How to hire a data communications analyst

How to hire a data communications analyst, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The data communications analyst 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 data communications analyst's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, data communications analysts 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 shows salaries for various types of data communications analysts.

   Type of Data Communications Analyst	Description	Hourly rate
   Data 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.	$27-53
   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
   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

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Technical Support
   • VoIP
   • Network Infrastructure
   • Network Devices
   • Disaster Recovery
   • Lan Wan
   • Linux
   • Test Equipment
   • Lan
   • Customer Service
   • Network Hardware
   • COMSEC
   • Routers
   • Switches

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Implement and manage a centralize hardware management and provisioning system.
   • Migrate the LAN from token ring to Ethernet and design the new building topology with Cisco.
   • Configure, install and support Cisco routers for corporate network.
   • Implement subsequent network upgrade and replacement of hubs and switches.
   • Set up computers and printers for networking using TCP/IP protocol.
   • Perform wireless site surveys for multiple office complexes in preparation for wireless VOIP.

   More data communications analyst duties

3. Make a budget

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

   $81,308yearly

   $39.09 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level data communications analyst salary

   $58,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 5, 2025

   Average data communications analyst salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Maryland	$100,378	$48
   2	District of Columbia	$100,335	$48
   3	California	$99,114	$48
   4	Virginia	$98,538	$47
   5	Washington	$97,357	$47
   6	Massachusetts	$94,293	$45
   7	North Carolina	$93,319	$45
   8	Delaware	$88,602	$43
   9	Maine	$86,603	$42
   10	Texas	$86,368	$42
   11	New Jersey	$84,863	$41
   12	New York	$83,675	$40
   13	Kansas	$83,433	$40
   14	Florida	$76,334	$37
   15	Georgia	$75,959	$37
   16	Illinois	$75,367	$36
   17	Arizona	$72,382	$35

   Average data communications analyst salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$142,589	$68.55	854
   2	Google	$133,418	$64.14	208
   3	Gap Inc.	$116,986	$56.24
   4	Cisco	$115,358	$55.46	52
   5	T-Mobile	$104,722	$50.35	7
   6	Commvault	$103,972	$49.99
   7	AT&T	$103,404	$49.71	2
   8	HP	$98,869	$47.53	4
   9	Nokia	$98,835	$47.52	2
   10	Juniper Networks	$97,949	$47.09
   11	Verizon Communications	$93,535	$44.97	1
   12	Accu-Care Nursing Service	$91,033	$43.77
   13	Makro Technologies Inc.	$89,921	$43.23
   14	Orion Systems Integrators	$89,263	$42.91
   15	Zenoss	$89,161	$42.87
   16	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$88,984	$42.78	195
   17	NIKSUN	$88,650	$42.62
   18	Telenav	$88,471	$42.53
   19	Ram Technology	$88,347	$42.47
   20	INAP	$87,855	$42.24

4. Writing a data communications analyst job description

   A job description for a data 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 data communications analyst job description:

   Data communications analyst job description example

   Job Type:
   RegularCommunications Data Analyst
   
   The RAND Corporation has an exciting opportunity for a seasoned Communications Data Analyst to help RAND gauge the effectiveness of outreach activities and audience engagement, including web and social media outlets, research publishing activities, media relations, congressional relations, and other profile-raising efforts.
   
   RAND's mission to help improve policy and decision making through research and analysis and our commitment to the public good means that we want our work to reach and be understood by a wide range of audiences. Working from within RAND's Office of External Affairs (OEA), this position will play a critical role in developing, tracking, and reporting on key performance indicators (KPIs) for the outreach dimensions for which OEA is responsible. Using discretion and independent judgement, the successful candidate will be responsible for implementing advanced digital analytics analysis and translating business goals into solutions that lead to measurable improvements in the uptake of RAND's research among key audiences.
   
   The Communications Data Analyst will
   
   Develop KPIs that effectively track and measure the success of departmental goals and outreach campaigns, synthesizing input from multiple sources, including managers, researchers, development teams, and functional group members
   
   Lead in the development of metrics dashboards that pull data from multiple sources
   
   Analyze user behavior and visitor experience and provide detailed analysis to OEA leadership, with recommendations for improvements
   
   Develop strategic and tactical recommendations about page design and organization, content placement, and search optimization through the analysis of website use patterns and performance
   
   Analyze RAND's performance as defined by KPIs against peer organizations through benchmarking
   
   Coordinate content and/or analytics tags on webpages to ensure accuracy in reporting results and the ability to drill down into site usage across dimensions
   
   Support digital outreach innovation initiatives through the design, execution, and analysis of multivariate and A/B testing scenarios for content presentation
   
   Work closely with RAND's Information Services team to ensure data accuracy and that toolsets meet industry standards.
   
   Experience
   
   Required
   
   A minimum of six years of related experience, including but not limited to working with standard digital analysis tools, such as Adobe Analytics, Google Analytics, Chartbeat, WebTrends, Compete, Social Media tracking, etc.
   
   Demonstrated experience in advanced web analytics methodologies, such as experimentation and testing, competitive analysis and benchmarking, surveys and market research
   
   Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Excel
   
   Proven problem-solving skills through the ability to research and analyze an issue from a macro and micro perspective and formulate recommendations
   
   Demonstrated experience in gathering and defining requirements for system and data integration
   
   Proven experience with A/B testing and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) strategies
   
   Excellent verbal and written communication skills
   
   Demonstrated track record of working independently and taking initiative to accomplish goals
   
   Preferred
   
   Experience with Tableau or Power BI
   
   Familiarity with SQL when handling large datasets
   
   Familiarity with R or Python statistical programming
   
   Education
   
   BA/BS in a related field is required, a MA/MS is preferred.
   
   Location
   
   This position will be based from one of the following RAND locations: Santa Monica, Pittsburgh, Boston, and Washington, D.C.
   This position offers a flex work arrangement with a mix of time in the office and working from home.
   
   *RAND*
   
   Equal Opportunity Employer: race/color/religion/sex/sexual orientation/gender identity/national origin/disability/vet

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

   Your first interview with data 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 data 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 data communications analyst

   Once you've found the data 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.

   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.

   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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