How to hire a communications analyst

How to hire a communications analyst, step by step

Here's a step-by-step communications analyst hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a communications analyst job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new communications analyst
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a communications analyst do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a communications analyst, 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

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a communications analyst to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a communications analyst that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of communications analysts.

   Type of Communications Analyst	Description	Hourly rate
   Communications Analyst	Computer network architects design and build data communication networks, including local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), and intranets. These networks range from small connections between two offices to next-generation networking capabilities such as a cloud infrastructure that serves multiple customers.	$24-50
   Lead Data Architect	Lead Data Architects are experienced employees who manage the data architecture needs of the company. They also manage the data architects who fulfill these needs... Show more	$40-71
   Voice Engineer	A voice engineer is responsible for evaluating the efficiency and performance of voice over internet protocols (VoIP) to support the optimization of system networks for operations. Voice engineers design and manage the features of the VoIP and ensure that the transmissions meet the quality standards and specifications... Show more	$33-58

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Project Management
   • PowerPoint
   • SharePoint
   • Web Content
   • Data Analysis
   • DOD
   • Photoshop
   • Press Releases
   • Event Planning
   • External Communications
   • Content Management
   • Facebook
   • HR
   • Troubleshoot

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage PC inventory and staff training projects.
   • Manage, order, and inventory COMSEC material for secure telephony equipment.
   • Manage design, maintenance and support of cabling plant, hubs, routers and all other LAN/WAN network interface devices.
   • Manage, create and edit internal and external communication collateral, providing high-level management copywriting and document creation support.
   • Provide support to Linux and Unix servers.
   • Install hubs, routers, and systems hardware.

   More communications analyst duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your communications analyst job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A communications analyst 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 communications analyst in Kansas may be lower than in Idaho, and an entry-level communications analyst usually earns less than a senior-level communications analyst. Additionally, a communications analyst 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 communications analyst salary

   $74,108yearly

   $35.63 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level communications analyst salary

   $51,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

   Average communications analyst salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$97,439	$47
   2	New York	$85,276	$41
   3	Utah	$84,021	$40
   4	District of Columbia	$83,146	$40
   5	New Jersey	$83,018	$40
   6	Oregon	$80,320	$39
   7	Rhode Island	$79,582	$38
   8	Virginia	$77,944	$37
   9	Arizona	$77,695	$37
   10	Illinois	$73,313	$35
   11	Massachusetts	$71,194	$34
   12	Louisiana	$69,291	$33
   13	Michigan	$67,305	$32
   14	North Carolina	$66,413	$32
   15	Ohio	$66,007	$32
   16	Texas	$65,406	$31
   17	Minnesota	$64,484	$31
   18	Florida	$63,983	$31
   19	Wyoming	$62,381	$30
   20	Colorado	$61,524	$30

   Average communications analyst salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Amazon	$115,815	$55.68	36
   2	Citi	$113,170	$54.41	4
   3	Goldman Sachs	$111,723	$53.71
   4	Hitachi Vantara	$109,425	$52.61
   5	CJ	$108,934	$52.37
   6	Morgan Stanley	$107,474	$51.67	1
   7	Icma-rc	$103,559	$49.79	2
   8	NRG Energy	$103,439	$49.73	1
   9	Grant Thornton	$103,434	$49.73
   10	Blackstone Group	$102,793	$49.42
   11	Standard Chartered	$102,344	$49.20
   12	Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC	$97,978	$47.10
   13	Ingredion	$94,296	$45.33
   14	Booz Allen Hamilton	$92,575	$44.51	34
   15	Rockstar Games	$92,242	$44.35
   16	Walmart	$90,765	$43.64	13
   17	CVS Health	$90,306	$43.42	74
   18	Authentic Brands Group	$87,653	$42.14
   19	Department of Homeland Security	$85,346	$41.03	1
   20	Jabil	$84,316	$40.54

4. Writing a communications analyst job description

   A job description for a communications analyst role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a communications analyst job description:

   Communications analyst job description example

   Analyst, Projects & Communication-Equipment & Services, Away from HomeORRVILLE, OH
   
   Why Smucker is the Place for You
   You deserve a positive and encouraging work environment. One that allows you to deliver your best work and become your best professional self. That is exactly what you will find at Smucker.
   Inspired by our unique culture, we are determined to support every employee holistically by meeting their physical, emotional and financial needs through:
   Our Total Reward benefits program - includes competitive health and financial benefits that reflect your needs at different life stages, and a continued commitment to empower flexible work schedules and remote work opportunities to help you thrive. Continuous opportunities to learn, grow and develop - beyond functional job-based education, we promote well-rounded development and encourage a spirit of continuous learning as part of our commitment to help you realize your professional goals.Our continued progress on the journey to become the inclusive and diverse organization we expect to be supporting equity across our communities. We firmly believe that an inclusive environment and diverse organization strengthens our Company and enables every employee to reach their full potential.
   
   Your Opportunity
   In this role you will be responsible for:
   Contracts and Supplier Management
   Administer and negotiate North American Third Party Service Provider & Call Center contracts Creation of both new and renewal AFH GPO & Distributor E&S agreements (Free on loan and Leasing) Manage contract database (Conga) for Third Party Service Provider, Distributor/GPO, Warehouse, and Call Center contracts Support NA Third Party Service Provider sourcing and RFP process through collaboration with the JMS Procurement team Collect and store all supplier Certificates of InsurancesSupport all E&S invoicing processes for both Smucker Payables & Receivables
   Project Management & Communications
   Support strategic cross-functional initiatives/projects including Equipment & Service (E&S), Away From Home (AFH) SBA or across the company (i.e. with Retail SBA) Partner with Field Service Management, Field Support, Field Sales, Marketing, R&D, Finance and the National Call Center in the implementation and management of service initiatives Support and develop communication platform (SharePoint) to distribute and store all E&S communications to E&S JMS employees and outside vendors Create, update and store the entirety of the E&S SOP's within SharePointAdminister and capture customer experience feedback through online surveys Create knowledge Testing, Customer and Call Center Surveys
   Training
   Support and develop online equipment and system training material and the tracking/compliance of that training library
   Develop virtual training content and video development for training and customer support
   
   Is this the Role for You?
   Are you a driven professional with a passion for delivering results while expanding your skillset and enhancing your expertise? Are you eager to share your opinions (and have them heard) and make a positive impact through your work? Do you share in our dedication to continuous improvement and growth? If so, you are the type of professional we want to add to our Company!
   What we are looking for:
   Bachelor's degree is required Minimum of 1-2 years of procurement, contract or supplier management work experience Proficient oral and written communication skills Ability to perform well in a team environment Problem resolution skills and attention to detailA sense of urgency in responding and resolving customer requests Enjoy large volumes of detail Strong computer skills with Microsoft tools Positive attitude and eagerness to learn Ability to travel quarterly to Suppliers within Continental USAHybrid working environment (approximately 25% of month in Office)
   
   Learn More About Working at Smucker
   Our Total Rewards Benefits ProgramOur Thriving Together Philosophy Supporting All Impacted by Our BusinessOur Continued Progress on Inclusion, Diversity and Equity
   Follow us on LinkedIn
   #LI-MR1
   #Hybrid

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right communications analyst 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.

   To find communications analyst candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with communications analyst 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.

   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 communications analyst 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 communications analyst

   Once you've found the communications analyst 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.

   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 communications analyst first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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 communications analyst?