How to hire a Technical Support Engineer

How to hire a technical support engineer, step by step

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

What does a Technical Support Engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The technical support engineer hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine Employee vs Contractor Status

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

   Yes

   No

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

   Type Of Technical Support Engineer	Description	Hourly Rate
   Technical Support Engineer	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	$29-57
   Systems Support	A systems support agent is responsible for resolving system applications and network issues, performing technical configuration, and upgrading systems infrastructure. A systems support representative conducts regular maintenance and diagnostic tests on the computer applications to ensure its optimal performance and efficiency to support business operations and avoid delays in deliverables... Show More	$21-42
   Software Support Technician	A software support technician is responsible for resolving software application issues, diagnosing related system failures, and writing resolution reports for reference. Software support technicians must be highly-familiarized with the system's infrastructure and interface to immediately diagnose malfunctions and identify maintenance techniques to prevent the reoccurrence of downtimes and delays... Show More	$26-54

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common Skills:

   • Technical Support
   • Customer Service
   • Troubleshoot
   • Java
   • Linux
   • Customer Issues
   • Database
   • Tcp Ip
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Customer Support
   • OS
   • Technical Issues
   • CRM
   • Post Sales

   Check All Skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage a large complex network of computers including provisioning, configuration, and performance tuning.
   • Achieve customer excellence by utilizing top tier VPN skills on ASA, IOS, and IOS XE platforms.
   • Lead the deployment of the formal customer complaint tracking system within the NA CSE organization for capturing customer complaints.
   • Achieve working knowledge of DMS 100 and Euro switches to post lines, links, and enable/disable calling features, i.e.
   • Create service requests in CRM application to reflect report issues and manage customer expectations throughout escalation and/or resolution.
   • Lead technical operations for an innovative workforce virtualization movement, including initial design and improvement of technical systems and processes.

   More Technical Support Engineer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your technical support engineer job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A technical support engineer 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 technical support engineer in South Dakota may be lower than in Washington, and an entry-level technical support engineer usually earns less than a senior-level technical support engineer. Additionally, a technical support engineer 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 technical support engineer salary

   $85,716yearly

   $41.21 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level technical support engineer salary

   $61,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 16, 2025

   Average technical support engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate
   1	California	$107,612	$52
   2	Washington	$96,301	$46
   3	New Jersey	$86,400	$42
   4	Rhode Island	$85,495	$41
   5	Virginia	$83,899	$40
   6	Oregon	$82,901	$40
   7	Massachusetts	$81,207	$39
   8	New York	$80,369	$39
   9	Pennsylvania	$77,047	$37
   10	North Carolina	$74,262	$36
   11	Texas	$74,125	$36
   12	Georgia	$73,614	$35
   13	Arizona	$72,831	$35
   14	Ohio	$72,529	$35
   15	District of Columbia	$71,398	$34
   16	North Dakota	$70,433	$34
   17	Illinois	$70,020	$34
   18	Maine	$68,722	$33
   19	Indiana	$67,314	$32
   20	Utah	$65,723	$32

   Average technical support engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
   1	Meta	$121,172	$58.26	205
   2	PayPal	$120,588	$57.98	32
   3	Apple	$119,821	$57.61	249
   4	Wasabi Technologies	$118,520	$56.98
   5	Dropbox	$118,019	$56.74
   6	Google	$117,251	$56.37	77
   7	FinMkt	$115,439	$55.50
   8	Avid	$115,333	$55.45	35
   9	Databricks	$114,933	$55.26	20
   10	Tellabs	$114,798	$55.19
   11	Imply	$113,623	$54.63
   12	Brocade Services Corporation	$113,147	$54.40
   13	Applied Materials	$113,100	$54.38	41
   14	BitGo	$112,288	$53.98	1
   15	Infinera	$111,835	$53.77	4
   16	SAS Institute	$111,750	$53.73	12
   17	Edwards Lifesciences	$111,085	$53.41	1
   18	Ciena	$110,520	$53.13	6
   19	eBay	$110,276	$53.02	3
   20	PDF Solutions	$110,204	$52.98

4. Writing a Technical Support Engineer Job Description

   A good technical support engineer 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 technical support engineer job description:

   Technical Support Engineer job description example

   A Tech Support Engineer will provide first-line support to our customers, partners and consultants. They will be required to independently as well as with other members of the local support team. They will support overall installation and maintenance of hardware and software. They will monitor overall systems throughout the fulfillment center. They will collaborate closely with our worldwide team of skilled Support Engineers and Developers to rapidly resolve software issues and quickly address customer requests.
   
   Technical Support Engineers will have the opportunity to build their technical skills and the ability to learn a wide range of technologies related to Application Servers, Database Servers and Reporting components. Successful candidates must possess excellent communication, analytical and problem-solving skills along with a strong technical acumen to deliver the highest level of problem resolution and service excellence.
   
   The work environment of our tech support team inside the fulfillment centers is based on the warehouse floor, interacting frequently with our associate and leadership population. You must be available to work 4 x 10-hour shifts. All shifts are considered “Day” shifts and begin at 6:00AM EST. You will be required to lift equipment up to 50lbs, work in elevated areas to reach Wi-Fi access points and IDF's, and bending/kneeling to get under production equipment to adequately install IT gear.
   
   For the safety of employees, stricter dress code is required: no open-toed shoes, no heels taller than 1", no full-zipper sweatshirts, no hooded shirts/sweatshirts, long hair must be pulled back.
   Qualifications:.
   · 1-3 years experience in a technical support role
   · Experience troubleshooting and supporting Windows 7, 10 and mac OS
   · PC hardware support, troubleshooting and desktop support experience
   · Basic understanding of Windows server and network protocols
   · Familiar with Active Directory, Office365, disk encryption, and remote software tools (RDP, VNC, etc.)
   · Excellent organizational, customer relationship, verbal and written communication skills
   · Excellent problem solving and listening skills
   · Highly motivated, self-starter with a positive attitude

   Copy This Example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right technical support engineer for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with technical support engineers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit technical support engineers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your technical support engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit technical support engineer 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 support engineers, 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. 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 support engineer 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 support engineer

   Once you've selected the best technical support engineer 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.

   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 technical support engineer. 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 support engineer?