How to hire an sql server developer

How to hire an sql server developer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step sql server developer hiring guide:

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

What does an sql server developer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the sql server developer you need to hire. Certain sql server developer 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

   An sql server developer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, sql server developers 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.

   This list shows salaries for various types of sql server developers.

   Type of SQL Server Developer	Description	Hourly rate
   SQL Server Developer	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	$34-54
   SQL Database Administrator	SQL database administrators (DBAs) are professionals who are using specialized software for data storage and organization. Among the duties of DBAs are capacity planning, database design, performance monitoring, troubleshooting, configuration, and installation... Show more	$32-55
   Database Developer/Database Administrator	A database developer/database administrator specializes in designing and developing database programs and systems, maintaining and updating them regularly. They are in charge of understanding project needs and guidelines, establishing and implementing test systems to identify potential risks and issues, fixing and upgrading components, and storing data according to protocols... Show more	$29-58

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Database Objects
   • SQL Server Analysis
   • SSRS
   • Ssis Packages
   • T-SQL
   • ETL
   • SSAS
   • C #
   • Data Warehouse
   • DTS
   • SQL Server Profiler
   • Windows Server
   • OLAP
   • XML

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Work with dynamic T-SQL queries, DDL, DML statements for creating objects, making updates and managing user permissions.
   • Log various SSIS packages as well as individual tasks to text and XML file formats for later debugging and review.
   • Design the data warehouse schema and optimize the existing reporting for the trading re-conciliation and compliance system
   • Used database consistency checks using DBCC utilities.
   • Maintain the database consistency with DBCC at regular intervals.
   • Provide strategic vision and tactical direction for the DBA function.

   More sql server developer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your sql server developer job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. An sql server developer can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, sql server developers' average salary in wyoming is 34% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level sql server developers 37% less than senior-level sql server developers.
   • Certifications. An sql server developer 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 an sql server developer's salary.

   Average sql server developer salary

   $90,179yearly

   $43.36 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level sql server developer salary

   $71,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 13, 2025

   Average sql server developer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$113,389	$55
   2	Washington	$111,866	$54
   3	New York	$97,470	$47
   4	District of Columbia	$94,948	$46
   5	New Jersey	$93,132	$45
   6	Texas	$92,989	$45
   7	Arizona	$92,595	$45
   8	Massachusetts	$90,670	$44
   9	North Carolina	$88,761	$43
   10	Pennsylvania	$88,341	$42
   11	New Hampshire	$87,133	$42
   12	Virginia	$86,773	$42
   13	Ohio	$85,926	$41
   14	Minnesota	$85,806	$41
   15	Illinois	$84,614	$41
   16	Iowa	$83,190	$40
   17	Maryland	$82,936	$40
   18	Florida	$82,529	$40
   19	Georgia	$81,857	$39
   20	Colorado	$81,842	$39

   Average sql server developer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Fiverr	$117,149	$56.32
   2	Nutanix	$113,222	$54.43	4
   3	WillowWood	$112,734	$54.20
   4	Bank of the West	$111,057	$53.39
   5	Starbucks	$110,326	$53.04	2
   6	Rockstar Games	$104,930	$50.45	3
   7	Doherty Enterprises	$101,618	$48.85	31
   8	Magellan Health	$101,300	$48.70
   9	Metasys Technologies	$101,123	$48.62	12
   10	CyberCoders	$100,504	$48.32
   11	LegalZoom	$100,387	$48.26
   12	Randstad North America, Inc.	$100,240	$48.19	52
   13	Kforce	$99,980	$48.07	85
   14	DIVERSANT	$99,961	$48.06
   15	Charles Schwab	$99,560	$47.87	22
   16	Healthnotes LLC	$98,526	$47.37	1
   17	Quantum Vision	$98,498	$47.35
   18	Carnival Cruise Line	$97,597	$46.92	2
   19	Epitec	$96,222	$46.26	2
   20	Pinnacle Technical Resources	$96,086	$46.20	14

4. Writing an sql server developer job description

   A good sql server developer 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 an sql server developer job description:

   Sql server developer job description example

   We are CPU & Server Platform R&D team under Cloud Infrastructure Business Group (CIBG) in VMware. VMware's ESXi is the operating system and Hypervisor of choice for majority of the servers in the world. Due to its advanced capabilities, performance, and quality, ESXi is the foundation of VMware's cloud and data center virtualization technologies. The x86 CPU & Server Platform Group team owns the core CPU, hardware platform including bring-ups, boot, chipset, drivers, interrupts, memory, exception handling, virtual platform and much more. The team engages directly with Intel and silicon partners on to work on bleeding edge technologies to keeps ESXi abreast of all the HW innovations and acceleration capabilities of futuristic silicon roadmaps. Within VMware, the team works closely with Research Groups, Platform Engineering teams at all layers of Hardware & Software. The team maintains a high bar for quality and works with partners and customers as needed to solve issues.
   What you will be accountable for
   
   In this role the engineer is part of ESXi kernel team with the opportunity to work on large systems and hardware enablement projects to collaborate across multiple cross-geo development teams. The candidate should be comfortable with various technical aspects of a project and should be able to represent the team if needed technically internally and externally with partners. In addition, the candidate would need to collaborate with engineers from partner's software development teams to jointly develop solutions on ESXi. The candidate would be part of a strong technical team that is fully motivated and engaged, working across the full stack from bootloader to configuration scripts. Further, the candidate is expected to foster a research mindset focused towards developing new solutions.
   
   Skills & Experience
   
   Required
   MS or PhD in Computer Science or equivalent. Or a BS with strong operating systems development experience in the industry or comparable open-source contributions Excellent C programming skills. Good understanding of modern Intel and AMD x86-based processor architectures Expertise in version control and collaborative code review tools such as git, gerrit, perforce. Strong operating systems and kernel internals knowledge such as Linux/BSDs/Windows NT. Experience with writing high-quality, well-architected and well-documented code. Strong analytical and debugging skills. Excellent oral and written communication skills
   
   Preferred
   Knowledge of x86 assembler, C++, Java, Perl, Go, Python and other programming languages Familiarity with multiple virtualization platforms Experience with System bring-ups, CPU, Chipset Familiarity with kernel performance analysis and optimization. Understanding of distributed system concepts This job may require the candidate to travel and/or work from a facility that requires full vaccination prior to entry.
   
   VMware is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Prohibits Discrimination and Harassment of Any Kind: VMware is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions at VMware are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, national, social or ethnic origin, sex (including pregnancy), age, physical, mental or sensory disability, HIV Status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital, civil union or domestic partnership status, past or present military service, family medical history or genetic information, family or parental status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. VMware will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics. VMware encourages applicants of all ages. VMware will provide reasonable accommodation to employees who have protected disabilities consistent with local law.
   
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5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find sql server developers 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 sql server developer job on Zippia to find and attract quality sql server developer 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 sql server developer 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.

   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.

   Sometimes, it's not enough to interview sql server developer candidates, so you can ask them to do a test project. If you are not a technical person and don't know what a test project should be, you can use these websites:

   • 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 sql server developer

   Once you've selected the best sql server developer 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 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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