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What is a healthcare recruiter and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted expert
Dr. James Lampley
introduction image

Healthcare recruiters sources and hires candidates for various healthcare positions. They work with hiring managers to identify job requirements, post job listings, screen resumes, and conduct interviews. They recruit for a variety of roles, including doctors, nurses, administrative staff, and support staff. To succeed in this field, recruiters must have strong communication skills, a deep understanding of the healthcare industry, and the ability to quickly identify qualified candidates. Healthcare recruiters are crucial to ensuring that healthcare organizations have the staff they need to provide quality care.

What general advice would you give to a healthcare recruiter?

Dr. James LampleyDr. James Lampley LinkedIn profile

Professor, East Tennessee State University

Be willing to go where the jobs are. Many of our graduates are "place-bound". Their family obligations or spouses make it difficult to relocate.
ScoreHealthcare RecruiterUS Average
Salary
4.2

Avg. Salary $53,407

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
8.0

Growth rate 8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
7.3
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.77%

Asian 7.20%

Black or African American 11.20%

Hispanic or Latino 18.87%

Unknown 5.41%

White 56.54%

Gender

female 54.48%

male 45.52%

Age - 40
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 40
Stress level
8.0

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
7.0

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a healthcare recruiter?

Pros

  • Opportunities to help people find jobs that match their skills and interests

  • Potential for high earnings through commission-based pay structures

  • Constant demand for healthcare workers provides job security

  • Ability to work with a variety of healthcare organizations and professionals

  • Opportunity to develop relationships with clients and candidates

Cons

  • High stress and pressure to meet hiring goals

  • Need to constantly stay up-to-date with changes in the healthcare industry

  • Challenges in finding qualified candidates for hard-to-fill positions

  • Cultural differences between clients and candidates can complicate communication

  • High competition from other recruiters

Healthcare recruiter career paths

Key steps to become a healthcare recruiter

  1. Explore healthcare recruiter education requirements

    Most common healthcare recruiter degrees

    Bachelor's

    78.5 %

    Master's

    8.7 %

    Associate

    8.3 %
  2. Start to develop specific healthcare recruiter skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Phone Screens10.18%
    Applicant Tracking Systems9.13%
    Background Checks8.90%
    Customer Service7.17%
    Linkedin7.08%
  3. Complete relevant healthcare recruiter training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New healthcare recruiters learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a healthcare recruiter based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real healthcare recruiter resumes.
  4. Research healthcare recruiter duties and responsibilities

    • Manage applicant tracking system (Taleo) and develop recruitment reports.
    • Manage and staff walk in flu clinics at various businesses to increase sales volume.
    • Manage the on-boarding process and collect all new hire paperwork and enter data into an HRIS PeopleSoft database.
    • Manage employee's personnel files and maintain accurate up to date confidential client files to ensure compliance with HIPPA.
  5. Prepare your healthcare recruiter resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your healthcare recruiter resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a healthcare recruiter resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable healthcare recruiter resume templates

    Build a professional healthcare recruiter resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your healthcare recruiter resume.
    Healthcare Recruiter Resume
    Healthcare Recruiter Resume
    Healthcare Recruiter Resume
    Healthcare Recruiter Resume
    Healthcare Recruiter Resume
    Healthcare Recruiter Resume
    Healthcare Recruiter Resume
    Healthcare Recruiter Resume
    Healthcare Recruiter Resume
  6. Apply for healthcare recruiter jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a healthcare recruiter job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first healthcare recruiter job

Zippi

Are you a healthcare recruiter?

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Average healthcare recruiter salary

The average healthcare recruiter salary in the United States is $53,407 per year or $26 per hour. Healthcare recruiter salaries range between $40,000 and $70,000 per year.

Average healthcare recruiter salary
$53,407 Yearly
$25.68 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do healthcare recruiters rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Healthcare recruiter reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2019
Pros

I like Bonus and helping people. Sometimes our company cover expanse for networking and meeting. More we do networking more we can earn.

Cons

too much pressure. to hire 1 executive vacancy we have to make connections with 100s of people. We work with people and people are sometimes really hard even we are doing our best. After weeks of hard work right before the placement, some firms reject them without any answers


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2019
Pros

Communicating with people, interview applicants.

Cons

I don't have anything I don't like.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2019
Pros

I enjoy and I’m great in recruiting in any organization I trust and believe in.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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