How to hire a communications coordinator

How to hire a communications coordinator, step by step

Here's a step-by-step communications coordinator hiring guide:

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

What does a communications coordinator do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a communications coordinator, 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

   A communications coordinator's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, communications coordinators 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 communications coordinator salaries for various roles:

   Type of Communications Coordinator	Description	Hourly rate
   Communications Coordinator	Public relations specialists create and maintain a favorable public image for the organization they represent. They design media releases to shape public perception of their organization and to increase awareness of its work and goals.	$16-30
   Coordinator	Coordinators are responsible for liaising between the department they are assigned to and any other external party. They oversee projects or agreements... Show more	$12-29
   Marketing & Events Coordinator	A marketing and events coordinator is responsible for planning, producing, and supervising the execution of communications and marketing plan activities such as promotions, collateral materials, and media. You are expected to create materials to deliver the company's messages to the media and the public... Show more	$14-25

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Web Content
   • Event Planning
   • Press Releases
   • Patients
   • Community Events
   • PowerPoint
   • Community Outreach
   • Community Engagement
   • Facebook
   • Community Relations
   • Twitter
   • Project Management
   • Graphic Design

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Launch and manage the corporate Instagram account @ xcelenergy.
   • Manage and maintain the admission website by using basic knowledge of HTML and web editing templates.
   • Co-developed regional, national and international trade show strategy including logistics, management, qualifying leads, communications and ROI tracking.
   • Contribute brand appropriate content for: blog, instagram, and twitter.
   • General administrative and marketing duties including sending e-marketing campaigns, updating intranet and SharePoint sites, and publishing public relations newsletters.
   • Monitor the daily work of the travel agency booking agents.

   More communications coordinator duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, communications coordinators' average salary in south carolina is 40% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level communications coordinators 46% less than senior-level communications coordinators.
   • Certifications. A communications coordinator 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 communications coordinator's salary.

   Average communications coordinator salary

   $47,075yearly

   $22.63 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level communications coordinator salary

   $34,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 23, 2025

   Average communications coordinator salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$57,698	$28
   2	California	$54,847	$26
   3	New York	$52,695	$25
   4	Massachusetts	$51,470	$25
   5	Washington	$51,071	$25
   6	Virginia	$50,067	$24
   7	Minnesota	$49,238	$24
   8	Maryland	$48,966	$24
   9	Oregon	$47,477	$23
   10	Colorado	$45,960	$22
   11	Illinois	$44,078	$21
   12	Wisconsin	$44,068	$21
   13	Georgia	$44,067	$21
   14	Pennsylvania	$43,786	$21
   15	Ohio	$43,684	$21
   16	Texas	$43,632	$21
   17	Utah	$43,244	$21
   18	Tennessee	$42,555	$20
   19	Florida	$41,078	$20
   20	Nebraska	$39,520	$19

   Average communications coordinator salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Microsoft	$83,558	$40.17	11
   2	Kent Daniels & Associates	$67,454	$32.43
   3	McKinsey & Company Inc	$66,297	$31.87
   4	John Deere	$61,493	$29.56	1
   5	Jacobs Engineering Group	$61,028	$29.34
   6	Sidley Austin	$60,861	$29.26	4
   7	Citi	$60,549	$29.11	4
   8	HDR	$60,118	$28.90	61
   9	Conrad N. Hilton Foundation	$60,036	$28.86
   10	University of Houston-Clear Lake	$59,901	$28.80	1
   11	Wpp Us Holdings Inc	$59,890	$28.79	15
   12	Olson Kundig	$59,577	$28.64
   13	University of Massachusetts Boston	$59,563	$28.64
   14	University of Illinois Springfield	$59,217	$28.47
   15	Clark Construction Group	$58,643	$28.19	3
   16	First Book	$58,360	$28.06	1
   17	Loyola Marymount University	$58,032	$27.90	4
   18	CDC Foundation	$57,529	$27.66
   19	The Gerontological Society of America	$57,350	$27.57
   20	Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station - State Headquarters	$57,333	$27.56	1

4. Writing a communications coordinator job description

   A communications coordinator 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 communications coordinator job description:

   Communications coordinator job description example

   This position will be working remotely with PAARIs administrative team on all social media and data. The Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (PAARI) was founded alongside the Gloucester Police Department Angel Initiative in June 2015 and has grown into a movement of more than 700 law enforcement partners in 34 states. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that there were an estimated 100,306 deaths from drug overdoses in the United States from May 2020- May 2021. Law enforcement officers have a front row seat to the opioid epidemic and a growing number of police departments are motivated to adopt non-arrest programs that connect individuals with substance use disorders to treatment. Members of our National Recovery Corps will strengthen the ability of partnering law enforcement agencies to increase access to care and address addiction and poverty through non-arrest approaches. This program will place VISTAs in police departments to help build, strengthen, and sustain police-led programs to reduce and prevent overdose deaths and help more people with opioid use disorder get into treatment and recovery. Further help on this page can be found by clicking here.
   
   Member Duties : Perform a scan of the PAARI's current fundraising, marketing, program evaluation, and event systems. Determine which there is the greatest need and opportunity in relation to fundraising, marketing, program evaluation, and events Research and create a report on relevant addiction and recovery funding and marketing trends and opportunities for police-assisted addiction and recovery programs Develop a written resource development plan to apply the scan, report, and resource development plan to utilize the resources needed to carry out and expand PAARI programs, focusing on fundraising, marketing, program evaluation, and events. This will allow PAARI to expand its reach and impact nationwide, allowing us to serve more departments and expand the nationwide movement to create non-arrest pathways to treatment and recovery as well as program sustainability.
   
   Program Benefits : Choice of Education Award or End of Service Stipend , Training , Stipend , Health Coverage* , Living Allowance , Education award upon successful completion of service .
   Terms :
   
   None
   
   Service Areas :
   
   Public Health AmeriCorps , Public Safety , Technology , Community Outreach .
   
   Skills :
   
   None

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right communications coordinator 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 communications coordinators they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit communications coordinators 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 communications coordinator 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 pr news job board, pr council, prsa job center, hoojobs.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting communications coordinators 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.

   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 communications coordinator

   Once you've selected the best communications coordinator candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing 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 communications coordinator first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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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How much does it cost to hire a communications coordinator?