$54.40
   17	Wayfair	$112,270	$53.98	24
   18	Sentry	$112,191	$53.94	10
   19	Nokia	$112,072	$53.88	48
   20	AT&T	$111,661	$53.68	38

4. Writing a software engineering specialist job description

   A good software engineering specialist job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a software engineering specialist job description:

   Software engineering specialist job description example

   Under direct supervision, assists in designing, developing, testing, debugging and implementing operating systems components, software tools, and utilities required for the operation, maintenance, and control of computer systems. Assists in modifying existing software to fit specialized needs and configurations, and maintains program libraries and technical documentation.
   Job Description
   Follows direction from the Lead Developer and Senior Developers. Maintains expert knowledge of current Microsoft programming languages and frameworks such as .NET Framework, C#, and VB.NET. Maintains expert knowledge of current Microsoft database technologies such as SQL Server. Maintains expert knowledge of current Windows development technologies such as WPF, Windows Forms, and Console Applications. Maintains basic knowledge of current web development technologies such as ASP.NET MVC, web services, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, and AngularJS. Maintains basic knowledge of relevant Wolters Kluwer software products and relevant third party software products. Uses maintained technical knowledge (above) to provide cutting edge custom software solutions and to act as a technical advisor, both to customers and to in house departments. Works with customers and in house departments to identify and document requirements for custom software solutions. Drafts statements of work based on agreed upon custom software solution requirements. Designs, builds, and maintains custom software solutions, such as but not limited to: Utilities and jobs to be used with our Axcess family of products, by customers who need additional data import, data export, mass data manipulation, or other integration functionality. Utilities and jobs to be used with our Practice Management product, by customers who need additional data import, data export, mass data manipulation, or other integration functionality. Utilities and jobs providing conversion functionality, to be used by in house departments who assist customers converting to one of our products and desiring to transfer data from the old system to the new system. Tests custom software solutions and assists with user testing. Creates documentation of custom software solutions. Assists with the deployment of customer software solutions. Provides ongoing support of custom software solutions. Other Duties
   Communicates professionally and effectively with manager, teammates, other in house departments, customers, and third party vendors. Demonstrates ability to actively listen to others. Adjusts communication of technical information based on the knowledge and experience level of the audience. Assists manager and teammates as needed. Works with manager and teammates effectively to accomplish team and company goals.
   Job Qualifications
   
   Education:
   
   Bachelor's degree or higher in a technically oriented field such as Computer Science or Computer Information Systems; or equivalent related work experience.
   
   Experience:
   3+ years of experience developing Windows applications with .NET Framework, C#, WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation), and Console Applications. 1+ years of experience developing Windows applications with Windows Forms, VB6, VB.NET. 3+ years of experience with SQL Server, SQL, and stored procedures. 3+ years of experience developing customer facing applications. Proficient in object-oriented design and development using software development design patterns and best practices. Experience with quality up-front initiatives such as TDD, CI, and automated unit test frameworks. Able to adhere to technical standards and design standards defined by multiple teams. Strong verbal, written, and presentation skills. Other Knowledge, Skills, Abilities or Certifications: Experience developing with Entity Framework, Prism, and Unity (dependency injection) is a plus. Experience developing web services with WCF or ASP.NET Web API is a plus. Experience developing web applications with ASP.NET MVC, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, AngularJS, and Bootstrap is a plus. Experience developing with Power BI is a plus. Experience developing Accounting applications, especially time and billing/tax/document storage systems, is a plus. Travel requirements
   
   Some travel on rare occasions, averaging 1 to 4 times per year.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find software engineering 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 software engineering specialist job on Zippia to find and attract quality software engineering specialist candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with software engineering 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.

   If your interviews with software engineering 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 software engineering specialist

   Once you have selected a candidate for the software engineering specialist 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.

   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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new software engineering specialist. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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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