How to hire a solutions consultant

How to hire a solutions consultant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step solutions consultant hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a solutions consultant job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new solutions consultant
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a solutions consultant do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the solutions consultant you need to hire. Certain solutions consultant 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 solutions consultant's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, solutions consultants 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 solutions consultant salaries for various roles:

   Type of Solutions Consultant	Description	Hourly rate
   Solutions Consultant	Management analysts, often called management consultants, propose ways to improve the efficiency of an organization. They advise managers on how to make organizations more profitable through reduced costs and increased revenues.	$32-62
   Business Development Consultant	The role of business consultants is to provide an analysis of a company on its business practices and make recommendations for long-term goals. This role is also connected with various duties and responsibilities, including reviewing the company's financial statements, engaging in research on how to improve the company's offers, and developing new business models... Show more	$25-65
   Program Management Consultant	A program management consultant is responsible for analyzing project requirements based on clients' specifications, developing quality improvement techniques, and reviewing project deliverables. Program management consultants work closely with the project team to identify project initiatives and resolve complexities that may arise... Show more	$35-65

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Pre Sales
   • Sales Process
   • Cloud
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Database
   • CRM
   • Client Facing
   • C #
   • Analytics
   • Pre-Sales
   • Product Demonstrations
   • Client Relationships
   • Customer Service
   • Project Management

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage relationships with existing and new clients, and master SalesForce.com.
   • Manage the RFP and technology solicitation process; prepare and submit proposals and recommendations to underwriting authorities.
   • Manage several SDLC phases for enterprise systems used by state government agencies to perform environmental and environmental management.
   • Maintain SalesForce CRM and forecast accurately.
   • Help Pre-Sales when they need additional staff.
   • Coordinate with PeopleSoft GSC for issues log for resolution with GSC.

   More solutions consultant duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your solutions consultant job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A solutions consultant salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a solutions consultant in Kentucky may be lower than in California, and an entry-level solutions consultant usually earns less than a senior-level solutions consultant. Additionally, a solutions consultant with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average solutions consultant salary

   $94,839yearly

   $45.60 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level solutions consultant salary

   $68,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 13, 2025

   Average solutions consultant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$122,470	$59
   2	Washington	$110,217	$53
   3	New York	$110,086	$53
   4	District of Columbia	$107,508	$52
   5	New Jersey	$105,253	$51
   6	Massachusetts	$103,750	$50
   7	Rhode Island	$99,474	$48
   8	Maryland	$98,942	$48
   9	Connecticut	$98,363	$47
   10	Virginia	$97,980	$47
   11	North Carolina	$94,256	$45
   12	Colorado	$91,488	$44
   13	Texas	$90,412	$43
   14	Alabama	$90,278	$43
   15	Illinois	$89,293	$43
   16	Pennsylvania	$89,130	$43
   17	Michigan	$86,554	$42
   18	Ohio	$85,683	$41
   19	Minnesota	$85,128	$41
   20	Georgia	$84,927	$41

   Average solutions consultant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Apple	$142,167	$68.35	9
   2	VMware	$139,088	$66.87
   3	Meta	$136,374	$65.56	45
   4	Google	$135,864	$65.32	106
   5	Dotdash	$131,724	$63.33
   6	ZS	$130,824	$62.90	60
   7	Microsoft	$129,186	$62.11	89
   8	Zoho	$128,283	$61.67
   9	ServiceNow	$127,401	$61.25	254
   10	Slalom	$127,332	$61.22	533
   11	MuleSoft	$124,661	$59.93
   12	Exxon Mobil	$124,577	$59.89
   13	Juniper Networks	$122,830	$59.05
   14	Amazon	$121,968	$58.64	404
   15	Databricks	$119,785	$57.59	47
   16	Cloudera	$119,328	$57.37	1
   17	eGain	$119,103	$57.26
   18	TIBCO Software	$118,401	$56.92
   19	Cisco	$117,139	$56.32	86
   20	SAP	$115,898	$55.72	74

4. Writing a solutions consultant job description

   A solutions consultant 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 solutions consultant job description:

   Solutions consultant job description example

   Every day, Global Payments makes it possible for millions of people to move money between buyers and sellers using our payments solutions for credit, debit, prepaid and merchant services. Our worldwide team helps over 3 million companies, more than 1,300 financial institutions and over 600 million cardholders grow with confidence and achieve amazing results. We are driven by our passion for success and we are proud to deliver best-in-class payment technology and software solutions. Join our dynamic team and make your mark on the payments technology landscape of tomorrow.
   Summary of This Role
   Responsible for selling merchant services offerings to businesses. Activities include pricing, customer segmentation, customer presentations, account sign-up and activation, and account management. Answers inbound customer calls regarding product and service information, and identifies upselling opportunities from such calls. Accepts orders, closes sales, maintains customer records, and completes required documentation.
   
   What Part Will You Play?
   Manages a portfolio of clients for the company, typically with an annual net revenue value of $200,000 or more. Identifies revenue opportunities within assigned territories through communications with prospective clients, marketing programs and other activities as needed. Telephones prospects to identify appropriate contacts, qualifies and drives leads through the sales pipeline. Ensures suspect identification, planning, account qualification, and needs analysis at all prospect levels. Responds to customer requests for information and gives online presentations. Identifies and closes additional product and/or service sales with existing clients to further develop the client relationship. Manages client relationships and expectations during the sales cycle.Maintains existing/prospective client records, in accordance with company policies, to include call notes, scheduled client interactions, contact information, and other relevant client information, in the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system; currently SalesForce.com. Keeps management informed of all activity, including timely preparation of reports.Develops knowledge of current product/service portfolio as well as changes and developments within the payments industry.
   
   What Are We Looking For in This Role?
   Minimum Qualifications
   High School Diploma or EquivalentTypically Minimum 2 Years Relevant ExpRelated Experience
   Preferred Qualifications
   Typically Minimum 2 Years Relevant ExpB2B sales experience, cold calling sales experience, demonstrated successful performance in previous sales job
   
   What Are Our Desired Skills and Capabilities?
   Skills / Knowledge - Has substantial understanding of the job and applies knowledge and skills to complete a wide range of tasks.Job Complexity - Works on assignments that are routine to moderately difficult, requiring some decision in resolving issues or in making recommendations.Supervision - Normally receives little instruction on daily work, general instructions on newly introduced assignments.Industry Knowledge - Expert knowledge of the merchant payment industry Decision Maker - Advanced ability to be an effective problem solver and act quickly to resolve issues Communication - Effective listener and communicator who is able to establish long lasting customer relationships
   Global Payments Inc. is an equal opportunity employer.
   Global Payments provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, veteran status, genetic information or any other basis protected by law. Those applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application and/or interview process should notify a representative of the Human Resources Department.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit solutions consultants, 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.

   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 solutions consultant

   Once you've selected the best solutions consultant 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.

   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 solutions consultant first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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 solutions consultant?