How to hire a technical support specialist

How to hire a technical support specialist, step by step

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

What does a technical support specialist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The technical support specialist 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 specialist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, technical support 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.

   This list presents technical support specialist salaries for various positions.

   Type of Technical Support Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Technical Support 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	$14-36
   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:

   • Customer Service
   • Technical Support
   • Troubleshoot
   • Math
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Phone Calls
   • Desk Support
   • Post Sales
   • Help-Desk Support
   • Remote Desktop
   • Customer Issues
   • Java
   • SQL
   • Computer System

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Implement hardware and software upgrades and maintain stability, usability, and security for desktop/laptop/mobile systems; achieve SLA's.
   • Manage all operating end-user software including JavaScript - updating/installing Java.
   • Install, configure and manage proprietary applications on Unix servers.
   • Manage large-scale PC deployments including site surveys involving verification of network activity and appropriate power availability.
   • Manage backups, replications and disaster recovery plans of company mission critical servers and database files to ensure redundancy.
   • Deploy and troubleshoot complex software installations in Microsoft and Linux environments.

   More technical support specialist duties

3. Make a budget

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

   $48,667yearly

   $23.40 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level technical support specialist salary

   $30,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 21, 2026

   Average technical support specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$66,333	$32
   2	New York	$64,143	$31
   3	District of Columbia	$61,816	$30
   4	Massachusetts	$61,724	$30
   5	Virginia	$60,497	$29
   6	Utah	$56,597	$27
   7	Pennsylvania	$55,778	$27
   8	Maryland	$55,617	$27
   9	Louisiana	$54,965	$26
   10	Illinois	$53,050	$26
   11	Washington	$50,367	$24
   12	Arizona	$50,238	$24
   13	Michigan	$49,289	$24
   14	Nevada	$48,685	$23
   15	Texas	$48,437	$23
   16	Oregon	$48,192	$23
   17	North Carolina	$48,015	$23
   18	Minnesota	$47,750	$23
   19	Colorado	$47,381	$23
   20	Ohio	$47,265	$23

   Average technical support specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$117,196	$56.34	73
   2	Google	$111,539	$53.62	127
   3	Microsoft	$107,990	$51.92	272
   4	Crowell & Moring	$100,446	$48.29
   5	Barclays	$98,160	$47.19	1
   6	Synopsys	$97,410	$46.83	1
   7	Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker Llp	$95,505	$45.92
   8	Mayer Brown	$93,857	$45.12	5
   9	Northern Trust	$93,358	$44.88
   10	Cadence Design Systems	$92,950	$44.69	8
   11	Box	$92,726	$44.58	3
   12	Maxim Integrated	$92,621	$44.53
   13	UBS	$92,461	$44.45	6
   14	Standard Chartered	$92,363	$44.41	9
   15	LUFKIN Industries	$90,046	$43.29	1
   16	Dorsey & Whitney	$89,892	$43.22
   17	Envestnet	$89,634	$43.09	2
   18	Citi	$89,459	$43.01	23
   19	NEC Corporation of America	$88,966	$42.77
   20	MUFG EMEA	$88,813	$42.70

4. Writing a technical support specialist job description

   A good technical support specialist 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 specialist job description:

   Technical support specialist job description example

   Perform technical troubleshooting on trickier issues in order to assist product / engineering teams in solving them
   
   Triage / Troubleshoot potential bugs (P0 / P1) and coordinate with cross functional teams for resolution
   Gain understanding across tools to guide and coach team on best practices on continuous improvement Mentor / lead the analysts and own the workflow operations Identify top issue drivers and escalate to tool owners for proactive resolution Create / maintain process playbooks to scale the associated service model Performing impact and Root cause analysis Analyze issue trends & prepare summary for stakeholders Work on automations and process improvements using historical data Facilitate trainings & ramping of team members on new product / feature launches
   Skills/Experience/Education
   
   Required:
   Minimum 4 - 6 years of experience with strong knowledge in SQL Scripting (hands-on experience in previous roles) Degree in Computer Science / Engineering or relevant domain Experience working with Technical Service Desk operations (no hardware, desktop support, networking or helpdesk roles) Ability to quickly learn, understand, and work with new emerging technologies, methodologies Ability to work individually and as part of a team with Meticulous attention to detail
   Preferred:
   Experience in Digital advertising, Customer management, Project management skills, Stakeholder management skills Should have demonstrated operational abilities to drive impact in a fast-paced environment while maintaining an eye for detail. Effective communication skills, with the ability to provide updates to senior executive leadership. Delivery-focused mindset, with the drive to solve complex problems through analytics and structured root cause problem-solving Demonstrated motivation and interest in making tools that work seamlessly for our sales representatives.
   Cognizant will only consider applicants for this position whom are legally authorized to work in the United States without requiring company sponsorship now or at any time in the future.
   
   Qualifications
   Technical Skills
   SNo Primary Skill Proficiency Level * Rqrd./Dsrd. 1 Speaking English PL1 Required 2 Customer Service PL1 Required
   
   Domain Skills
   SNo Primary Skill Proficiency Level * Rqrd./Dsrd. 1 Online/Digital Marketing NA Desired
   
   * Proficiency Legends
   Proficiency Level Generic Reference PL1 The associate has basic awareness and comprehension of the skill and is in the process of acquiring this skill through various channels. PL2 The associate possesses working knowledge of the skill, and can actively and independently apply this skill in engagements and projects. PL3 The associate has comprehensive, in-depth and specialized knowledge of the skill. She / he has extensively demonstrated successful application of the skill in engagements or projects. PL4 The associate can function as a subject matter expert for this skill. The associate is capable of analyzing, evaluating and synthesizing solutions using the skill.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find technical support specialists for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any technical support specialists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level technical support specialists with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your technical support specialist job on Zippia to find and recruit technical support specialist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with technical support specialist 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.

   If your interviews with technical support specialist applicants aren't enough to make a decision, you should also consider including a test project. These are often the best, most straightforward, and least bias-prone ways of determining who will likely succeed in the role. If you 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 specialist

   Once you've found the technical support specialist candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new technical support specialist. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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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