How to hire a web software engineer

How to hire a web software engineer, step by step

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

What does a web software engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your web software engineer 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 web software engineer 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

   Hiring the perfect web software engineer 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.

   The following list breaks down different types of web software engineers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Web Software Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Web Software Engineer	Software developers are the creative minds behind computer programs. Some develop the applications that allow people to do specific tasks on a computer or another device... Show more	$33-63
   Web Programmer	Also called web engineers or developers, web programmers create web applications. Their job focuses on the non-design factors of web development such as markup writing and coding... Show more	$25-46
   Software Analyst	A software analyst is responsible for creating and designing software programs and applications, as well as modifying existing ones for optimization according to business requirements. Software analysts work with the technical team to draw system codes, analyze programming languages, and ensure the stability and efficiency of software navigation by running multiple quality checks to the system... Show more	$29-47

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • JavaScript
   • Java
   • CSS
   • Python
   • C++
   • GIT
   • HTML
   • API
   • Html Css
   • UI
   • Web Application
   • HTML5
   • PHP
   • Application Development

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage CMS corporate website for knowledge base integration (WordPress).
   • Add a CMS interface for administrators to easily manage and modify content.
   • Develop UNIX shell scripts (bash/korne) to automate application deployment, monitoring, logs rotation.
   • Support existing intranet application performing duties such as debugging, managing employee access, and responsible for updating site content.
   • Manage the documentation website for Alchemy.js and convert it to AngularJS making it dynamic and allowing for quick changes to documentation.
   • Contribute to implementing microservices used to manage entities and maintain a synchronize state between supplier and distributor.

   More web software engineer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the web software engineer job description is a good way to get more applicants. A web software engineer salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a web software engineer in Indiana may be lower than in California, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level web software engineer. Additionally, a web software engineer with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average web software engineer salary

   $96,649yearly

   $46.47 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level web software engineer salary

   $70,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 19, 2026

   Average web software engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$126,711	$61
   2	Washington	$106,303	$51
   3	New York	$96,694	$46
   4	Oregon	$95,651	$46
   5	Minnesota	$94,117	$45
   6	North Carolina	$91,607	$44
   7	Arizona	$89,746	$43
   8	District of Columbia	$89,532	$43
   9	South Carolina	$87,474	$42
   10	Massachusetts	$87,465	$42
   11	Texas	$86,377	$42
   12	New Jersey	$84,484	$41
   13	Georgia	$84,272	$41
   14	Illinois	$82,191	$40
   15	Colorado	$81,962	$39
   16	Maryland	$81,830	$39
   17	Pennsylvania	$81,229	$39
   18	Nebraska	$80,053	$38
   19	Ohio	$77,465	$37
   20	Tennessee	$77,270	$37

   Average web software engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Cloudflare	$132,415	$63.66	51
   2	Apple	$131,446	$63.20	544
   3	Flipboard	$127,267	$61.19
   4	NVIDIA	$126,839	$60.98	303
   5	Twitter	$126,068	$60.61	3
   6	Palo Alto Networks	$126,053	$60.60	163
   7	Yelp	$125,477	$60.33
   8	DoorDash	$125,460	$60.32	78
   9	F5	$125,047	$60.12	30
   10	Clover Network	$123,461	$59.36
   11	PayPal	$123,349	$59.30	46
   12	Zoox	$122,807	$59.04	124
   13	American Tower	$122,575	$58.93	3
   14	Square	$122,508	$58.90	4
   15	Zulily	$120,914	$58.13
   16	J.P. Morgan	$120,321	$57.85
   17	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$119,392	$57.40	1,072
   18	Gap Inc.	$119,298	$57.35
   19	WorldQuant	$118,656	$57.05	7
   20	Eventbrite	$118,019	$56.74

4. Writing a web software engineer job description

   A web software engineer 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. Below, you can find an example of a web software engineer job description:

   Web software engineer job description example

   The FreedomPay Commerce Platform is the technology of choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, foodservice, education, healthcare and financial services. FreedomPay's technology has been purposely built to deliver rock solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce. The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption with EMV standard in North America. FreedomPay's robust solutions across payments, security, identity and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver a consistent, repeatable experience on a global scale. FreedomPay is a fast paced, high growth company with a great culture with competitive benefits and compensation with a business casual atmosphere.
   Job Responsibilities (including but not limited to)
   
   ▪ Participate in business requirements gathering activities and documenting the requirements, business and system process flows, data flows, system integration definitions, application requirements, interactions and dependencies with components, and conceptual designs
   ▪ Architect and design aspects of the system, producing a technical design document and present/communicate the architecture and software solutions to key stake holders, architects, and developers. This not only includes the software to be built, but the development tools, core frameworks, off-the-shelf components and services, security mechanisms, user interaction models, workflows, user interfaces, and desired patterns and methodologies to be implemented on the project.
   ▪ Provide input into architecting the hardware environment, services platform, application platform, and database.
   ▪ Work within the Scrum team to create stories, tasks, estimates, and delivery each Sprint
   ▪ Follow and contribute to technical standards, coding standards, tools, platforms, and approaches. Help define and create application frameworks and common libraries for a wide variety of solutions, always seeking to reuse code and core frameworks where possible.
   ▪ Work with the QA team to ensure proper test plan, test coverage, test execution, and defect remediation
   ▪ Occasional travel may be required (U.S.)
   Required Skills and ExperienceBachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related field 5 years' experience in application development and testing2+ years of hands-on rich client SPA development in React, Angular, Redux, MicroUI's3+ years of progressively-complicated web development experience, emphasis on: Deep understanding of the SPA framework architectures, Typescript, State Management, Server-side rendering, API layers with security in mind, JWT TokensExpert-level understanding of web technologies such as CSS, HTML, Javascript, Typescript, WebsocketsStrong Knowledge of web performance, localization, and accessibility best practices Experience breaking-down monolithic web applications into components High volume transactional processing environments Excellent problem solver who delivers innovative solutions Enjoys a fast-paced environment and can manage multiple projects during a sprint Reliable team member Experience with accurate task estimating and planning Effective English communication skills (Listening, Speaking, Writing) Strong web development using MVC, jQueryStrong C# middleware development skills using ASP.NET Core or .NET 5+Strong SQL Server development skills Understanding of secure coding practices Familiarity with GitMicrosoft OfficeMust pass a criminal background check and drug testing
   Desired SkillsPrior employment in the Payment IndustryExposure to agile software development Web development using Vue, Knockout, Angular, ReactAzure development using Functions, Blob Storage, Queues, Service Bus, Cosmos DBDatabase development using SSIS and SSRSExperience with multiple programming languages Exposure to Android mobile app development Familiarity with Bitbucket, Jira, and ConfluenceDevOps experience using TeamCity and Octopus
   As the fastest growing commerce company in the industry, we offer the opportunity for tremendous upward mobility within the company as well as development and professional growth opportunities. FreedomPay provides exceptional benefits including medical, prescription, dental and vision coverage, Life Insurance, Retirement Plans with company match, commission sharing plan, flexible hybrid working environment, and great parental and other leave programs. All positions must be able to successfully pass a background check as well as a credit check.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right web software engineer 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.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your web software engineer job on Zippia to find and attract quality web software engineer candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit web software 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.

   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 web software engineer 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 web software engineer

   Once you've selected the best web software 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 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.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is 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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