How to hire a technical consultant

How to hire a technical consultant, step by step

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

What does a technical consultant do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the technical consultant you need to hire. Certain technical 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

   Hiring the perfect technical consultant also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   Here's a comparison of technical consultant salaries for various roles:

   Type of Technical Consultant	Description	Hourly rate
   Technical 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.	$32-56
   Consultant/Team Lead	Consultant team leads analyze background documentation, project documents, financial reports, etc., to prepare an initial report about the projects they are working on. They gather data through interviews, research, and surveys to design proposals meant to create an inclusive environment for everyone... Show more	$34-62
   Contractor/Consultant	A contractor is a self-employed businessperson who agrees to work for a fixed price. His/her job involves the evaluation of clients' needs and actual performance of work... Show more	$27-59

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Java
   • Database
   • Customer Service
   • Project Management
   • C #
   • Technical Support
   • Client Facing
   • Infrastructure
   • JavaScript
   • Strong Analytical
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • HTML
   • Technical Solutions
   • Emerging Technologies

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Develop several Unix scripts to automate routine operating system and application maintenance tasks.
   • Lead design, development and implementation of business intelligence and ETL solutions for client organizations.
   • Collaborate with developers, technical leads and management to develop technical standards for PL/SQL coding and documentation.
   • Create and manage several SharePoint team sites to host, communicate and collaborate about project information and documentation.
   • Provide emergency support to internal/external customers requiring the ability to effectively manage multiple tasks and rapidly troubleshoot complex applications.
   • Extract, clean and validate from XML file into database using SSIS task (XML source).

   More technical consultant duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, technical consultants' average salary in wyoming is 36% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level technical consultants 43% less than senior-level technical consultants.
   • Certifications. A technical 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 technical consultant's salary.

   Average technical consultant salary

   $89,290yearly

   $42.93 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level technical consultant salary

   $67,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 13, 2025

   Average technical consultant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$120,120	$58
   2	California	$117,457	$56
   3	New York	$95,965	$46
   4	District of Columbia	$95,563	$46
   5	New Jersey	$95,259	$46
   6	Pennsylvania	$93,774	$45
   7	Massachusetts	$92,920	$45
   8	Virginia	$91,722	$44
   9	Connecticut	$90,775	$44
   10	North Carolina	$88,111	$42
   11	Texas	$88,020	$42
   12	Arizona	$86,970	$42
   13	Minnesota	$86,307	$41
   14	Michigan	$85,947	$41
   15	Illinois	$85,704	$41
   16	Ohio	$85,412	$41
   17	Georgia	$84,789	$41
   18	Florida	$82,628	$40
   19	Missouri	$82,611	$40
   20	Colorado	$81,573	$39

   Average technical consultant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman	$136,841	$65.79
   2	Google	$129,024	$62.03	135
   3	Oculus	$127,800	$61.44
   4	Parsons	$126,541	$60.84	81
   5	Taos Mountain Casino	$126,458	$60.80
   6	Microsoft	$121,059	$58.20	159
   7	Slalom	$120,183	$57.78	494
   8	BP America Inc	$119,791	$57.59
   9	Qualtrics	$119,594	$57.50	6
   10	Amazon	$118,984	$57.20	677
   11	Applied Materials	$118,552	$57.00	25
   12	Okta	$117,702	$56.59	25
   13	DocuSign	$117,297	$56.39	2
   14	ForgeRock	$116,099	$55.82
   15	Upwork	$115,301	$55.43	2
   16	Blackboard	$114,838	$55.21
   17	NRG Energy	$113,737	$54.68	5
   18	The Travelers Companies	$113,722	$54.67	122
   19	Workday	$113,521	$54.58	7
   20	SAP	$113,473	$54.55	56

4. Writing a technical consultant job description

   A job description for a technical consultant 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 technical consultant job description:

   Technical consultant job description example

   Rockwell Automation is a global technology leader focused on helping the world's manufacturers be more productive, sustainable, and agile. With more than 25,000 employees who make the world better every day, we know we have something special. Behind our customers - amazing companies that help feed the world, provide life-saving medicine on a global scale, and focus on clean water and green mobility - our people are energized problem solvers that take pride in how the work we do changes the world for the better.
   
   We welcome all makers, forward thinkers, and problem solvers who are looking for a place to do their best work. And if that's you we would love to have you join us!
   Job Description
   Minimum Qualifications:
   
   Bachelor degree in engineering or other related technical field.5+ years of related experience with recognized technical expertise in Automotive and OEM Industries3+ Years, Information Technology experience at Manufacturing SystemsExperience at MES and/or Industrial IIOT such as Machine learning and Analytics area Strong application knowledge and demonstrated program management skills Read/Write, English Communication will be required
   
   Desired Qualifications:
   
   The Global Account Technical Consultant (GAIC) is responsible for managing the technical relationship between Rockwell Automation and the Automotive Global Accounts. The GAIC will have strong industry knowledge allowing for effective coordination of the combined resources of Rockwell Automation sales, support and product groups on behalf of the customers. The GAIC will apply technical skills, engineering methodologies, process knowledge and life cycle support competencies to solve customer problems and create a significant competitive advantage.Interaction with customer staff and plant locations worldwide; interaction with the customers key supply chain partners ( OEM's, SI's, etc.) worldwide; communication and coordination of Rockwell Automation sales, support, and business units worldwide.Work as a leading team member with the Global Account Managers and Team Leaders to co-plan and prioritize the activities which will generate the greatest value for the customers and Rockwell Automation.Work proactively with customers to make product and architectural recommendations. Examples would include: R&D, technical suitability, cost/performance evaluation, technical trends, and migration considerations, proof of concept, configuration testing, customer application assistance, and value proposition creation.Responsible for global project coordination. This would include: communications of technical implementation issues, project notification and tracking, OEM coordination and/or conversion and customer support plan development.Responsible for development of engineering standards, methods and guidelines related to the application of Rockwell Automation's technologies.Act as the technical focal point for Rockwell Automation product group interface. Examples include: technical requirements definition, beta site evaluation, BPI, communication/resource coordination related to quality and recall administration.Take responsibility of the leadership role in developing process or best practices for the Global Account program. This includes value propositions, market intelligence or other tools that help in promoting Rockwell Automation solutions.Working cooperatively with the Global Account Managers. Take responsibility in handling selected commercial issues. Capable of interfacing confidently with the customer at the management level.Advanced knowledge of the application of Rockwell Automation core products and systems: Logix control, FactoryTalkView visualization, I/O platforms, communication networks (Ethernet/IP, and other industrial communication protocols), Safety products / Safety Controllers, and related IoT and software products as they relate to the Automotive industry applications are essential.Advanced software experience with MES, analytics, historians, network security and OPC preferred Understanding of PTC Thingworx or Vuforia Studio as it relates to Virtual Commissioning and design Competency in the fundamentals of branch circuit protection and circuit breaker technologies.Experienced in other key technologies, ie. Safety systems, high speed arc-flash detection, arc flash standards.
   
   Essential Functions:
   
   Strong communication skills. Written/Oral/PresentationAbility to travel globally as needed to support Global account customers.Ability to work and collaborate with individuals at various levels within an organization in a fast paced team environment. Ability to influence members not under direct control.Identification & mitigation of commercial & technical risks.Application of Globally accepted Project Management processes.Facilitate and document meetings both internally with the Global Account Sales team Work with the SA team to develop an Opportunity Pursuit plan Support Company focus on high growth areas in Auto/TireCapture, Document and Track Product Gaps associated with Program growth Provide expertise to Geography and OEM segments to better support Industry initiatives

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find technical 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 technical consultant job on Zippia to find and recruit technical consultant candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with technical consultant 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.

   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.

   While interviews are great, you will only sometimes learn enough from a conversation with a technical consultant applicant. In those cases, having candidates complete a test project can go a long way in figuring out who's the most likely to succeed in the role. If you aren't a technical person and 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 technical consultant

   Once you've decided on a perfect technical 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.

   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.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new technical 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 technical consultant?