How to hire a software support engineer

How to hire a software support engineer, step by step

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

What does a software support engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the software support engineer you need to hire. Certain software support 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

   A software support engineer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, software support engineers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of software support engineer salaries for various roles:

   Type of Software Support Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Software Support 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	$32-54
   Support	A support employee is responsible for assisting the business operations and responding to customers' inquiries and concerns regarding its goods and services. Support logs all customers' interaction and escalates potential complaints to the appropriate department... Show more	$11-25
   Software Analyst	A software analyst is responsible for creating and designing software programs and applications, as well as modifying existing ones for optimization according to business requirements. Software analysts work with the technical team to draw system codes, analyze programming languages, and ensure the stability and efficiency of software navigation by running multiple quality checks to the system... Show more	$29-47

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Java
   • Software Support
   • Customer Service
   • Technical Support
   • C #
   • Troubleshoot
   • Software Development
   • Python
   • Database
   • Linux
   • JavaScript
   • SQL Server
   • Customer Support
   • Debugging

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Build, manage and maintain physical server hardware and perform upgrades and OS patching as needed.
   • Manage multiple Salesforce projects with tight deadlines effectively.
   • Manage multiple sandbox environments for Salesforce application testing.
   • Manage and troubleshoot new release/patch deployments and provide support for application relate problems.
   • Conduct several interviews with management and end-users which lead to finish the database application.
   • Design and maintain consumer portals in ASP.NET using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

   More software support engineer duties

3. Make a budget

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

   Average software support engineer salary

   $87,968yearly

   $42.29 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level software support engineer salary

   $67,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average software support engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$125,725	$60
   2	Washington	$102,730	$49
   3	Montana	$93,000	$45
   4	Pennsylvania	$90,356	$43
   5	Arizona	$90,209	$43
   6	Texas	$87,385	$42
   7	Illinois	$78,359	$38
   8	Michigan	$78,211	$38
   9	Massachusetts	$78,194	$38
   10	New York	$76,750	$37
   11	Florida	$76,689	$37
   12	Indiana	$76,304	$37
   13	Colorado	$75,825	$36
   14	Virginia	$75,504	$36
   15	Georgia	$74,848	$36
   16	Ohio	$74,547	$36
   17	North Carolina	$71,955	$35
   18	Maryland	$67,864	$33
   19	Iowa	$66,544	$32

   Average software support engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Apple	$135,711	$65.25	547
   2	AppDynamics	$118,111	$56.78
   3	Adobe	$117,317	$56.40	97
   4	Cloudflare	$115,415	$55.49	63
   5	Salesforce	$114,509	$55.05	145
   6	Daysmart	$114,441	$55.02
   7	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$113,691	$54.66	1,110
   8	NBCUniversal	$113,182	$54.41	27
   9	Cisco	$112,095	$53.89	456
   10	Applied Materials	$111,302	$53.51	37
   11	Autodesk	$108,538	$52.18	30
   12	Riot Games	$106,930	$51.41	15
   13	Natera	$105,957	$50.94	18
   14	SiriusXM	$105,807	$50.87	5
   15	Walmart	$105,409	$50.68	492
   16	Electronic Arts	$104,361	$50.17	4
   17	Rockstar Games	$102,818	$49.43	10
   18	Amazon	$102,549	$49.30	1,015
   19	Palo Alto Networks	$102,287	$49.18	177
   20	NEC Corporation of America	$101,090	$48.60

4. Writing a software support engineer job description

   A software support engineer 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. To help get you started, here's an example of a software support engineer job description:

   Software support engineer job description example

   Leading the future in luxury electric and mobility
   At Lucid, we set out to introduce the most captivating, luxury electric vehicles that elevate the human experience and transcend the perceived limitations of space, performance, and intelligence. Vehicles that are intuitive, liberating, and designed for the future of mobility.
   
   We plan to lead in this new era of luxury electric by returning to the fundamentals of great design - where every decision we make is in service of the individual and environment. Because when you are no longer bound by convention, you are free to define your own experience.
   
   Come work alongside some of the most accomplished minds in the industry. Beyond providing competitive salaries, we're providing a community for innovators who want to make an immediate and significant impact. If you are driven to create a better, more sustainable future, then this is the right place for you.
   
   We are looking for an experienced hands-on Board Support Package Engineer who has the ability to work with the team to build stable Connectivity platform.
   
   In this role, you will have the opportunity to get involved in board bring-up activities, package and Create Software Development packages for the Application Development, Source code organization for efficient build process. Ideal candidate would be with proficient knowledge in Board Support Packages and Yocto Build Environment. Working experience in WiFi, LTE, GPS modules is a plus.
   RoleDesign and develop complex platform software for the Telematics Control Unit and other connected components.Be responsible for development of highly reliable and critical electric vehicle components Be responsible for development and integration of device drivers Provide design, development and debug support for integrating individual functions into the control unit Ensure optimization of platform software through design reviews and code reviews Develop a design and/or product validation test program to ensure robustness of design
   QualificationsMinimum 3 years of experience in developing Board Support Packages and platform development.MS/BS minimum in the areas of Computer Science, Computer engineering Proficiency in C/C++ programming languages Strong Linux Kernel fundamentals Experience with developing software and device drivers for Embedded LinuxExperience with board bring-up Good understanding of Secure Boot, File System Encryption Experience in ARM and TEE EnvironmentExperience with bootloaders and recovery OS development Experience with Real Time Operating Systems and architectures Working knowledge of Yocto Linux and writing BitBake Recipes.Experience with on-chip debugging tools and troubleshooting both software and hardware
   At Lucid, we don't just welcome diversity - we celebrate it! Lucid Motors is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, national or ethnic origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and expression, marital status, and any other characteristic protected under applicable State or Federal laws and regulations.
   
   Notice regarding COVID-19 protocols
   At Lucid, we prioritize the health and wellbeing of our employees, families, and friends above all else. In response to the novel Coronavirus all new Lucid employees, whose job will be based in the United States may or may not be required to provide original documentation confirming status as having received the prescribed inoculation (doses). Vaccination requirements are dependent upon location and position, please refer to the job description for more details.
   
   Individuals in positions requiring vaccinations may seek a medical and/or religious exemption from this requirement and may be granted such an accommodation after submitting a formal request to and the subsequent review and approval thereof by our dedicated Covid-19 Response team.
   
   To all recruitment agencies: Lucid Motors does not accept agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our careers alias or other Lucid Motors employees. Lucid Motors is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right software support 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 support engineer job on Zippia to find and attract quality software support engineer candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting software support 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.

   If your interviews with software support 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 support engineer

   Once you've selected the best software support engineer candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the 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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new software support engineer. 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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