How to hire a costume specialist

How to hire a costume specialist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step costume specialist hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your costume specialist 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 costume specialist 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

   Hiring the perfect costume specialist 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.

   This list shows salaries for various types of costume specialists.

   Type of Costume Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Costume Specialist		$14-37

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Costumes
   • Outbound Calls

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage FDA regulate products requirements for ISO2000 quality assurance.
   • Assist customers in finding costumes or decorations, coordinate inventory with the warehouse, clean and stock the storefront.
   • Assist the costume designer in choosing costumes for productions and relate activities - fittings, moving costumes to and from storage.
   • Determine program eligibility for Medicaid, food stamp and cash benefits in accordance with current regulations using the computer-based eligibility system.
   • Maintain department SharePoint site including site administration.

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, costume specialists' average salary in wyoming is 29% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level costume specialists 62% less than senior-level costume specialists.
   • Certifications. A costume specialist 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 costume specialist's salary.

   Average costume specialist salary

   $48,798yearly

   $23.46 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level costume specialist salary

   $30,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 12, 2025

4. Writing a costume specialist job description

   A costume specialist 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 costume specialist job description:

   Costume specialist job description example

   Sesame Place San Diego
   
   Costume Specialist
   
   Join us at Sesame Place and help bring joy, excitement, and lasting memories to people from around the world. We're seeking enthusiastic, dedicated and hard-working individuals in a wide variety of roles. Join us and play an important part on our incredible team!
   
   What you get to do:
   
   As a Costume Specialist, you'll take on a variety of responsibilities in order help facilitate the Entertainment Department's growing event and show schedule.
   
   •Participates as an integral contributor to the Entertainment Costuming Department.
   
   •Executes Park, Show and Event Laundry Projects as assigned. Including all laundry processes and deliveries. Maintaining shoe repair process and supplies. Daily costume deliveries.
   
   •Collaborates with Entertainment Production/Operations, Theatrical Services and Theming teams to achieve project goals and objectives.
   
   •Works with outside Costuming and Crafts contractors as assigned.
   
   •Works with the Costuming request process. Assists with fabric stocking.
   
   •Works with the Costuming Project timelines to ensure park and departmental goals and objectives are obtained.
   
   •Schedules are flexible. Black-out dates must be met.
   
   •Works with Costuming supplies, equipment and systems, including shoe inventories, laundry and dry cleaning procedures and counts.
   
   •Maintains the quality assurance of the Costuming product and support areas. Including the fabric storage facility.
   
   •Follows department and park safety guidelines, including the proper use of PPE.
   
   •Participates in the Costuming department training programs.
   
   •Participates in other duties as assigned that support park and departmental goals and objectives, including sewing as needed.
   
   What it takes to succeed:
   
   •High School Diploma/GED required.
   
   •3 years working experience in clothing, laundry, wardrobe and costuming preferred.
   
   •Theme park experience preferred.
   
   •Valid Driver's License.
   
   •Experience with:
   
   Laundry supplies and equipment
   
   Costume materials
   
   Costume shop equipment
   
   Shoes and shoe repair equipment
   
   Costume shop hand tools
   
   What else is important:
   
   •Able to lift, push, pull and/or carry up to 50 lbs.
   
   •Position engages in extensive walking and standing throughout entire work shift and climb/ascend heights, if needed
   
   •Perform the following physical activities: kneeling, squatting, bend floor-to waist/waist-to-overhead, reach overhead, simple grasp and fine hand manipulation tasks (use of tools/keyboard/writing)
   
   •Able to work indoors and outdoors, in varying weather, to include extreme heat. Position may be exposed to fumes, dust, odors, and cold/heat temperature extremes
   
   Perform cleaning duties, including use of cleaning chemicals
   
   •Work a flexible schedule/hour based on business need, to include opening, mid-, and closing shifts; nights, weekends, and holidays
   
   •Flexible in work locations as placement will depend on business needs and career development opportunities
   
   The perks of the position:
   
   As part of the SeaWorld family, you'll enjoy a fun, fast-paced environment and great teammates, as well as:
   
   •SEA Employee Complimentary Park Tickets and Passes
   
   •SEA Park Discounts on Food and Merchandise
   
   Join the team!
   
   If you're looking for the opportunity to make the most of your abilities in a one-of-a-kind setting with an entertainment industry leader, we're looking for you!
   
   More Information
   
   Park Name:
   
   Sesame Place San Diego
   
   Location:
   
   Chula Vista, CA
   
   
   14610
   
   Status:
   
   Seasonal
   
   Pay Rate:
   
   15.00
   
   Relocation Provided:
   
   No
   
   Closing Date:
   
   10/31/2022 11:59 PM ET

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right costume specialist for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your costume specialist job on Zippia to find and recruit costume specialist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with costume specialist candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   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 costume specialist

   Once you've found the costume specialist 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.

   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 costume specialist. 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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