How to hire a trader

How to hire a trader, step by step

Here's a step-by-step trader hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a trader job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new trader
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a trader do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The trader 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

   Hiring the perfect trader 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 traders and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Trader	Description	Hourly rate
   Trader	Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents connect buyers and sellers in financial markets. They sell securities to individuals, advise companies in search of investors, and conduct trades.	$26-69
   Finance Service Advisor	A finance service advisor provides clients with recommendations on taxes, college savings accounts, retirement, estate planning, and investments. Finance service advisors collaborate with the executives for profitability and efficiency through project management strategy and accounting procedure restructuring... Show more	$13-42
   Finance Representative	A finance representative, also known as a financial advisor, provides sound financial proposals to clients. Primarily, financial advisors guide and plan the financial decisions of clients based on their needs, goals, and requirements... Show more	$10-37

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Portfolio
   • Financial Markets
   • Derivative
   • Fixed Income
   • Equities
   • Securities
   • Bloomberg
   • Asset Classes
   • P/L
   • Commodities
   • VBA
   • Trade Execution
   • Manage Risk
   • Equity Options

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage Smithtown branch office ensuring compliance with NASD regulations.
   • Manage and hedge generation within PJM, MISO, and ERCOT.
   • Manage options trading to ensure a positive ROI within a volatile market.
   • Initiate and manage financial, physical and virtual trades resulting in a positive PnL.
   • Manage products with the supply chain warehouses and interface with both corporate logistics and common carriers.
   • Coordinate MBS and whole loan delivers to ensure settlements are achieve to minimize extension and pair off fees.

   More trader duties

3. Make a budget

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

   Average trader salary

   $90,179yearly

   $43.36 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level trader salary

   $56,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

   Average trader salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$121,527	$58
   2	Nevada	$112,415	$54
   3	Connecticut	$101,860	$49
   4	New Jersey	$97,299	$47
   5	Texas	$90,008	$43
   6	California	$88,158	$42
   7	Georgia	$88,103	$42
   8	Missouri	$87,776	$42
   9	Ohio	$84,972	$41
   10	Massachusetts	$84,642	$41
   11	Minnesota	$83,955	$40
   12	Utah	$82,284	$40
   13	Illinois	$81,816	$39
   14	Maryland	$80,995	$39
   15	North Carolina	$79,543	$38
   16	Oregon	$78,349	$38
   17	Pennsylvania	$77,426	$37
   18	Washington	$76,101	$37
   19	Virginia	$72,657	$35
   20	Florida	$72,540	$35

   Average trader salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	The Citadel	$156,135	$75.06	15
   2	CITGO Petroleum	$137,508	$66.11
   3	Neuberger Berman	$136,727	$65.73
   4	Jane Street	$136,089	$65.43	14
   5	BP America Inc	$134,304	$64.57	1
   6	Hess	$130,046	$62.52
   7	D. E. Shaw group	$129,822	$62.41
   8	First Republic Bank	$129,731	$62.37
   9	MFS Investment Management	$129,482	$62.25
   10	Putnam Investments	$129,006	$62.02
   11	Phillips 66	$125,885	$60.52
   12	BNY Mellon	$125,789	$60.48
   13	ConocoPhillips	$124,942	$60.07
   14	Town Square Financial	$124,715	$59.96
   15	Wellington Management	$124,073	$59.65	1
   16	CTC	$123,531	$59.39	3
   17	Invesco	$123,346	$59.30
   18	Citi	$122,313	$58.80	42
   19	AQR Capital Management	$121,825	$58.57
   20	The Vanguard Group	$121,287	$58.31	2

4. Writing a trader job description

   A job description for a trader 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 trader job description:

   Trader job description example

   Our mission is to power the future of fan engagement and revolutionize the in-play betting experience throughout the United States. We're reimagining how people enjoy sports.
   
   Simplebet is a B2B product development company using machine learning and real-time technology to make every moment of every sporting event a betting opportunity.
   
   Simplebet is using modern technology to enable sports betting market creation and trading to become best-in-class with automation and algorithmic odds. This creates more betting opportunities between development of new markets, enables more efficient pricing and significantly increases uptime.
   
   We are also recreating the sports betting user experience - enabling casual fans to interact with products that are simple, intuitive, and entertaining.
   
   We are in growth mode as we look to enhance our risk management services team and provide our partners with a complete end-to-end solution for in-play wagering.
   
   The Role: We're looking to hire part-time US Sports Traders to oversee our specific markets for college basketball on a game-by game basis. This role will be split between a few main responsibilities that include risk management, odds compiling, and live trading.
   
   Primary Responsibilities:Monitoring all pricing for real-time odds and ensuring that our data flows from our data collections partners are being recorded accurately Live trading of all Simplebet markets as it pertains to college basketball Trading operations to include settlement of markets, suspension of markets and creation of markets Analyzing and monitoring risk in accordance with Simplebet risk management procedures. Enhancing customer experience with real-time support, communicating effectively with both internal and external partners regarding any feed issues or market mechanics Working closely with our Sportsbook Monitoring team to ensure that odds are being displayed accurately on operator's sites Building out customer risk profiles and working with our Customer Analytics and Games team to enhance personalization within our betting ecosystem Monitoring and analyzing customer betting patterns and trends. Analyzing pricing and trading performance while working closely with our machine-learning-engineering team to enhance our models Maximizing uptime of all Simplebet markets with manual market creation if necessary
   
   As a US Sports Trader, you'll play a pivotal role in the overall execution and performance of Simplebet markets. You will join a fast-growing team that is looking to revolutionize the power of in-play wagering. You will immediately gain an understanding of the different market types we offer, and how to manage these markets to ensure we maintain a high level of performance for our customers. This is an opportunity which requires working Saturdays and Sundays and holidays during live sporting events but with flexible hours throughout the week.
   Working out of our Raleigh, North Carolina office is preferred, but remote work will be considered.
   
   Hourly rate: $17 USD/hr

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right trader 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 traders they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit traders 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.

   To find trader candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as salesjobs, salesheads, allretailjobs.com, sales trax.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit traders, 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.

   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.

   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 trader

   Once you've decided on a perfect trader 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 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.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new trader. 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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