How to hire a personnel analyst

How to hire a personnel analyst, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a personnel 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 personnel 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.

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

   Type of Personnel Analyst	Description	Hourly rate
   Personnel Analyst	Compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists conduct an organization’s compensation and benefits programs. They also evaluate position descriptions to determine details such as a person’s classification and salary.	$18-34
   Employee Benefits Supervisor	An Employee Benefits Supervisor supervises, trains, and completes performance reviews for the staff they manage. They develop and update procedure manuals, analyze, note down company operations, and interact with company vendors, staff, officials, members, and other entities... Show more	$15-37
   Benefits Advisor	A benefits advisor specializes in devising benefits programs and strategies for a workforce, ensuring they are well-compensated for their hard work. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around performing research and analysis to identify the needs of employees in a company, studying the benefit programs of competitors, and assessing the existing programs while putting the company's welfare into consideration... Show more	$22-52

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Payroll
   • Personnel Policies
   • Personnel Actions
   • Selection Procedures
   • Labor Relations
   • Collective Bargaining
   • State Laws
   • Personnel Transactions
   • Performance Management
   • FMLA
   • Subject Matter Experts
   • Class Specifications
   • Salary Administration
   • HRIS

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Work with Kronos time keeping software and manage personnel files.
   • Lead team development on new HRIS recruitment and selection system.
   • Enter employees in HRIS, insurance and other benefit programs.
   • Complete appropriate personnel and payroll documents to initiate pay status, change pay status, or change personal information.
   • Design and adjust job specifications according to departmental requirements, legal standards, EEO guidelines, and task analysis results.
   • Conduct payroll research and investigations.

   More personnel analyst duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the personnel analyst job description is a good way to get more applicants. A personnel analyst salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a personnel analyst in Utah may be lower than in New Jersey, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level personnel analyst. Additionally, a personnel analyst with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average personnel analyst salary

   $52,176yearly

   $25.08 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level personnel analyst salary

   $38,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 12, 2026

   Average personnel analyst salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$64,587	$31
   2	New York	$57,342	$28
   3	Connecticut	$56,978	$27
   4	Massachusetts	$54,693	$26
   5	Nevada	$52,791	$25
   6	Maryland	$52,180	$25
   7	Missouri	$47,097	$23
   8	Arkansas	$45,338	$22

   Average personnel analyst salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	UC Merced	$63,237	$30.40
   2	BCforward	$60,740	$29.20	17
   3	Delta Solutions & Strategies	$59,182	$28.45
   4	Long Beach Unified School District	$56,062	$26.95
   5	University of California	$54,236	$26.07	13
   6	Anne Arundel County Public Schools	$54,042	$25.98
   7	Rochester City School District	$53,560	$25.75
   8	UCI Health	$53,027	$25.49	2
   9	Commonwealth	$52,272	$25.13	7
   10	City of Huntington, WV	$52,268	$25.13
   11	RMS Management	$51,911	$24.96
   12	University of California-Berkeley	$51,670	$24.84
   13	UC Santa Barbara	$51,155	$24.59
   14	Kings County Education Office	$51,071	$24.55
   15	University of Nevada, Reno	$51,047	$24.54
   16	UCLA	$50,528	$24.29	7
   17	City of Vallejo	$49,821	$23.95
   18	COUNTY OF MERCED	$49,661	$23.88	1
   19	State of Nevada Employees' Association Inc	$47,500	$22.84
   20	State of West Virginia	$43,578	$20.95	8

4. Writing a personnel analyst job description

   A personnel analyst 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. To help get you started, here's an example of a personnel analyst job description:

   Personnel analyst job description example

   Our client, one of the largest financial services firms, is seeking a US-Operations Personnel (Operations)-Analyst
   Tampa, FL
   
   Position Type: Contract
   
   Job Summary:
   
   Shared Services strives to deliver world-class HR operations, technology, and services to the Human Resources Division and Company employees worldwide. With a staff of over 1,200 employees across all regions, HRSS manages, processes, and provides tools to address HR and employee needs in an effective, efficient and low-risk manner while focusing on a positive customer experience.
   
   Job Responsibilities:
   
   Resolving discrepancies with new hire background checks (Education and Employment verifications) and determining appropriate final dispositions for background cases in accordance with established guidelines. Processing fingerprint identification and EWS (Early Warning Services) cases by assembling the pertinent information and sending it to CSIS to begin adjudication process and determining appropriate final dispositions for all cases in accordance with established guidelines. Performing higher level responsibilities involving applicant and employee communications such as: fingerprint and criminal history check processing, background adjudication, delivering pre/post adverse actions, verification of drug testing and responding to complex questions on pre-employment. Data input of process steps and status for each process in the Imaging Records Management System (IRM). Metrics reporting and status reports to internal clients. Closing on pending Pre-employment cases for audit compliance. Supporting diverse projects within HR Shared Services, as needed. Required Skills:
   4+ years of previous experience with HR policies and procedures. Commitment to teamwork. Commitment to process improvement and best practices implementation. MS Office: Outlook, Word, Excel, Power Point. Knowledge of Recruitment Systems and HRIS (Taleo, IRM, People Soft). Desired Skills:
   Ability to build strong working relationships. Strong organizational and follow-up skills; ability to multi-task and maintain composure in a high-volume environment. Ability to maintain confidentiality and appropriately handle sensitive information with tact and discretion. Ability to work in an environment where compliance with processes and procedures is of priority. Excellent customer service skills, strong time management skills, effective communication skills (written and verbal) and proven analytical/problem solving abilities.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find personnel analysts for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit personnel analysts, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to 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 personnel analyst

   Once you have selected a candidate for the personnel 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 important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new personnel analyst. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are 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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