How to hire a costumer

How to hire a costumer, step by step

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

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the costumer you need to hire. Certain costumer 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

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a costumer to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a costumer that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of costumers.

   Type of Costumer	Description	Hourly rate
   Costumer		$9-27

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Costumes
   • Character Integrity
   • Stitching
   • Inbound Calls
   • Outbound Calls
   • Photo Shoots
   • POS

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage costume quick changes for``Shakespeare in Hollywood".
   • Hand stitching for costume repairs and maintenance.
   • Perform minor alterations and repairs to damage costumes.
   • Design and execute costumes for various theatrical performances.
   • Reduce and control expenses by monitoring inventory and FTE's.

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, costumers' average salary in alabama is 41% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level costumers 65% less than senior-level costumers.
   • Certifications. A costumer 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 costumer's salary.

   Average costumer salary

   $16.42hourly

   $34,163 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level costumer salary

   $20,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 12, 2025

4. Writing a costumer job description

   A costumer 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 costumer job description:

   Costumer job description example

   This position is responsible for overseeing all aspects of creating and maintaining costumes used for theatrical performances at Stetson University. Working in consultation with the director of a production, the costumer will determine costumes for each member of the cast. This may involve altering existing costumes, designing and creating new costumes, and locating/acquiring appropriate costume pieces and costume related accessories/ props. The costumer is responsible for repairing costumes as needed, as well as overseeing the cleaning and storage of costumes after a production run is completed. Additionally, the costumer supervises student employees or student designers who are working on costuming aspects of theatre productions.
   
   Average weekly work throughout a semester is 10 hours/week, however the week before a performance opens the costumer may be required to be available for as many as 29 hours, including evening and weekend hours as needed. Summer work is not required. The employee must not exceed 29 hours/week during technical/dress rehearsal periods.
   ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
   
   + Design and execute costuming and accessories for theatrical productions
   
   + Clean, repair, and store costumes and accessories after a production closes
   
   + Supervise student employees working on production costuming tasks, as needed
   
   ROUTINE DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
   
   + Oversee maintenance of costume shop equipment, including working with the Technical Director with regards to scheduling routine maintenance of equipment (sewing machines, etc.)
   
   + Maintain reasonable stock of costuming supplies (threads, notions, etc.)
   
   + Oversee storage, cleaning, and inventory of costumes
   
   + Managing students in a safe and productive work environment
   
   + Plan and manage students during pre-production, dress rehearsal, and strike periods
   
   Required Skills
   
   + Sewing machine operation (standard machine and serger), including working with zippers and button holes.
   
   + Hand sewing techniques
   
   + Garment construction and garment alteration skills
   
   + Working with patterns and the ability to alter a pattern as needed
   
   + Understanding "theatre" costume construction needs (as opposed to couture, fashion, or bridal garment construction)
   
   + Ability to design appropriate period attire as dictated by the playwright and director
   
   + Must be able to work independently with minimal supervision
   
   + Must be able to complete projects by deadlines as dictated by production schedule as well as flexible enough to make last-minute changes as needed
   
   + Must work in person in the Second Stage costume shop at least two afternoons per week for student mentoring and supervision
   
   + Must be able to have the flexibility to adjust work schedule as needed to meet the demands of the production.
   
   Required Experience
   
   Salary Grade: 4

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right costumer 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 costumers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit costumers 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.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit costumers, 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.

   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 costumer

   Once you've found the costumer 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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new costumer. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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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