How to hire a system software analyst

How to hire a system software analyst, step by step

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

Post a system software analyst job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your system software analyst job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a system software analyst for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A system software analyst's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, system software 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.

   Here's a comparison of system software analyst salaries for various roles:

   Type of System Software Analyst	Description	Hourly rate
   System Software Analyst	Computer systems analysts study an organization’s current computer systems and procedures and design information systems solutions to help the organization operate more efficiently and effectively. They bring business and information technology (IT) together by understanding the needs and limitations of both.	$30-51
   Analyst Lead	The duties of an analyst lead depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around performing research and analysis, coordinating with different departments to gather leads and data, reviewing findings, and producing reports and presentations for the stakeholders and other higher-ranking officials... Show more	$35-58
   Software Developer	A software developer is responsible for designing application systems to support the user and business' needs. Duties of a software developer include testing software codes, performing diagnostic programs and troubleshooting, interpreting system data and establishing efficient parameters, and ensuring the compatibility of the systems... Show more	$32-54

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Linux
   • C++
   • Java
   • Software Development
   • Computer System
   • DOD
   • Troubleshoot
   • Systems Analysis
   • Macro
   • UI
   • Windows Server
   • Debugging
   • Unix
   • SQL Server

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead quality assurance planning for multiple concurrent projects relative to overall system architecture or trading system changes/new developments.
   • Create and maintain web pages using HTML.
   • Create and maintain PL/SQL procedures and functions and SQL * plus queries.
   • Work directly with engineering providing support in the use of UNIX and CIMCAD application.
   • Interact with user community on a daily basis to troubleshoot PC, software and hardware issues.
   • Develop OTAPA website using J2EE, Java, JSP, and Servlet and administer iPlanet web server.

   More system software analyst duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the system software analyst job description is a good way to get more applicants. A system software 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 system software analyst in Kentucky may be lower than in California, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level system software analyst. Additionally, a system software analyst with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average system software analyst salary

   $83,974yearly

   $40.37 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level system software analyst salary

   $64,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

   Average system software analyst salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$114,555	$55
   2	Washington	$94,811	$46
   3	Virginia	$93,111	$45
   4	Massachusetts	$92,346	$44
   5	Maryland	$92,071	$44
   6	New York	$90,039	$43
   7	New Jersey	$87,783	$42
   8	Arizona	$87,380	$42
   9	Delaware	$86,844	$42
   10	Pennsylvania	$86,018	$41
   11	Wisconsin	$81,888	$39
   12	Illinois	$80,364	$39
   13	Michigan	$78,997	$38
   14	Texas	$77,340	$37
   15	Georgia	$77,116	$37
   16	Ohio	$76,653	$37
   17	North Carolina	$74,510	$36
   18	Florida	$72,605	$35
   19	Arkansas	$71,456	$34
   20	Kansas	$69,945	$34

   Average system software analyst salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	eBay	$128,325	$61.69	28
   2	Meijer	$98,658	$47.43	2
   3	TiVo	$95,076	$45.71
   4	TSYS	$94,787	$45.57	5
   5	Hoffmann-LA Roche Inc	$94,150	$45.26	3
   6	West Virginia University	$93,780	$45.09
   7	Aegis Therapies	$92,200	$44.33
   8	Teradyne	$91,170	$43.83	22
   9	PPG	$90,737	$43.62
   10	Robert Half	$87,458	$42.05	271
   11	Barrick Gold	$86,612	$41.64	2
   12	Lake Trust Credit Union	$85,877	$41.29
   13	Synechron	$85,316	$41.02	11
   14	AlixaRx	$85,291	$41.01
   15	Experian	$85,282	$41.00	5
   16	Left Right	$85,224	$40.97
   17	Rally Stores	$85,209	$40.97
   18	Bramasol	$85,180	$40.95
   19	Technosoft	$85,150	$40.94
   20	Trustek	$84,796	$40.77

4. Writing a system software analyst job description

   A system software 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. Below, you can find an example of a system software analyst job description:

   System software analyst job description example

   We invite you to apply for a Postdoctoral Appointee - Runtime System Software. In this role, you will conduct research in optimizing runtime and communication software for large scale and heterogeneous computing systems. You will also work with experts in runtime and communication software, be involved in the development of the widely used MPICH implementation of MPI, run on advanced supercomputing systems including upcoming exascale systems, and collaborate with other research efforts at Argonne.
   **Position Requirements**
   
   Required skills and qualifications:
   
   + A recent PhD is required for this role, completed within recent years, or soon-to-be completed.
   
   + Significant programming experience is required, preferably in C or C++.
   
   + Strong familiarity with parallel and/or distributed computing.
   
   + Ability to model Argonne's core values: impact, safety, respect, integrity and teamwork.
   
   Preferred skills and qualifications:
   
   + Familiarity with MPI or other distributed memory programming models, accelerators such as GPUs or coprocessors such Intel Xeon Phi, OpenMP or other threading models.
   
   **Job Family**
   
   Postdoctoral Family
   
   **Job Profile**
   
   Postdoctoral Appointee
   
   **Worker Type**
   
   Long-Term (Fixed Term)
   
   **Time Type**
   
   Full time
   
   _As an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer, and in accordance with our core values of impact, safety, respect, integrity and teamwork, Argonne National Laboratory is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace that fosters collaborative scientific discovery and innovation. In support of this commitment, Argonne encourages minorities, women, veterans and individuals with disabilities to apply for employment. Argonne considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship status, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, marital status, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law._
   
   _Argonne employees, and certain guest researchers and contractors, are subject to particular restrictions related to participation in Foreign Government Sponsored or Affiliated Activities, as defined and detailed in United States Department of Energy Order 486.1A. You will be asked to disclose any such participation in the application phase for review by Argonne's Legal Department._
   
   _All Argonne offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes an assessment of criminal conviction history conducted on an individualized and case-by-case basis. Please be advised that Argonne positions require upon hire (or may require in the future) for the individual be to obtain a government access authorization that involves additional background check requirements. Failure to obtain or maintain such government access authorization could result in the withdrawal of a job offer or future termination of employment._
   
   _Please note that all Argonne employees are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19. All successful applicants will be required to provide their COVID-19 vaccination verification as a condition of employment, subject to limited legally recognized exemptions to COVID-19 vaccination._

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right system software 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.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your system software analyst job on Zippia to find and recruit system software 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

   Recruiting system software analysts requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   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.

   If your interviews with system software analyst applicants aren't enough to make a decision, you should also consider including a test project. These are often the best, most straightforward, and least bias-prone ways of determining who will likely succeed in the role. If you 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 system software analyst

   Once you've decided on a perfect system software analyst candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your 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.

   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.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a system software analyst?