How to hire an importer exporter

Importer exporter hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring importer exporters in the United States:

In the United States, the median cost per hire an importer exporter is $1,633.
It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
Human Resources use 15% of their expenses on recruitment on average.
On average, it takes around 12 weeks for a new importer exporter to become settled and show total productivity levels at work.

How to hire an importer exporter, step by step

To hire an importer exporter, you should clearly understand the skills and experience you are looking for in a candidate, and allocate a budget for the position. You will also need to post and promote the job opening to reach potential candidates. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to hire an importer exporter:

Here's a step-by-step importer exporter hiring guide:

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

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Identify your hiring needs

Before you post your importer exporter 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 an importer exporter 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?

An importer exporter's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, importer exporters 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.

Here's a comparison of importer exporter salaries for various roles:

Type of Importer Exporter	Description	Hourly rate
Importer Exporter		$13-29
Cargo Agent	A cargo agent is primarily in charge of facilitating cargo shipments, ensuring the cargo gets to their destination timely and accurately. They are responsible for preparing and processing the necessary documents and fees, routing shipments and arranging the shipping methods, weighing the parcels, and coordinating the logistics and transportation details... Show more	$12-21
Freight Broker	Freight brokers have licensed property brokers who provide assistance to shippers in hauling materials. Their job involves linking carriers and shippers in hauling materials... Show more	$16-37

Create an ideal candidate profile
Common skills:
- Export
- Import Export
- Customer Service
- Logistics
- ITAR
- Data Entry
- Export Compliance
- Booking
- Customs Brokers
- Forwarders
- Delivery Orders
- AES
- Tariff Schedule
- Compliance Training
Check all skills
Responsibilities:
- Manage all EPA label development or revisions.
- File AES, tracking and tracing.
- Upload EDI for shipping instruction.
- Deal with customers/brokers/truckers and forwarders on a daily basis.
- Verify incoming NAFTA comply with NAFTA regulations and requirements.
- Work on the implementations of FTZ, C-TPAT and drawback programs.
More importer exporter duties

Make a budget

Including a salary range in your importer exporter job description helps attract top candidates to the position. An importer exporter salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

For example, the average salary for an importer exporter in Louisiana may be lower than in New York, and an entry-level importer exporter usually earns less than a senior-level importer exporter. Additionally, an importer exporter with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

Average importer exporter salary

$41,900yearly

$20.14 hourly rate

Entry-level importer exporter salary

$28,000 yearly salary

Updated January 23, 2026

Average importer exporter salary by state

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	New York	$55,532	$27
2	Connecticut	$50,204	$24
3	Texas	$47,182	$23
4	California	$44,805	$22
5	Washington	$42,693	$21
6	Florida	$40,116	$19
7	Nebraska	$32,639	$16

Average importer exporter salary by company

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
1	Capgemini	$87,348	$41.99
2	GPAC	$72,094	$34.66
3	Pacific Advisory Group, Inc.	$42,465	$20.42
4	Expeditors	$41,967	$20.18	5
5	Robert Half	$41,277	$19.84
6	Randstad North America, Inc.	$40,135	$19.30
7	Kelly Services	$38,354	$18.44	3

Writing an importer exporter job description
An importer exporter 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 an importer exporter job description:
Importer exporter job description example
"We're not in the shipping business; we're in the information business" - Peter Rose, Expeditors Founder

EXPEDITORS - Wir bewegen! Wir sind stolz auf unsere seit 1979 gelebte Unternehmenskultur, welche ein hohes Engagement für unsere Mitarbeiter und unsere Leidenschaft für hervorragenden Kundenservice in Grundwerten einzigartig verkörpert. Wir erzielen mit unseren mehr als 19.000 Mitarbeitern in 103 Ländern an 322 Standorten, als global-, branchenführendes Unternehmen, Logistikspitzenleistungen und stellen hierbei unsere Mitarbeiter in den Fokus.
Wir suchen ab sofort in Vollzeit einen neuen Kollegen (m/w/d) am Standort HAMBURG (NORDERSTEDT) als

Sachbearbeiter (m/w/d) Seefracht Export und Import

Deine Aufgaben in unserem Team:

* In deiner verantwortungsvollen Position im Rahmen der Auftragsannahme und der termingerechten Abwicklung von Seefrachtsendungen, erkennst du eigenständig Abweichungen und forcierst Lösungen.
* Daneben bist du u.a. für die Angebotserstellung für unsere Kunden verantwortlich
* Ebenfalls ist die FCL- und LCL-Planung, sowie Disposition von Frachtraum bei Reedereien deine Aufgabe
* Die Beratung unserer Kunden im internationalen Umfeld zählt ebenso zu deinen spannenden Aufgaben

Du bringst mit:

* Motivation etwas zu bewegen, dich zu entwickeln und gemeinsam mit uns Großes zu erreichen!
* Eine kaufmännische Ausbildung in der Logistik-/ Speditionsbranche oder Vergleichbares
* Erfahrung in der Seefracht oder weiteren Logistikprodukten
* Sehr gute Deutsch- und Englisch-/ und MS Office Kenntnisse

Das bieten wir Dir:

* Übertarifliches Grundgehalt, Urlaubs- und Weihnachtsgratifikationen, Betriebliche Altersvorsorge, Vermögenswirksame Leistungen, Unternehmensbeteiligung in Form von Aktien, weitere Mitarbeiterbenefits

* Wohlfühlen, Spaß haben & ankommen - familiäres Miteinander, gelebter Teamspirit, respektvoller Umgang, flache Hierarchien sowie moderne & klimatisierte Büros mit "Open-Door Mentalität", Mitarbeiterevents (Auszeichnungen, Danksagungen, Weihnachtsfeiern, Firmenausflüge usw.)

Wir wollen mit Dir wachsen! Wir bieten dir erstklassige und langfristige Karrieremöglichkeiten in einem erfolgreich wachsenden, internationalen Umfeld. Abhängig davon, was du möchtest, bieten wir dir individuelle Entwicklungsmöglichkeiten. Jedem Mitarbeiter stehen hierbei 52 Trainings-/ Schulungsstunden im Jahr zu. Daneben werden Zertifikatsschulungen unterstützt, wie z.B. IATA/ FIATA.

Dann bitten wir Dich, direkt heute noch einzuchecken - wir freuen uns Dich kennenzulernen!

Expeditors International GmbH

Recruitment Germany & Austria

Mönchhofallee 10

65479 Raunheim

Der direkte Kontakt zu uns:

Herr Kristof Ninnemann

Email: Recruitment-GER-AT(at)expeditors.com

EXPEDITORS - "You'd be surprised how far we'll go for you!"
Post your job
To find the right importer exporter 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 importer exporters they would recommend.
- Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit importer exporters 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 importer exporter job on Zippia to find and recruit importer exporter candidates who meet your exact specifications.
- Use field-specific websites.
- Post a job on free websites.
Interview candidates
Your first interview with importer exporter candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.
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.
Send a job offer and onboard your new importer exporter
Once you've decided on a perfect importer exporter candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.
You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.
Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new importer exporter. 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.
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 an importer exporter?

Recruiting importer exporters 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.

You can expect to pay around $41,900 per year for an importer exporter, 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 importer exporters in the US typically range between $13 and $29 an hour.

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Updated January 23, 2026

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How to hire an importer exporter