How to hire a Software Test Engineer

How to hire a software test engineer, step by step

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

What does a Software Test Engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a software test engineer, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine Employee vs Contractor Status

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

   Yes

   No

   A software test engineer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, software test 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.

   This list presents software test engineer salaries for various positions.

   Type Of Software Test Engineer	Description	Hourly Rate
   Software Test Engineer	A Software Test Engineer is responsible for testing software and reporting defects. They suggest and help to implement process improvement initiatives.	$30-55
   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
   Software Engineer-Consultant	A software engineer consultant develops and recommends strategies to optimize a company's software engineering operations. Their responsibilities revolve around conducting extensive research and analysis to find new opportunities, performing software evaluations and risk assessments, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of existing processes, and developing solutions against problem areas... Show More	$40-73

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common Skills:

   • Python
   • Java
   • Test Automation
   • C++
   • C #
   • Regression
   • Test Results
   • Linux
   • QA
   • Test Scripts
   • Jira
   • Scrum
   • JavaScript
   • Jenkins

   Check All Skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Balance risk, regulatory impact and business needs to achieve efficient and effective solutions for QC process improvement.
   • Manage entire Linux virtual machine farm utilizing KVM and Virt-Manager
   • Manage test case defect management reporting utilizing JIRA and Bugzilla
   • Develop UI automation test infrastructure using python and selenium.
   • Design test scripts using Java and participate in automation code-reviews.
   • Involve in integrating the test suites to Jenkins to execute them automatically after every successful deployment.

   More Software Test Engineer duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, software test engineers' average salary in hawaii is 42% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level software test engineers earn 45% less than senior-level software test engineers.
   • Certifications. A software test engineer 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 software test engineer's salary.

   Average software test engineer salary

   $85,338yearly

   $41.03 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level software test engineer salary

   $63,000 yearly salary

   Updated March 29, 2025

   Average software test engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate
   1	California	$115,993	$56
   2	Washington	$96,143	$46
   3	Massachusetts	$84,671	$41
   4	New Jersey	$84,114	$40
   5	New York	$81,523	$39
   6	Connecticut	$78,004	$38
   7	Texas	$77,042	$37
   8	Pennsylvania	$76,805	$37
   9	North Carolina	$76,248	$37
   10	Utah	$75,482	$36
   11	Colorado	$74,860	$36
   12	Michigan	$73,800	$35
   13	Illinois	$72,434	$35
   14	Georgia	$71,558	$34
   15	Nebraska	$70,979	$34
   16	Kansas	$70,557	$34
   17	Missouri	$69,639	$33
   18	Florida	$65,723	$32

   Average software test engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
   1	Apple	$138,553	$66.61	1,391
   2	ByteDance	$136,565	$65.66	175
   3	Meta	$136,205	$65.48	2,290
   4	Zoox	$136,045	$65.41	81
   5	Amazon	$133,502	$64.18	3,563
   6	Walmart	$131,743	$63.34	345
   7	StumbleUpon	$131,680	$63.31
   8	Twitter	$131,338	$63.14	84
   9	Netflix	$130,890	$62.93	23
   10	Google	$130,869	$62.92	394
   11	Lyft	$130,006	$62.50	17
   12	Rubrik	$127,148	$61.13	22
   13	NVIDIA	$126,842	$60.98	140
   14	Snowflake Computing	$126,393	$60.77	80
   15	MongoDB	$125,206	$60.20	82
   16	Clustrix	$124,526	$59.87
   17	Atlassian	$124,380	$59.80	13
   18	Shutterfly	$124,252	$59.74	1
   19	Brocade Services Corporation	$123,422	$59.34
   20	Splunk	$123,270	$59.26

4. Writing a Software Test Engineer Job Description

   A software test 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 software test engineer job description:

   Software Test Engineer job description example

   Leidos currently has an opening for an Autonomous Systems Software Development Test Engineer to support the development as well as the testing and integration of Underwater Vehicle programs that address existing and emerging maritime missions of national importance for a broad range of customers across multiple Department of Defense agencies. This position is located at either the Lynnwood or Poulsbo, WA office. Opportunities exist for hybrid or remote work in some cases. This position is expected to require some travel to support on-site testing at various sites across the country.
   Primary Responsibilities
   
   Review and test code across multiple projects Develop and write integration tests for software Support development of unit and module tests Work with continuous integration systems to automate testing Document and develop test plans for acceptance verification tests Understand software requirements to validate software designs Understand and read code for system autonomy software in C++ or other languages Identify software defects in new and legacy applications Contribute to the enhancement of our software development processes and methodologies
   
   Basic Qualifications
   
   Bachelor's degree with 4 - 8 years of prior relevant experience or Master's degree with 2 - 6 years of prior relevant experience Eligibility to obtain and maintain a Secret clearance Basic language skills in C++ within a Linux environment Core language skills in Python (or similar) for writing integration tests Experience with GTest or similar unit test frameworks Experience with Bamboo, Jenkins, or other Continuous Integration systems Ability to communicate both verbally and in written reports Attention to detail when recording or executing testing events An eagerness to collaborate with cross-functional teams to support overall system testing Constant integrity in working with our employees and customers Ability to obtain Secret clearance
   
   Preferred Qualifications
   
   Experience with hardware device interface testing Experience with electronics lab testing equipment Background with the design, development, integration, and test of autonomous or remotely operated undersea vehicle systems Experience with Agile-based methodologies using the Atlassian tool suite (Jira, Confluence, Bitbucket) or similar tools Familiarity with MBSE Systems Modeling Language (SysML) tools such as Cameo Magic DrawRange of experience in languages such as C#, Java, Python, Rust, and others Experience with virtualized development and production environments
   
   Pay Range:
   Pay Range $74,750.00 - $115,000.00 - $155,250.00
   
   The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.

   Copy This Example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right software test 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 software test engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit software test 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 software test 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.

   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.

   Sometimes, it's not enough to interview software test 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 software test engineer

   Once you've selected the best software test 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.

   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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How much does it cost to hire a software test engineer?