How to hire a correspondent

How to hire a correspondent, step by step

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

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

What does a correspondent do?

Post a correspondent job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your correspondent 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 correspondent 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 correspondent's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, correspondents 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.

   The following list breaks down different types of correspondents and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Correspondent	Description	Hourly rate
   Correspondent	Reporters, correspondents, and broadcast news analysts inform the public about news and events happening internationally, nationally, and locally. They report the news for newspapers, magazines, websites, television, and radio.	$24-64
   News Writer	A news writer is primarily responsible for producing informative written materials about current events, ensuring quality and accuracy. Their responsibilities typically revolve around conducting interviews, traveling to different locations, pursuing leads, researching public records, and submitting stories within the expected deadline and set format... Show more	$14-30
   Business Reporter	A business reporter typically writes articles with regards to breaking news making readers get informed about the industry's current changes and major events. Business reporters gather and analyze facts with regards to events that are newsworthy... Show more	$13-35

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • News Stories
   • News Coverage
   • Feature Stories
   • Instagram
   • Financial Statements
   • Develop Story Ideas
   • Conduct Interviews
   • News Articles
   • Twitter
   • Blog Posts
   • Facebook
   • Press Conferences
   • Social Media Sites
   • Human Interest Stories

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead reporting in Mongolia, representing AFP's regional headquarters in Beijing.
   • Manage constituent relations regarding financial services, housing, budget, judiciary, homeland security, and government oversight issues.
   • Develop Facebook strategy, execute launch and manage content.
   • Handle education, foreign affairs, judiciary and natural resources issues; assist with appropriations requests.
   • Process FHA, VA and correspondent disclosures.
   • Gain knowledge of interviewing, photography, and newsworthiness.

   More correspondent duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your correspondent job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A correspondent salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a correspondent in Texas may be lower than in New Jersey, and an entry-level correspondent usually earns less than a senior-level correspondent. Additionally, a correspondent with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average correspondent salary

   $82,217yearly

   $39.53 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level correspondent salary

   $50,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

   Average correspondent salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$109,428	$53
   2	New York	$103,070	$50
   3	Virginia	$87,081	$42
   4	Minnesota	$83,149	$40
   5	Missouri	$81,765	$39
   6	Georgia	$69,935	$34
   7	Texas	$68,304	$33
   8	California	$68,065	$33
   9	Florida	$65,770	$32

   Average correspondent salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	American Broadcasting Company	$118,069	$56.76
   2	Law360	$114,329	$54.97	1
   3	Thales	$114,232	$54.92
   4	The Boston Globe	$110,703	$53.22
   5	Thomson Reuters	$110,347	$53.05
   6	Ranker	$104,831	$50.40
   7	Dow Jones	$100,225	$48.19	10
   8	Reuters	$98,730	$47.47
   9	The Associated Press	$90,943	$43.72
   10	Hearst	$82,067	$39.46	71
   11	POLITICO	$80,260	$38.59
   12	Fletcher Thompson	$76,699	$36.87
   13	Medical Billing	$75,280	$36.19
   14	Overseas	$73,813	$35.49
   15	Middle East Broadcasting Network	$69,710	$33.51	2
   16	The Forward Association	$66,105	$31.78
   17	Paramount	$65,640	$31.56	36
   18	McClatchy	$64,450	$30.99	15
   19	Randstad North America, Inc.	$62,766	$30.18
   20	New America	$61,654	$29.64

4. Writing a correspondent job description

   A job description for a correspondent 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 correspondent job description:

   Correspondent job description example

   Ranker Insights is seeking an experienced journalist to transform its deep well of data into engaging stories. This role will delve into both consumer and business facing audiences. The Ranker Insights Data Correspondent will craft custom reports for sales initiatives, as well as curate reports to satisfy current clients. This role must be comfortable taking information garnered from the over 1.2 billion votes cast on Ranker.com and making them into unique, informative and engaging stories.

   
   

   Additionally the role will be responsible for monitoring appropriate voters and vote coverage levels for key lists and nodes, with the ability to collaborate with product teams to define proper key performance indicators. The role will work with other Ranker editorial teams to put in place the proper programs to address any potential gaps in coverage and data collection. This position must be adept at getting votes to poll lists, particularly about contemporary TV and Film across all genres.

   
   

   What this role entails

   • Expertise and passion regarding all things entertainment

   • 3 + years experience in data journalism
   • A deep well of business writing experience
   • Strong presentation skills, focused on telling a story with insights
   • The ability to attract new audiences into Rankers unique voting based structure
   • Malleability and willingness to work on new ways of testing and framing to accomplish this goal, and be open to using growth hacking tactics
   • The ability to understand fan-based behavior, thinking and opinions across multiple genres

   
   

   Who will succeed in this role?

   We want you to be a productive contributor to Ranker's voice and brand. With that said, we believe you’ll be successful if you have:

   • Bachelor’s degree in English, journalism, communications, film, etc. or equivalent experience
   • Excellent copywriting, editing and verbal communication skills
   • Social savvy, and data-driven with strong attention to detail and accuracy
   • Love working in fast-moving, high-growth companies in an industry that is rapidly changing
   • Creative problem solver and effective communicator. Able to make actionable and informed decisions

   
   

   Bonus qualifications for this role

   • Background in conducting polls or reporting on polling data
   • Low level graphic design skills
   • Spreadsheet proficiency
   • SQL experience
   • Statistical background
   • Social Media Experience
   • Taxonomic background or efficiency

   
   

   Ranker is the leader in fan-powered rankings on just about everything. Whatever the topic - TV, movies, video games, sports, brands, food - Ranker puts the vote into the hands of millions rather than a few critics to answer the questions we are most passionate about. Over 1 billion votes now power Ranker Insights, a treasure trove of psychographic correlation data that delivers personalized consumer recommendations (“if you like X, you’ll also like Y, Z”) and audience insights to marketers, studios, and platforms seeking a deeper understanding of consumer tastes and preferences. Launched in 2020 and powered by Ranker Insights, Watchworthy is the only statistically relevant, crowd-sourced TV recommendation app available to consumers. Ranker is listed on 2020’s Inc. 5000 and Inc. 5000: California Series; Deloitte’s 2019 Technology Fast 500; Built In LA’s Top 50 Mid-Sized Companies To Work For in 2020 and 2021; and on Fast Company’s World’s Most Innovative Companies for 2021 (No. 5). Ranker is headquartered in Los Angeles and has over 115 employees.
   

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find correspondents 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 correspondents they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level correspondents 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 correspondent job on Zippia to find and attract quality correspondent candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as problogger, media bistro, journalismjobs.com, content writing jobs.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit correspondents, 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.

   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 correspondent

   Once you've decided on a perfect correspondent 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 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 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.)

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How much does it cost to hire a correspondent?