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How to hire a counter person

Counter person hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring counter people in the United States:

  • The median cost to hire a counter person is $1,633.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • HR departments typically allocate 15% of their budget towards recruitment efforts.
  • Small businesses spend $1,105 per counter person on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
  • It takes approximately 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
  • There are a total of 84,557 counter people in the US, and there are currently 43,483 job openings in this field.
  • New York, NY, has the highest demand for counter people, with 14 job openings.

How to hire a counter person, step by step

To hire a counter person, you need to identify the specific skills and experience you want in a candidate, allocate a budget for the position, and advertise the job opening to attract potential candidates. To hire a counter person, you should follow these steps:

Here's a step-by-step counter person hiring guide:

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

    Before you start hiring a counter person, 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?

    A counter person's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, counter people 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 shows salaries for various types of counter people.

    Type of Counter PersonDescriptionHourly rate
    Counter Person$11-19
    Advanced Repair AgentAdvanced repair agents are skilled professionals who are responsible for creating a supportive environment for customers by offering technology-related and solution-based recommendations to solve their repair needs. These agents are required to ask their customers the right questions and listen to them carefully while taking detailed noted about their software and hardware issues... Show more$12-16
    Services ClerkThe main role of service clerks is to provide excellent service to customers. They are responsible for varied tasks, which include handling complaints from customers, processing register transactions, and promoting the company's services and products... Show more$12-18
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Customer Service
    • Work Ethic
    • Parts Counter
    • Computer System
    • Phone Calls
    • Basic Math
    • POS
    • Customer Orders
    • Delivery Orders
    • Food Preparation
    • Parts Inventory
    • Retail Sales
    • Food Orders
    • Stock Orders
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Experience in ADP parts management systems.
    • Allocate all parts to correct vehicles and Toyota technicians.
    • Take customers' orders, enter into POS system, receive and process payments.
    • Coordinate with workers and salesmen from parent company (Nissan) on parts information and availability.
    • Maintain cleanliness of assign departments.
    • Deliver items to customers, whether they are a dealership, bodyshop or regular customer.
  3. Make a budget

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

    • Location. For example, counter people' average salary in louisiana is 40% less than in new hampshire.
    • Seniority. Entry-level counter people 43% less than senior-level counter people.
    • Certifications. A counter person 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 counter person's salary.

    Average counter person salary

    $14.90hourly

    $30,987 yearly

    Entry-level counter person salary
    $23,000 yearly salary
    Updated December 15, 2025
  4. Writing a counter person job description

    A good counter person job description should include a few things:

    • Summary of the role
    • List of responsibilities
    • Required skills and experience

    Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a counter person job description:

    Counter person job description example

    25 lbs to 50 lbs

    infrequently


    Reaching and/or lifting overhead

    on a regular basis


    Climbing

    stairs


    Repetitive hand/finger movement

    on a regular basis


    Grasping/grabbing with hands

    on a regular basis


    Pushing and Pulling

    on a regular basis


    Expectations

    General Expectations

    Devote himself/herself to insuring satisfaction to customers.

    Determine management, production and quality requirements by asking questions and listening.

    Attend company meetings as required.

    Maintain a follow-up system that encourages follow through with assigned projects.

    Establish personal performance goals that are consistent with company standards of productivity and devise a strategy to meet those goals.

    Review and analyze actions at the end of each day, week, month, and year to determine how to better utilize time and plans more effectively.

    Understand the terminology of the business and keep abreast of technology changes in products and services.

    Know and understand the federal, state and local requirements which govern the company’s business.

    Follow lawful directions from supervisors.

    Understand and follow work rules and procedures.

    Participate in performance management.

    Interact well with others and be a positive influence on employee morale.

    Uphold the company’s non-disclosure and confidentiality policies and agreements.

    Work evening, weekend and holiday work hours as required.


    Job-Specific Expectations

    Take and fill orders for service technicians promptly and efficiently, helping service technicians as needed to determine which parts and accessories are required for each job.

    Communicate with the service technicians to verify that your department is meeting their parts and accessories requirements.

    Make suggestions when appropriate regarding specific parts and accessories that may be needed for each job.

    Provide information regarding the associated cost of parts required on repair orders.

    Keep inventory control system and parts catalog up to date.

    Inform service personnel when back ordered or special order parts are received.

    Accept and follow through on lawful directions from supervisors.

    Be polite and friendly, greet customers promptly and deliver exceptional customer service.

    Actively seek and obtain a thorough knowledge of parts history, merchandise and automobile service. Be able to communicate this knowledge as needed to adequately meet demands while maintaining good inventory turn ratios.

    Work with the parts and accessories manager and aid in reaching set goals for profitability and sales of parts and accessories.

    Work with multiple customers at once if needed while still providing individual customer satisfaction.

    Keep customer mailing lists up to date.

    Work with customers to determine parts and accessories needs and explore merchandise in catalogs. Draw attention to any new merchandise, specials, and sales, as well as suggest supplementary products that may supplement the customers initial purchase.

    Conduct telephone transactions courteously and promptly. Inform customers and dealership staff when appropriate regarding any new merchandise, specials and sales.

    Deal with customer complaints in a sensible manner by showing empathy and a pleasant attitude to show our commitment to excellent customer service and to increase customer satisfaction and loyalty.

    Be precise in all cash register transactions, taking accurate credit card and cash payments for purchases.

    In accepting delivery of and processing merchandise from distributors, verify merchandise according to purchase invoice and record merchandise into inventory. Prepare the product for presentation on the showroom floor.

    Make sure that the merchandise displays are dusted, clean, fully stocked, and appealing to customers.

    Become proficient and familiar with computer systems necessary for parts and accessories management.

    Periodically carry out physical inventory of merchandise.

  5. Post your job

    To find counter people 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 counter people they would recommend.
    • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level counter people 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 counter person job on Zippia to find and recruit counter person candidates who meet your exact specifications.
    • Use field-specific websites such as salesjobs, salesheads, allretailjobs.com, sales trax.
    • Post a job on free websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    To successfully recruit counter people, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

    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 counter person

    Once you've found the counter person 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 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 counter person?

Recruiting counter people involves both the one-time costs of hiring and the ongoing costs of adding a new employee to your team. Your spending during the hiring process will mostly be on things like promoting the job on job boards, reviewing and interviewing candidates, and onboarding the new hire. Ongoing costs will obviously involve the employee's salary, but also may include things like benefits.

The median annual salary for counter people is $30,987 in the US. However, the cost of counter person hiring can vary a lot depending on location. Additionally, hiring a counter person for contract work or on a per-project basis typically costs between $11 and $19 an hour.

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