How to hire a community relations representative

How to hire a community relations representative, step by step

Here's a step-by-step community relations representative hiring guide:

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

Post a community relations representative job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a community relations representative, 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 community relations representative's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, community relations representatives 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.

   This list presents community relations representative salaries for various positions.

   Type of Community Relations Representative	Description	Hourly rate
   Community Relations Representative	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.	$14-27
   Publicist	Public Relations Supervisors are responsible for implementing the media and public relations strategy of an organization. Their duties include developing public relations campaigns, organize public relations events, assist in emergency response planning, updating documentation, monitoring media, improve management of press office, and manage media databases... Show more	$14-39
   Social Media Internship	In a social media internship, the primary role is to take part in managing a brand's social media platforms for public relations. One of their primary duties is to craft informative and captivating content while under the supervision and guidelines of a manager or supervisor... Show more	$11-18

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Community Relations
   • Patients
   • Community Organizations
   • Communicate Issues
   • Medicaid
   • Community Outreach
   • Business Relationships
   • Business Partnerships
   • Marketing Presentations
   • Home Health
   • Rehabilitation
   • Cultural Issues
   • Community Events
   • Mental Health

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage YouTube channel to promote the brand.
   • Grow and manage existing relationships in assign territories with physicians, hospitals, skil nursing and rehabilitation facilities and assist livings.
   • Deliver education regarding hospice services to key decision makers to provide to appropriate patients.
   • Utilize a personal computer and relate software including Microsoft office, powerpoint and the internet.
   • Facilitate the admission process of incoming patients.
   • Obtain Medicare requirement of percentage of volunteer/patient.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your community relations representative job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A community relations representative salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, community relations representatives' average salary in mississippi is 53% less than in new jersey.
   • Seniority. Entry-level community relations representatives earn 48% less than senior-level community relations representatives.
   • Certifications. A community relations representative with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a community relations representative's salary.

   Average community relations representative salary

   $42,421yearly

   $20.39 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level community relations representative salary

   $30,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

4. Writing a community relations representative job description

   A job description for a community relations representative 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 community relations representative job description:

   Community relations representative job description example

   You could be the one who changes everything for our 26 million members. Centene is transforming the health of our communities, one person at a time. As a diversified, national organization, you'll have access to competitive benefits including a fresh perspective on workplace flexibility.
   
   Position Purpose: Provide sales coverage and develop best possible market penetration for all lines of business to present to prospective members in assigned territory in accordance with company's policies and programs. Provide greater access to health insurance, by providing education, assistance and coordinating community outreach to individuals.
   
   • Identify prospective enrollees and determine eligibility for participation in the Medicaid and/or Medicare
   
   • Attend various community events, including health fairs, HEDIS initiatives and Member Advisory Groups and other sites as designated to market products
   
   • Identify and develop relationships with new community contacts and organizations to pursue outreach engagements
   
   • Enroll consumers in Medicare product, present information on Medicaid programs, help facilitate the continuance of enrollment, and offer information with Medicaid recertification
   
   • Conduct home visits and personalized appointments as needed to complete the Medicare enrollment process or as requested by potential enrollees to explain the Medicaid product
   
   • Assist members in accessing health care, transportation needs and other services or issues as they occur and pertain to members
   
   • Keep informed and adhere to current information pertaining to marketing activity guidelines set forth by various regulatory agencies, including providing enrollees with all corresponding materials and documentation
   • Research and monitor competitive products and marketing practices
   
   • Submit special reports regarding the operation of the territory, acceptance or rejection of products, and competitive conditions beneficial to other Marketing initiatives
   
   • Ability to lift boxes containing marketing materials for events
   
   • Ability to travel
   
   Education/Experience: Bachelor's degree in marketing, sales, related field or equivalent experience. 2+ years of marketing, sales or community relations or outreach experience, preferably in a managed care or Medicaid environment Bilingual is a plus.
   
   License/Certification: State Driver's License. Obtain current state's Accident and Health Insurance Agent License within 6 months of hire.
   
   Our Comprehensive Benefits Package: Flexible work solutions including remote options, hybrid work schedules and dress flexibility, Competitive pay, Paid time off including holidays, Health insurance coverage for you and your dependents, 401(k) and stock purchase plans, Tuition reimbursement and best-in-class training and development.
   
   Centene is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity, and values the ways in which we are different. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or other characteristic protected by applicable law.
   
   **TITLE:** Community Relations Representative I
   
   **LOCATION:** Tampa, Florida
   
   **REQNUMBER:** 1365437

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right community relations representative 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 community relations representatives they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit community relations representatives 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 community relations representative 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 community relations representatives 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.

   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 community relations representative

   Once you've found the community relations representative candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   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 community relations representative?