How to hire a systems consultant

How to hire a systems consultant, step by step

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

What does a systems consultant do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a systems consultant, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A systems consultant's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, systems 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 systems consultant salaries for various roles:

   Type of Systems Consultant	Description	Hourly rate
   Systems Consultant	Computer systems analysts study an organization’s current computer systems and procedures and design information systems solutions to help the organization operate more efficiently and effectively. They bring business and information technology (IT) together by understanding the needs and limitations of both.	$35-64
   Consultant Database Administrator	Consultant database administrators maintain and monitor the health and security of the database systems used in different applications utilized by international offices. They create database management procedures including, backup programs, server maintenance, and program updates... Show more	$36-66
   Systems Administrator	Systems administrators are employees who oversee information technology infrastructures in the office. They are skilled information technology professionals who are knowledgeable about the company's network systems and other technology-related infrastructures... Show more	$28-48

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Infrastructure
   • Project Management
   • C++
   • C #
   • Azure
   • SDLC
   • Java
   • End-To-End Testing
   • End Testing
   • SQL Server
   • Technical Support
   • Linux
   • Management System
   • Business Process

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead a training initiative to educate and transition mainframe programmers to using Java, object-orient design, and XML.
   • Work on implementing new upgrade framework used to manage upgrading cloud infrastructure services using python.
   • Web design services scripting in CSS, HTML, and JavaScript.
   • Work with customers and vendors to design and implement Virtualization products for data centers (VCE, VMware, EMC).
   • Produce technical documentation for the entire SDLC cycle and user manuals.
   • Automate the Presales technical demo startup and shutdown sequences by writing both shell and perl scripts.

   More systems consultant duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, systems consultants' average salary in missouri is 42% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level systems consultants 45% less than senior-level systems consultants.
   • Certifications. A systems consultant 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 systems consultant's salary.

   Average systems consultant salary

   $99,659yearly

   $47.91 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level systems consultant salary

   $74,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 13, 2025

   Average systems consultant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$144,574	$70
   2	Massachusetts	$110,254	$53
   3	New York	$106,668	$51
   4	District of Columbia	$102,888	$49
   5	Georgia	$101,957	$49
   6	Maryland	$101,706	$49
   7	Virginia	$100,806	$48
   8	Texas	$100,425	$48
   9	Michigan	$100,262	$48
   10	New Jersey	$97,613	$47
   11	Arizona	$96,965	$47
   12	Pennsylvania	$95,570	$46
   13	North Carolina	$92,278	$44
   14	Ohio	$90,875	$44
   15	Alabama	$90,197	$43
   16	Nebraska	$90,108	$43
   17	Florida	$89,933	$43
   18	Illinois	$89,593	$43
   19	Colorado	$86,455	$42
   20	Minnesota	$83,936	$40

   Average systems consultant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Apple	$132,328	$63.62	143
   2	Google	$130,994	$62.98	110
   3	Accenture	$118,348	$56.90	328
   4	Loup Logistics	$115,405	$55.48	2
   5	attune	$112,617	$54.14
   6	Epitec	$111,518	$53.61	3
   7	State Street	$111,438	$53.58	5
   8	Janus Henderson U.S.	$110,425	$53.09	2
   9	LBMC	$108,907	$52.36
   10	Kyyba	$108,329	$52.08
   11	Millennium Software and Staffing	$107,763	$51.81	2
   12	DFS Corporate Services LLC	$106,557	$51.23
   13	Elevate	$106,297	$51.10
   14	Vertex	$106,278	$51.10	15
   15	Blue Shield of California	$106,136	$51.03	11
   16	Quest Software	$105,911	$50.92
   17	Verizon Data Services Inc	$105,392	$50.67
   18	Utilicast	$105,389	$50.67
   19	eClinicalWorks	$104,788	$50.38
   20	Systech Integrators	$104,584	$50.28

4. Writing a systems consultant job description

   A good systems consultant 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 systems consultant job description:

   Systems consultant job description example

   Summary of Job:
   
   Sell the Lee Company controls offering and overall company value proposition to contractors, architects, consultants, and facility owners using a consultative selling approach providing technical solutions and operational expertise. Execute the sales process to cultivate, qualify and close new sales opportunities and achieve profitable growth and volume goals across all Facility Solutions offerings. Utilize sales tools to plan and document progress as well as develop strategies to increase business opportunities at accounts. Obtain and close sales on a monthly basis. Executes the sales process to aid in cultivating and managing long-term relationships and in seeking out, qualifying and closing new sales opportunities. Utilizes sales tools to plan and document sales progress as well as increase business opportunities across all BE-LOBs in assigned accounts. Seeks to expand the depth and breadth of Lee Company offerings sold within assigned accounts. Actively participates as a member on select account teams on key and target customer accounts. May lead the account team (market customer leader) on assigned target and key accounts where significant growth opportunities exist and more robust expertise is required from others to solidify the opportunity. Seeks to continually develop sales skills and to enhance knowledge of the JCI product and service offerings.
   
   Education and Experience:
   Bachelor's degree in business, engineering, or related discipline required.A mechanical or electrical engineering degree is preferred.A minimum of five years of progressive field sales experience.At least three year successfully selling HVAC or facility automation system service or projects.
   
   Certificates, Licenses, Registrations
   LEED preferred, but not required
   
   Skills and Abilities:
   
   Demonstrates a commitment to integrity and quality in business. Excellent initiative and interpersonal communications skills. Demonstrated ability to influence account decision makers at key levels knowledge of mechanical systems to include chilled and hot water systems
   Understands BAS sequences and how they affect the mechanical operation of the equipment Has a basic understanding of electrical circuits Understands the concepts of Test and Balance procedures Understands the concept of commissioning Strong Communication Skills
   
   Lee Company is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, age, national origin, veteran status, disability, genetic information or testing, or family and medical leave.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right systems consultant 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.

   To find systems consultant candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit systems consultants, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   Sometimes, it's not enough to interview systems consultant 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 systems consultant

   Once you've decided on a perfect systems consultant candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new systems consultant. 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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How much does it cost to hire a systems consultant?