How to hire a detective and intelligence analyst

How to hire a detective and intelligence analyst, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the detective and intelligence analyst you need to hire. Certain detective and intelligence analyst roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   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 detective and intelligence 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 detective and intelligence analyst that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of detective and intelligence analysts and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Detective And Intelligence Analyst	Description	Hourly rate
   Detective And Intelligence Analyst	Police officers protect lives and property. Detectives and criminal investigators, who are sometimes called agents or special agents, gather facts and collect evidence of possible crimes.	$17-30
   Full-Motion Video Analyst	A full-motion video analyst has the capability to create a detailed video, intelligence products, or still image. Full-video analysts provide imagery, accounting and telecommunications support, and military geography to various intelligence community customers... Show more	$21-41
   Detective	A detective is responsible for conducting in-depth investigations for criminal activities, potential threats, and other law-violating incidents, coordinating closely with law-enforcement agencies and crime intelligence analysts. Detectives often work on the field, gathering data and related evidence to support claims and connect the timeline of events... Show more	$16-45

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Vulnerability Assessments
   • Patrol
   • Criminal Investigations

   Responsibilities:

   • Communicate with higher level echelons to distribute and manage non-organic ISR assets.
   • Study activities relating terrorism and other security threats to prepare the organization for both training and real-world operations in relative locales.
   • Send specimens to laboratory to obtain DNA.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your detective and intelligence analyst job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A detective and intelligence analyst can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, detective and intelligence analysts' average salary in georgia is 43% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level detective and intelligence analysts 41% less than senior-level detective and intelligence analysts.
   • Certifications. A detective and intelligence analyst with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a detective and intelligence analyst's salary.

   Average detective and intelligence analyst salary

   $48,702yearly

   $23.41 hourly rate

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   Entry-level detective and intelligence analyst salary

   $37,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 24, 2025

4. Writing a detective and intelligence analyst job description

   A good detective and intelligence 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 detective and intelligence analyst job description:

   Detective and intelligence analyst job description example

   Role Summary/Purpose:
   A Threat Detection Analyst participates in coverage for alert monitoring and incident detection and also supports preliminary incident response where appropriate. The L1 Analyst is responsible for the initial triage of security alerts and indicators generated by the incident monitoring systems (e.g. Splunk ES). This will require personnel to look at the highest number of alerts, while performing the lowest level of analysis. Analysts continuously monitor the alert queue for new alerts and are direct consumers of the JSOC configured security suite. The role determines if an alert is deemed an incident and will be required to query referential information such as events to add context to the alert.
   Essential Responsibilities:
   Monitors alerting tools and also handles escalated incidents from Helpdesk, Physical Security, Network Team and Customers.Triages alerts as they come in and action appropriately.Respond to common alerts in a consistent and repeatable manner from multiple alerting sources.Responsible for triage of a variety of alerts stemming from C2 beaconing, malware, or phishing attempts.Provide escalations of unknown threats to Level 2.Identify abnormal security events and trigger the call list / distribution list.
   
   Qualifications/Requirements:
   Minimum Graduation degree with minimum 1 year of experience in SOC operations in lieu of degree, minimum 3 years of experience in SOC operations Ability to work in rotating shifts and also be on-call outside of shift hours on a regular and recurring basis.Possess personal and professional integrity. Individuals will be required to submit to a background examination.Good oral and written communication skills.Possess desire to solve problems logically.For Internal Applicants: Understand the criteria or mandatory skills required for the role, before applying.Inform your Manager or HRM before applying for any role on Workday.Ensure that your Professional Profile is updated (fields such as Education, Prior experience, Other skills) and it is mandatory to upload your updated resume (Word or PDF format) Must not be any corrective action plan (First Formal/Final Formal, PIP) Employees who have completed 18 months in the organization and 12 months in current role and level are only eligible.Level 5, 6 & 7 employees are eligible to apply
   Desired Characteristics:
   Ability to perform logical problem solving.Possess basic understanding of enterprise grade technologies including operating systems, databases and web applications.Ability to read and understand basic system data including security event logs, system logs, application logs, and network traffic.Demonstrate understanding for basic internet traffic concepts (e.g. DNS, HTTPS, HTTP).Network infrastructure knowledge (e.g. router, switch, firewall).Security best practices for operating systems such as Microsoft Windows or Redhat.Experience of working in high performing teams and understand the dynamics of teamwork in a SOC environment.
   
   Grade/Level: 08
   
   Job Family Group:
   Information Technology

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right detective and intelligence analyst for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with detective and intelligence analysts they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit detective and intelligence analysts who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your detective and intelligence analyst job on Zippia to find and recruit detective and intelligence analyst candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit detective and intelligence 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.

   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.

   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 detective and intelligence analyst

   Once you have selected a candidate for the detective and intelligence analyst position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize 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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