How to hire a health editor

How to hire a health editor, step by step

Here's a step-by-step health editor hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The health editor hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   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 health editor 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 health editor that fits the bill.

   Here's a comparison of health editor salaries for various roles:

   Type of Health Editor	Description	Hourly rate
   Health Editor	Editors plan, review, and revise content for publication.	$4-57
   Editing Internship	An editorial intern is responsible for assisting the editorial department of an organization with publishing various media and digital content. Editorial interns shadow tenured editorial staff on researching stories, validating information, writing captivating articles, interviewing target audiences, and screening submitted manuscripts... Show more	$12-21
   Editorial Internship	An editorial intern is responsible for assisting the editorial team in publishing digital and media content, writing articles, and managing readers' reviews. Editorial interns must have excellent knowledge of the industry they work for, suggesting the latest trends and featured topics, taking notes of the tenured employees' advice and observations, and actively joining brainstorming sessions... Show more	$12-18

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • SEO
   • Lifestyle
   • Facebook
   • Editorial Calendar
   • Feature Stories
   • Health Content
   • Brainstorming
   • Public Health
   • Edition
   • Staff Writers
   • Health News
   • Editorial Content
   • HIPAA
   • Health Issues

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage content using CMS tools and ongoing social media campaign and reader engagement via social media networks and blog.
   • Frequent contributor to award-winning local music magazine L.A. RECORD.
   • Work with writers on SEO, editorial coverage and metrics.
   • Lead a team of writers of 10 individuals through the brainstorming process to select provocative and thoughtful topics.
   • Monitor sales compensation fulfillment of direct reports and approve monthly expense reports of culinary team.
   • Analyze FrameMaker source document and provide feedback to XML architects to improve accuracy of conversion.

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, health editors' average salary in alaska is 63% less than in connecticut.
   • Seniority. Entry-level health editors 92% less than senior-level health editors.
   • Certifications. A health editor 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 health editor's salary.

   Average health editor salary

   $35,224yearly

   $16.93 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level health editor salary

   $10,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

4. Writing a health editor job description

   A health editor 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 health editor job description:

   Health editor job description example

   Why Hearst Magazines?
   
   Hearst Magazines is one of the largest publishers in the world, with more than 25 brands, including Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Esquire, Good Housekeeping, Harper's BAZAAR, Popular Mechanics, and Delish. We reach more than 150 million people every month in the United States alone.
   
   But we're more than just our magazines. We engage our audience across all mediums and channels-print, digital, video, and social-with sophisticated content creation, distribution, and data capabilities. We create, package, and sell products with cutting-edge technology and proprietary platforms. Together, we are reinventing publishing for the 21st century.
   
   Your Impact:
   
   Men's Health is seeking a smart, enthusiastic Associate Health and Fitness Editor to shape health, nutrition, and fitness coverage across all channels of the Men's Health brand. Main responsibilities include staying on top of health, nutrition, and fitness news and trends, with an emphasis on men's health, nutrition, and fitness; assigning, editing, and/or writing breaking news stories; mining the latest medical research and scientific studies to update existing content; contributing to our affiliate commerce efforts in the health, nutrition, and fitness space; and assisting on long-lead print stories and service packages.
   
   This position will report to the Executive Editor, Digital is based in New York City. We will not be able to consider remote candidates for this role.
   
   Please note: For consideration, resumes must be received in PDF format with salary requirements and a link to a portfolio of work.
   
   What you'll do:
   
   * Conceive, assign, and edit a wide range of digital stories in a wide range of formats, from quick news hits to service explainers and first-person essays;
   * Write news coverage, quickly and accurately, as needed;
   * Surface compelling, untold stories and respond nimbly to conversations about health, nutrition, and fitness with stories that will generate buzz;
   * Mine the latest medical research and scientific studies to update existing content per SEO practices;
   * Partner closely with the audience development team to understand and act upon analytics to optimize engagement;
   * Seek, manage, and grow relationships with both established writers and up-and-coming voices to contribute to print and web.
   
   Who you are:
   
   * A detail-oriented self-starter with a background in (and passion for) health, nutrition, and fitness coverage.
   * Strong skills as an editor, tightening and crafting copy;
   * Good judgment as to what works to drive audience and engagement in digital media;
   * Must be a collaborator;
   * Excellent at producing content with digital-friendly language
   * Versed in using Facebook Insights, Google Analytics, other data tools;
   * Open to experimenting with content types and persistent reinvention to create appropriate content for a digital audience
   
   As part of its continued efforts to maintain a safe workplace for employees, Hearst Magazines requires that all employees who receive a written offer of employment be fully vaccinated (as defined by the CDC) against the coronavirus by the first day of employment as a condition of employment, to the extent permitted by applicable law. Hearst Magazines will consider requests for reasonable accommodations on an individual basis in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right health editor 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 health editors they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit health editors 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 health editor job on Zippia to find and recruit health editor candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as problogger, media bistro, journalismjobs.com, content writing jobs.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting health editors 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. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 health editor

   Once you've selected the best health editor candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the 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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