How to hire a software support representative

How to hire a software support representative, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the software support representative you need to hire. Certain software support representative 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 support representative 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 support representative that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of software support representatives and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Software Support Representative	Description	Hourly rate
   Software Support Representative	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	$24-52
   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
   Technical Support Trainer	A technical support trainer specializes in creating training programs meant to mold workers into becoming valuable members of a company workforce. Their responsibilities revolve around identifying the trainees' needs, providing written and verbal instructions, addressing and resolving inquiries and concerns, conducting skills assessments, managing schedules, monitoring attendance and performance, and providing consultations to trainees... Show more	$12-39

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Technical Support
   • Software Support
   • Customer Problems
   • Troubleshoot
   • Customer Support
   • CRM
   • Phone Support
   • Software Products
   • EHR
   • Mac
   • Technical Assistance
   • Software Applications
   • Software Issues
   • Customer Issues

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Install and configure multiple UNIX servers and databases using native utilities; configure internal network, configure and manage SSL certificates.
   • Operate collaboration, CRM, and forecasting software.
   • Experience utilizing customer ticketing system (Salesforce).
   • Utilize multiple hardware and software tools to troubleshoot software, printing, accounting and database issues.
   • Create PowerPoint presentations for training purposes.
   • Collaborate with LAN technicians/network administrators to ensure efficient operation of company's desktop software/network environment.

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, software support representatives' average salary in nebraska is 43% less than in delaware.
   • Seniority. Entry-level software support representatives 55% less than senior-level software support representatives.
   • Certifications. A software support representative 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 software support representative's salary.

   Average software support representative salary

   $74,855yearly

   $35.99 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level software support representative salary

   $50,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

4. Writing a software support representative job description

   A job description for a software support representative 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 support representative job description:

   Software support representative job description example

   This Role, Global Support Software Expert, is a remote position and the successful candidate will work in their own country, remotely
   
   The Global Support Software Expert will work operationally alongside R&D (research and development) and Global Support teams in a strategic partnership that will raise the current support levels to a superior Tier 4 level.
   
   This support position will report directly to the Global Support Lead and will focus on performing Tier 4 in-depth troubleshooting including database analysis, reading system logs and solving complex support issues that can be escalated by local and regional teams.
   
   The role is responsible for proactively identifying critical software failures and presenting failure analysis reports that can be used to proactively prevent customer downtime at Regional and Local levels whilst having the ability to connect and engage with global training teams with upskilling advice.
   
   The successful candidate will lead and support the software upgrades signoff criteria and assist in the preparations of the final release notes that will form part of the country launch packs to ensure a seamless launch process to regional and local teams.
   
   A key success factor of this role will be your proactive relationship with different R&D (research and development) teams by showing your extensive technical product knowledge and ability to work to strict deadlines and structures required with product software's, the successful candidate should be a key participant in R&D (research and development) design meetings by bringing forward high levels of customer focus and providing customer feedback from the local countries.
   
   The successful candidate should have high levels of drive & determination, a key asset to the role will be the ability to challenge teams due to being the focal point of support and being accountable to the regions and local teams.
   Qualifications, Skills & Experience Required:
   
   * Significant experience in a Tier 3 or above, Technical Support/Quality Assurance/Development related role at a global software company.
   * Passion for troubleshooting, ability to come up with efficient solutions and workarounds for uncommon issues.
   * Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, as well as fundamental working knowledge of client and server-side scripting, web technologies, APIs (Application programming interface) and communication protocols.
   * Coding skills in one or more OOP (object-orientated programming) languages such as C# / Java - Advantage
   * Knowledge and proven experience with writing SQL (structured query language) queries - A Must.
   * Deep understanding of Windows and Linux OS (debugging and internals) - A Must.
   * Knowledge of scripting languages such as Bash / Python - Advantage.
   * Customer-oriented with excellent communication (English - written and verbal) and interpersonal skills.
   * Technically adaptive, ability to learn new solutions, features/functionality, and communicate those in a value-added way to internal teams.
   * Continuous learning mindset and detail-oriented approach.
   * Ability to prioritize and switch between a variety of time-sensitive issues.
   * Creativity and ability to think outside the box.
   * Multi-tasking, self-learning, highly motivated and a team player.
   
   For positions located in the United States and Puerto Rico - Subject to applicable law, all new hires (including internal transfers) must demonstrate that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or that they qualify for a medical or religious exemption to this vaccination requirement. New hires (including internal transfers) to a position that, as determined by the Company, requires routine collaboration with external stakeholders (such as roles in health services or customer-facing commercial or research-based roles) ("Customer-Facing Role") who are not vaccinated must qualify for a medical or religious exemption and be in a position that the Company determines can accommodate unvaccinated employees without causing an undue burden to business operations. If, following dialog with the candidate as appropriate, it is determined that the candidate either a) does not qualify for a religious or medical exemption or, b) for candidates applying for Customer-Facing roles, it is determined that allowing the candidate to work without vaccination would cause an undue burden to the Company, the candidate will be ineligible for hire or transfer, or any offer of employment or transfer (if applicable) will be revoked. Please note that notwithstanding the approval of any reasonable accommodation, the Company reserves the right to monitor, modify, or revoke any such accommodation if it is determined, following dialog with the employee, that the accommodation is no longer effective or results in an undue burden to the Company.
   
   Current Employees apply HERE
   
   Current Contingent Workers apply HERE
   
   US and Puerto Rico Residents Only:
   
   Our company is committed to inclusion, ensuring that candidates can engage in a hiring process that exhibits their true capabilities. Please click here if you need an accommodation during the application or hiring process.
   
   For more information about personal rights under Equal Employment Opportunity, visit:
   
   EEOC Poster
   
   EEOC GINA Supplement
   
   OFCCP EEO Supplement
   
   Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination
   
   We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing diverse, talented, and committed people together. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when diverse ideas come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another's thinking and approach problems collectively. We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace.
   
   Residents of Colorado:
   
   Click here to request this role's pay range.
   
   Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully
   
   Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company. No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails.
   
   Employee Status:
   
   Regular
   
   Relocation:
   
   No relocation
   
   VISA Sponsorship:
   
   No
   
   Travel Requirements:
   
   10%
   
   Flexible Work Arrangements:
   
   Hybrid
   
   Shift:
   
   Not Indicated
   
   Valid Driving License:
   
   Yes
   
   Hazardous Material(s):
   
   Number of Openings:
   
   2

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with software support representative 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.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   If your interviews with software support representative 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 representative

   Once you have selected a candidate for the software support representative 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 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 software support representative. 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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