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How to hire a healthcare recruiter

Healthcare recruiter hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring healthcare recruiters in the United States:

  • There are a total of 132,669 healthcare recruiters in the US, and there are currently 31,718 job openings in this field.
  • The median cost to hire a healthcare recruiter is $1,633.
  • Small businesses spend $1,105 per healthcare recruiter on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • It takes approximately 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
  • HR departments typically allocate 15% of their budget towards recruitment efforts.
  • San Diego, CA, has the highest demand for healthcare recruiters, with 65 job openings.

How to hire a healthcare recruiter, step by step

To hire a healthcare recruiter, consider the skills and experience you are looking for in a candidate, allocate a budget for the position, and post and promote the job opening to reach potential candidates. Follow these steps to hire a healthcare recruiter:

Here's a step-by-step healthcare recruiter hiring guide:

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

What does a healthcare recruiter do?

Healthcare Recruiters are human resource practitioners who specialize in the recruitment facet of human resources. They specialize in the fulfillment of vacancies related to the healthcare industry. This includes vacancies related to medical practitioners, doctors, nurses, medical receptionists, and medical interpreters. Healthcare Recruiters are responsible for posting job advertisements, screening applicants, interviewing candidates, setting interview schedules with hiring managers, and, in some cases, providing the job offer to qualified candidates. They should have a solid background in healthcare. They must be familiar with the skills, experiences, and levels of expertise needed for the different vacancies.

Learn more about the specifics of what a healthcare recruiter does
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  1. Identify your hiring needs

    Before you post your healthcare recruiter 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 healthcare recruiter 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?

    Hiring the perfect healthcare recruiter 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.

    Here's a comparison of healthcare recruiter salaries for various roles:

    Type of Healthcare RecruiterDescriptionHourly rate
    Healthcare RecruiterHuman resources specialists recruit, screen, interview, and place workers. They often handle other human resources work, such as those related to employee relations, compensation and benefits, and training... Show more$19-33
    Self-EmployedA self-employed person works without the supervision of a specific employer. Self-employed entrepreneurs decide their business plans to increase profitability and get involved with the current market trends... Show more$12-21
    Staffing ConsultantA staffing consultant develops and maintains the accounts of clients through outside and inside organizational activities. Staffing consultants induct, assess, and monitor the job applicants preparing them for their assignments... Show more$12-31
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Phone Screens
    • Applicant Tracking Systems
    • Background Checks
    • Customer Service
    • Linkedin
    • Human Resources
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Recruitment Process
    • Healthcare Facilities
    • Open Positions
    • Patients
    • Monster
    • Work Ethic
    Check all skills
    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.
    • Manage and negotiate contracts for all job boards including: Monster-SignOnSanDiego, YahooHotJobs, Careerbuilder, Jobing, and Craigslist.
    • Work heavily with applicant tracking system, ICIMS and Ultipro.
    More healthcare recruiter duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in the healthcare recruiter job description is a good way to get more applicants. A healthcare recruiter salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

    For example, the average salary for a healthcare recruiter in Louisiana may be lower than in Massachusetts, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level healthcare recruiter. Additionally, a healthcare recruiter with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

    Average healthcare recruiter salary

    $53,407yearly

    $25.68 hourly rate

    Entry-level healthcare recruiter salary
    $40,000 yearly salary
    Updated December 28, 2025

    Average healthcare recruiter salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1District of Columbia$66,806$32
    2California$62,077$30
    3Washington$61,582$30
    4Massachusetts$61,553$30
    5New York$58,170$28
    6Oregon$58,095$28
    7Colorado$57,998$28
    8Maine$56,985$27
    9Illinois$55,285$27
    10Arizona$54,039$26
    11Pennsylvania$52,944$25
    12Missouri$52,562$25
    13Michigan$52,124$25
    14Texas$51,164$25
    15North Carolina$51,119$25
    16Ohio$51,045$25
    17Georgia$50,754$24
    18Alabama$49,343$24
    19Nebraska$49,245$24
    20Nevada$48,744$23

    Average healthcare recruiter salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rateJob openings
    1JPMorgan Chase & Co.$71,519$34.3825
    2Baptist Health Care$61,551$29.59
    3Tintri$60,440$29.06
    4Ecolab$59,914$28.80
    5Favorite Healthcare Staffing$59,596$28.65
    6Aya Healthcare$59,320$28.5214
    7US Oncology Holdings Inc$59,249$28.49
    8True Care Home Care$59,024$28.38
    9Fresenius Medical Care North America Holdings Limited Partnership$58,867$28.30
    10Envision Healthcare$58,630$28.19
    11Community Health Systems$58,440$28.106
    12Satellite Healthcare$58,194$27.98
    13Harris Health System$58,150$27.96
    14Lexington Medical Center$57,987$27.88
    15Careerstaff Unlimited - A Genesis Healthcare Company$57,892$27.83
    16ATC Healthcare$57,647$27.713
    17Concierge Home Care$57,590$27.69
    18Emerus Holdings$57,589$27.69
    19OrthoCarolina$57,292$27.54
    20The Toledo Clinic$57,194$27.50
  4. Writing a healthcare recruiter job description

    A good healthcare recruiter 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 healthcare recruiter job description:

    Healthcare recruiter job description example

    We welcome 100% remote work for residents of Washington, Alaska, Montana, Georgia, Florida and Texas.

    Requirements

    Required Education/Experience:
    - B.A. or B.S. degree in Nursing, Human Resources or related field or equivalent experience.
    - Minimum five (5) years recruitment experience with at least two (2) years full-cycle recruiting experience in a high-volume work environment.

    Required Credentials:
    - N/A

    Preferred:
    Healthcare Recruiting Experience

    In accordance with new Washington law for healthcare workers, Seattle Children's requires that all staff be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 on or before October 18, 2021, or before beginning employment for start dates after October 18th.

    About Us

    Hope. Care. Cure. These three simple words capture what we do at Seattle Children's -- to help every child live the healthiest and most fulfilling life possible. Are you ready to engage with a mission-driven organization that is life-changing to many, and touches the hearts of all? #HOPECARECURE

    Our founding promise to the community is as valid today as it was over a century ago: we will care for all children in our region, regardless of the families' ability to pay. Together, we deliver superior patient care, advance new discoveries and treatments through pediatric research, and serve as the pediatric and adolescent, academic medical center for Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho - the largest region of any children's hospital in the country.

    In 2022, U.S. News & World Report once again ranked Seattle Children's among the nation's best children's hospitals - for the 30th year in a row. For more than a decade, Seattle Children's has been nationally ranked in all 10 specialty areas evaluated by U.S. News & World Report. We are honored to be the top-ranked pediatric hospital in Washington and the Pacific Northwest.

    As a Magnet designated institution, and classified among America's best large employers by Forbes, we recognize the importance of hiring and developing great talent to provide best-in-class care to the patients and families we serve. Our organizational DNA takes form in our core values: Compassion, Excellence, Integrity, Collaboration, Equity and Innovation. Whether it's delivering frontline care to our patients in a kind and caring manner, practicing the highest standards of quality and safety, or being relentlessly curious as we work towards eradicating childhood diseases, these values are the fabric of our culture and community. The future starts here.

    Covid-19 Vaccination In accordance with Washington state law, Seattle Children's requires that all employees be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. All offers are contingent and your vaccine status will be verified at onboarding. Our Commitment to Diversity

    Our community welcomes diverse experiences, backgrounds, and thoughts as this is what drives our spirit of inquiry and allows us to better connect with our increasingly diverse patients and families. Our organization recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.

    The people who work at Seattle Children's are members of a community that seeks to respect and celebrate all the qualities that make each of us unique. Each of us is empowered to be ourselves within this community, which cultivates and promotes equity, diversity, and inclusion at all levels.

    Seattle Children's is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Workplace and Affirmative Action Employer.

  5. Post your job

    To find healthcare recruiters 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 healthcare recruiters they would recommend.
    • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level healthcare recruiters 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 healthcare recruiter job on Zippia to find and recruit healthcare recruiter 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 healthcare recruiters, 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 healthcare recruiter

    Once you have selected a candidate for the healthcare recruiter position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

    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.

    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 healthcare recruiter?

Hiring a healthcare recruiter comes with both the one-time cost per hire and ongoing costs. The cost of recruiting healthcare recruiters involves promoting the job and spending time conducting interviews. Ongoing costs include employee salary, training, benefits, insurance, and equipment. It is essential to consider the cost of healthcare recruiter recruiting as well the ongoing costs of maintaining the new employee.

You can expect to pay around $53,407 per year for a healthcare recruiter, as this is the median yearly salary nationally. This can vary depending on what state or city you're hiring in. If you're hiring for contract work or on a per-project basis, hourly rates for healthcare recruiters in the US typically range between $19 and $33 an hour.

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