How to hire a technical specialist

How to hire a technical specialist, step by step

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

What does a technical specialist do?

Post a technical specialist job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your technical specialist job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a technical specialist for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

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

   Type of Technical Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Technical Specialist	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	$29-60
   Administrative Technical Support	Administrative technical support maintains every technical set-up used in a company. Their primary responsibility is to inspect a company's systems, evaluate for issues, and repair any problems immediately... Show more	$13-36
   Technical Support Engineer	A technical support engineer is responsible for responding to customer issues, providing immediate resolutions to their system issues through remote assistance. Technical support engineers must have strong knowledge of software and hardware applications to diagnose system defects and process troubleshooting... Show more	$29-57

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Technical Support
   • Patients
   • Project Management
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • C++
   • Azure
   • Pre Sales
   • Java
   • Ladders
   • PowerPoint
   • Excellent Organizational
   • Microsoft Teams
   • Technical Expertise

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Install and manage LAN/WAN using TCP/IP protocol.
   • Manage the development of a customize ERP system for the client.
   • Design and manage studies for alternative API qualification for commercial products.
   • Lead and assist in troubleshooting problems and assure appropriate communication with physicians and patients.
   • Manage customer complaints and internal GMP audits for product manufacturing, coordinate FDA audits and recommend corrective actions.
   • Develop HTML, CSS, JavaScript for commercial websites.

   More technical specialist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your technical specialist job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A technical specialist salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, technical specialists' average salary in utah is 45% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level technical specialists earn 51% less than senior-level technical specialists.
   • Certifications. A technical specialist with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a technical specialist's salary.

   Average technical specialist salary

   $88,773yearly

   $42.68 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level technical specialist salary

   $62,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 12, 2026

   Average technical specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$106,061	$51
   2	Delaware	$102,264	$49
   3	California	$99,850	$48
   4	New York	$96,314	$46
   5	New Jersey	$96,211	$46
   6	Pennsylvania	$94,917	$46
   7	Ohio	$93,090	$45
   8	Virginia	$92,759	$45
   9	Georgia	$92,305	$44
   10	North Carolina	$91,721	$44
   11	Massachusetts	$90,999	$44
   12	Michigan	$90,691	$44
   13	Illinois	$87,088	$42
   14	Texas	$86,800	$42
   15	New Hampshire	$84,381	$41
   16	Arizona	$82,477	$40
   17	Indiana	$81,883	$39
   18	Minnesota	$80,402	$39
   19	Florida	$79,819	$38
   20	Maine	$78,566	$38

   Average technical specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner	$146,084	$70.23
   2	Ropes & Gray	$145,168	$69.79	10
   3	Morgan Lewis	$143,801	$69.14	1
   4	McKinsey & Company Inc	$139,979	$67.30	7
   5	BP America Inc	$132,479	$63.69
   6	Netflix	$130,052	$62.52	4
   7	Meta	$129,335	$62.18	14
   8	NVIDIA	$128,952	$62.00	37
   9	Steptoe & Johnson	$128,112	$61.59
   10	Apple	$127,950	$61.51	37
   11	Google	$127,391	$61.25	277
   12	Mintz	$127,073	$61.09
   13	McCarter & English	$127,020	$61.07
   14	Chevron	$125,460	$60.32	3
   15	Tesoro	$123,232	$59.25
   16	Databricks	$122,780	$59.03	14
   17	Phillips 66	$122,389	$58.84	3
   18	Microsoft	$122,152	$58.73	248
   19	Genentech	$122,121	$58.71	1
   20	Tellabs	$121,619	$58.47

4. Writing a technical specialist job description

   A technical specialist 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. To help get you started, here's an example of a technical specialist job description:

   Technical specialist job description example

   The Rock Family of Companies is made up of nearly 100 separate businesses spanning fintech, sports, entertainment, real estate, startups and more. We're united by our culture - a drive to find a better way that fuels our commitment to our clients, our community and our team members. We believe in and build inclusive workplaces, where every voice is heard and diverse perspectives are welcomed. Working for a company in the Family is about more than just a job - it's about having the opportunity to become the best version of yourself.
   Preferred Qualifications:
   3 years of experience in security or other related industry Experience in managing training programs Experience with Network computing components and data collection devices Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college focused on Electrical Engineering, related field or experience in one of the following categories: security, public administration, business, or equivalency military experience Computer skills in word processing and spreadsheets Ability to be a positive and effective team member Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously
   
   Job Summary
   As a Security Technology Specialist, you'll support all areas of the Security Technology Team and other related areas of the business.
   
   Responsibilities
   Monitor the Team mailbox and phone line Complete access control requests System programming, troubleshooting and updates Process service requests for hardware issues Develop and support automation process for badging/access control Develop and support training processes for new team members Provide assistance and office support to Security Services and other related areas of the business Identify, quantify and prepare total solutions for security and safety risks/enhancements.Manage, oversee, and review the design of security systems and their implementation.Acts as System Manager for all installed security systems and software.Oversee a formal process improvement program for services Provide measurement reports to senior management Identify, qualify, and manage contractors for projects out-sourced Provide project management, direction and innovation in the areas of strategic planning, risk assessment, technology enhancements and configuration control of security systems on special projects as assigned Oversee process improvement programs related to alarm/notification and security system enhancements Review and provide project oversight on the design and installation of alarm/notification and security systems Perform training sessions, coordinate programming, coordinate resolution of alarm system problems and malfunctions, and provide system configuration documentation for alarm systems users Prepare proposals for new systems and existing system additions or alterations Develop & maintain electronic security system specifications & construction standards
   
   Who We Are
   Rock Security offers 24/7 safety and security services and training to Rock Family of Companies team members, tenants and visitors. We're proud to be part of collaborative public-private partnerships working toward the common goals of enhancing the safety of everyone who lives, works and visits Detroit, Cleveland and our other home cities.
   
   Disclaimer
   This is an outline of the primary responsibilities of this position. As with everything in life, things change. The tasks and responsibilities can be changed, added to, removed, amended, deleted and modified at any time by the leadership group.
   
   We are proud equal opportunity employers and committed to providing an inclusive environment based on mutual respect for all candidates and team members. Employment decisions, including hiring decisions, are not based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, military or veteran status or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law. We also provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with state and federal law.
   
   The Company is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer, and does not discriminate in any hiring or employment practices. The Company provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with state and federal law. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation in completing the application and/or participating in the employment application process should notify a representative of the Human Resources Team, The Pulse, at 1-800-411-JOBS.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find technical specialists 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 specialist job on Zippia to find and recruit technical specialist 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

   To successfully recruit technical specialists, 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.

   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.

   Sometimes, it's not enough to interview technical specialist 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 technical specialist

   Once you've decided on a perfect technical specialist 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 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 technical specialist. 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.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a technical specialist?