How to hire a contract writer

How to hire a contract writer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step contract writer hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the contract writer you need to hire. Certain contract writer roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   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 contract writer 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 contract writers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Contract Writer	Description	Hourly rate
   Contract Writer	Writers and authors develop written content for advertisements, books, magazines, movie and television scripts, songs, blogs, and other online publications.	$29-65
   Writer And Editor	Writing is not an easy task, so a Writer and an Editor must work together to deliver quality content. A writer's role is to gather information to create a structured written material that would serve its purpose, whether for recreational or informational... Show more	$17-49
   Technical Writer And Editor	A technical writer and editor is primarily responsible for producing written content that defines and explains technical concepts to inform and educate readers. As a writer, it is essential to research and fact-check details to ensure the material's accuracy and value... Show more	$24-39

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Web Content
   • SEO
   • Press Releases
   • Blog Posts
   • Website Copy
   • Copywriting
   • Real Estate
   • Video Scripts
   • SMEs
   • Facebook
   • RFP
   • Proofread
   • HTML
   • Contract Language

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage the proposal lifecycle, including RFP analysis, regular communications, proposal development and production consistent with branding strategies.
   • Manage the proposal lifecycle, including RFP analysis, regular communications, proposal development and production consistent with branding strategies.
   • Interview subject matter experts and process source data to write biographies and profiles.
   • Post social media and hospital promotional/patient testimonial YouTube videos.

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, contract writers' average salary in hawaii is 52% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level contract writers 55% less than senior-level contract writers.
   • Certifications. A contract writer 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 contract writer's salary.

   Average contract writer salary

   $91,260yearly

   $43.88 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level contract writer salary

   $61,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

4. Writing a contract writer job description

   A contract writer 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 contract writer job description:

   Contract writer job description example

   Fluent in both German and English, plan and write effective, engaging and high-quality content for Vanguard Europe's German and UK personal investor platforms, including web, social and email copy as well as other marketing and PR content.
   Bringing Vanguard's mission to life
   At Vanguard, we are on a mission to take a stand for investors across Europe and give them the best chance of investment success. As a writer in the pan-European editorial team, the content you create will help to bring that mission to life, educating and engaging new and existing clients of our German and UK personal investor platforms. Whether through web articles, videos, webinars or newsletters, the materials you create will help retail investors to navigate the markets and achieve their financial goals.
   
   The role
   Fluent in both German and English, you will plan and write effective, engaging and high-quality content for Vanguard Europe's German and UK personal investor platforms, including web, social and email copy as well as other marketing and PR content.You will work with Vanguard economists, strategists, subject matter experts and other colleagues to build a deep understanding of Vanguard's business and create content to showcase our investment principles, products and services.You will demonstrate initiative and creativity in developing multi-media content strategies that align with business priorities and engage retail clients in Vanguard's mission to bring value to investors.You will work across formats to deliver a consistent message and consider ways to maximise content through thematic campaigns.You will produce high-quality content in compliance with legal, regulatory and corporate standards. You will be able to respond to the changing market environment with flexibility while maintaining quality and accuracy.You will be part of a collaborative and inclusive culture that puts investors at the centre of our approach.
   
   What it takes
   Fluency in both German and English, German native speaker preferred Minimum five years related work experience, ideally as an investment writer within an asset manager or as a financial journalist.Experience of creating engaging and informative content for retail investors Experience working across content formats, including videos, podcasts and infographics, is desirable Familiarity with the German investing landscape Undergraduate degree or equivalent combination of training and experience.Excellent written and communication skills
   
   Special Factors
   Vanguard is not offering visa sponsorship for this position
   
   Why Vanguard?
   Vanguard is a different kind of investment company. It was founded in the United States in 1975 on a simple but revolutionary idea: that an investment company should manage its funds solely in the interests of its clients.
   This is a philosophy that has helped millions of people around the world to achieve their goals with low-cost, uncomplicated investments.
   It's what we stand for: value to investors.
   
   Inclusion Statement
   Vanguard's continued commitment to diversity and inclusion is firmly rooted in our culture. Every decision we make to best serve our clients, crew (internally employees are referred to as crew), and communities is guided by one simple statement: “Do the right thing.”
   We believe that a critical aspect of doing the right thing requires building diverse, inclusive, and highly effective teams of individuals who are as unique as the clients they serve. We empower our crew to contribute their distinct strengths to achieving Vanguard's core purpose through our values. When all crew members feel valued and included, our ability to collaborate and innovate is amplified, and we are united in delivering on Vanguard's core purpose.
   
   Future of Work
   During the pandemic, we transitioned to a work from home model for the majority of our crew and we continue to interview, hire, and on-board future crew remotely.
   
   As we have developed the path forward, we have taken a thoughtful approach that both maximizes the advantages of working remotely and the many benefits of coming together and collaborating in a shared workspace. We believe that in-person interactions among our crew are important for preserving our unique culture and advantageous for the personal development of our crew.
   
   When our Crew return to the office, many will work in our hybrid model. A smaller proportion of our crew will operate in the Work from Home work model (for example, field sales crew); or in the Work from Office model (for example, portfolio managers).
   
   The working model that your role falls into will be communicated to you in the interview process - please do ask if you are unsure. We encourage you to make the decision regarding your job interview and offer knowing which model your role will fall into. We will test and learn as our ways of working evolve and will continue to evaluate working models along the way.

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5. Post your job

   To find contract writers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any contract writers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level contract writers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your contract writer job on Zippia to find and attract quality contract writer candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as problogger, media bistro, journalismjobs.com, content writing jobs.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting contract writers 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.

   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 contract writer

   Once you have selected a candidate for the contract writer 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.

   To prepare for the new contract writer 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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