How to hire a Cyber Security Analyst

How to hire a cyber security analyst, step by step

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

What does a Cyber Security Analyst do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a cyber security 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

   Hiring the perfect cyber security analyst 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.

   This list presents cyber security analyst salaries for various positions.

   Type Of Cyber Security Analyst	Description	Hourly Rate
   Cyber Security Analyst	Information security analysts plan and carry out security measures to protect an organization’s computer networks and systems. Their responsibilities are continually expanding as the number of cyberattacks increases.	$31-56
   Information Assurance Engineer	Information assurance engineers are responsible for protecting an organization's data. They act as a team of security specialists that use their skill in securely operating and keeping data to protect the organization's most essential asset... Show More	$32-56
   Information Systems Security Officer	An information systems security officer's role is to perform preventive measures to protect a company's data and systems from hackers or cyber-attacks. Their responsibilities revolve around assessing the existing security measures to identify any vulnerabilities or inconsistencies, recommending and implementing changes to improve security systems, and developing new strategies and programs for data protection... Show More	$32-57

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common Skills:

   • Incident Response
   • Windows
   • SIEM
   • DOD
   • Linux
   • Security Events
   • RMF
   • Splunk
   • Malware Analysis
   • SOC
   • Network Security
   • Security Tools
   • Tcp Ip
   • Security Incidents

   Check All Skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Ensure all requirements are met to successfully achieve an ATO before release.
   • Leverage this same site-to-site VPN technology to automate and secure transactions between FMC and its business partners.
   • Lead technical implementation through multiple projects to reduce the cardholder data environment and ultimately reduce the scope of PCI relate environments.
   • Log analysis & managing the accuracy of DLP identification to lowering/avoiding false positives and negatives.
   • Review and manage the security and information assurance capabilities of database applications, database structure and architecture.
   • Implement a manage endpoint encryption solution utilizing TrendMicro MobileArmor to secure university workstations against sensitive data loss.

   More Cyber Security Analyst duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, cyber security analysts' average salary in utah is 29% less than in oregon.
   • Seniority. Entry-level cyber security analysts earn 44% less than senior-level cyber security analysts.
   • Certifications. A cyber security analyst 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 cyber security analyst's salary.

   Average cyber security analyst salary

   $88,422yearly

   $42.51 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level cyber security analyst salary

   $66,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 18, 2025

   Average cyber security analyst salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate
   1	California	$98,067	$47
   2	District of Columbia	$96,078	$46
   3	Nevada	$94,145	$45
   4	New York	$93,607	$45
   5	Arizona	$89,291	$43
   6	Texas	$88,657	$43
   7	Georgia	$88,209	$42
   8	Massachusetts	$87,736	$42
   9	Maryland	$87,621	$42
   10	Virginia	$87,089	$42
   11	New Jersey	$86,580	$42
   12	Pennsylvania	$86,400	$42
   13	North Carolina	$86,362	$42
   14	Ohio	$84,542	$41
   15	Hawaii	$83,353	$40
   16	Florida	$83,003	$40
   17	Illinois	$82,591	$40
   18	Colorado	$80,196	$39
   19	Iowa	$79,693	$38
   20	Arkansas	$78,275	$38

   Average cyber security analyst salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
   1	Neighborly	$127,303	$61.20
   2	Amazon	$126,975	$61.05	393
   3	MongoDB	$121,795	$58.56	7
   4	Costco Wholesale	$118,370	$56.91	8
   5	Walgreens	$114,763	$55.17	8
   6	Parsons	$111,955	$53.82	117
   7	NBCUniversal	$111,745	$53.72	20
   8	Citi	$110,813	$53.28	56
   9	Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group	$109,522	$52.65
   10	Abt Associates	$108,534	$52.18
   11	CME Group	$106,964	$51.42	2
   12	BNY Mellon	$106,418	$51.16	5
   13	Argonne National Laboratory	$105,607	$50.77	1
   14	Morgan Stanley	$105,045	$50.50
   15	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$105,041	$50.50	110
   16	Proofpoint	$104,509	$50.24	1
   17	AT&T	$104,411	$50.20	17
   18	Northwell Health	$104,129	$50.06	16
   19	Los Alamos National Laboratory	$103,722	$49.87	3
   20	Red Gate Group	$103,713	$49.86	1

4. Writing a Cyber Security Analyst Job Description

   A good cyber security analyst 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 cyber security analyst job description:

   Cyber Security Analyst job description example

   Led by Rodolphe Saadé, the CMA CGM Group, a global leader in shipping and logistics, serves more than 420 ports around the world on five continents. With its subsidiary CEVA Logistics, a world leader in logistics, and its air freight division CMA CGM AIR CARGO, the CMA CGM Group is continually innovating to offer its customers a complete and increasingly efficient range of new shipping, land, air and logistics solutions.
   
   Committed to the energy transition in shipping, and a pioneer in the use of alternative fuels, the CMA CGM Group has set a target to become Net Zero Carbon by 2050.
   
   Through the CMA CGM Foundation, the Group also acts in humanitarian crises that require an emergency response by mobilizing the Group's shipping and logistics expertise to bring humanitarian supplies around the world.
   
   Present in 160 countries through its network of more than 400 offices and 750 warehouses, the Group employs more than 130,000 people worldwide, including 2,900 in Marseilles where its head office is located.
   Cybersecurity Risk Analyst (GRC) MISSION: Cybersecurity Risk Analyst (GRC) is responsible to facilitate the implementation of a comprehensive risk-based approach for the CMA CGM Group. This includes the steps of risk assessment, risk treatment and risk acceptance, while evolving methodology and internal processes. Liaison with supply chain activities will be essential, in order to assess the level of security of critical suppliers, produce executive reports on the recommendations identified and establish security plans to be implemented and monitored with these suppliers. The Cybersecurity Risk Analyst reports to the Director of Cyber Risk, under the Senior Director GRC. As a Cybersecurity Risk Analyst, within the Group Cybersecurity team, you will be in charge of: ACTIVITIES : Review and sometimes develop security architectures for complex systems Identify security objectives in compliance with security policies and standards Knowing how to conceptualize security management solutions Act as a technical expert with internal partners Define technical security specifications in contract Evaluate supplier contracts, improve them and insert cybersecurity clauses Perform security audits and monitor compliance with procedures Categorize the organization's assets Evaluate the residual risk when there is a difference between the architecture defined and that implemented Monitor and improve the risk management methodology These activities are not exhaustive and may change according to operational needs.
   
   SKILLS : Your profile meets the following criteria: You hold relevant industry certifications in cybersecurity, including but not limited to: Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge (CCSK) Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) Risk Manager ISO 27005 ISMS ISO 27001 Lead auditor or Lead Implementer Certified Information System Auditor (CISA) CCNA-Security Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP) Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) You come from a course, ideally Engineer or equivalent, focusing on rigor and optimization You have at least 8 years of experience in a similar role, as a cybersecurity analyst or 4 years of experience in security architecture (confidentiality, authentication, identity and access, standards, policies, intrusion detection , security perimeter, etc.); You are adept at popularizing and conveying a complex message to an executive audience, including financial aspects, risks, business impacts and performance metrics; Experience in the Transport / Shipping / Logistics sector is an asset; You speak fluent English. PROFILE: You also have the following qualities: Autonomy and proactive behavior, Written and oral communication, capacity for analysis and synthesis Ability to adapt to various situations and to adjust their behavior according to the environment and the type of speaker Team spirit, pedagogy, ability to develop skills Ability to acquire new functional skills, Ability to identify the different components of a problem with a view to their treatment Capacity for popularization and synthesis of issues and proposed solutions Ability to work in an international environment, in contact with multicultural and offshore teams, Perseverance and pedagogy, all keen to make things happen, challenge the status quo CMA CGM (America) LLC is committed to equal employment opportunity for all qualified persons without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, pregnancy, age, sexual orientation, marital status, gender identity, veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected classification.
   
   PI194590940

   Copy This Example

   

5. Post your job

   To find cyber security analysts 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 cyber security analysts they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level cyber security analysts 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 cyber security analyst job on Zippia to find and recruit cyber security analyst 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 cyber security analysts, 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.

   While interviews are great, you will only sometimes learn enough from a conversation with a cyber security analyst 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 cyber security analyst

   Once you've found the cyber security 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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new cyber security analyst. 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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