How to hire an industrial relations specialist

How to hire an industrial relations specialist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step industrial relations specialist hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the industrial relations specialist you need to hire. Certain industrial relations specialist roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect industrial relations specialist 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.

   This list presents industrial relations specialist salaries for various positions.

   Type of Industrial Relations Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Industrial Relations Specialist	Labor relations specialists interpret and administer labor contracts regarding issues such as wages and salaries, healthcare, pensions, and union and management practices.	$18-37
   Employee Relations Representative	Employee relations representatives are professionals who are responsible for negotiating the contracts of employees as well as offer overall support to them working for an organization. These representatives must deal with employee complaints in areas such as salary, pensions, and benefits while investigating potential disturbances in their workplace... Show more	$19-43
   Employee Relations Coordinator	An Employee Relations Coordinator is responsible for supporting the human resources department operations, acting as a liaison between the senior management and employees. They facilitate the hiring process, coordinating with the hiring managers for their staffing needs and qualification requirements... Show more	$17-35

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Industrial Relations
   • Labor Relations
   • CBA
   • Arbitration
   • Davis-Bacon
   • Labor Organizations
   • Labor Market

   Responsibilities:

   • Generate HRIS reports and manage personnel files, management information, and candidate data utilizing standardize reporting systems.
   • Monitor and handle all EEOC, ADA, and FMLA issues.
   • Follow the mission and objection of CET to assist trainees from low income families find work in their new vocational field.
   • Establish and maintain content across several areas of the corporate intranet, gaining familiarity with SharePoint functionality and features.
   • Organize, communicate and oversee quarterly BAMA events attend by Toyota top executives and executive management of suppliers.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your industrial relations specialist job description helps attract top candidates to the position. An industrial relations specialist 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 industrial relations specialist in Louisiana may be lower than in New Jersey, and an entry-level industrial relations specialist usually earns less than a senior-level industrial relations specialist. Additionally, an industrial relations specialist 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 industrial relations specialist salary

   $55,600yearly

   $26.73 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level industrial relations specialist salary

   $38,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average industrial relations specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New Jersey	$95,510	$46
   2	District of Columbia	$88,318	$42
   3	Maryland	$87,882	$42
   4	Pennsylvania	$83,946	$40
   5	Massachusetts	$75,631	$36
   6	Nevada	$72,146	$35
   7	California	$70,714	$34
   8	Virginia	$69,352	$33
   9	Illinois	$68,070	$33
   10	New York	$68,001	$33
   11	Iowa	$65,872	$32
   12	Michigan	$64,857	$31
   13	Alabama	$64,327	$31
   14	Colorado	$64,024	$31
   15	Arizona	$63,842	$31
   16	Oregon	$63,635	$31
   17	Washington	$61,564	$30
   18	Utah	$59,117	$28
   19	Texas	$55,103	$26
   20	Tennessee	$53,109	$26

   Average industrial relations specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	ConocoPhillips	$98,562	$47.39
   2	Salesforce	$92,659	$44.55
   3	Amazon	$86,407	$41.54	91
   4	Crown Castle International	$84,211	$40.49
   5	American Senior Benefits	$67,602	$32.50	1
   6	EAB	$65,134	$31.31
   7	Deloitte	$63,787	$30.67	18
   8	Acument Global Technologies	$63,669	$30.61
   9	United States Army Corps of Engineers	$60,471	$29.07
   10	Jeppesen	$60,168	$28.93	8
   11	Redevelopment Agency of Salt Lake City	$60,116	$28.90
   12	Hawthorne Cat	$60,006	$28.85
   13	H-E-B	$58,995	$28.36	2
   14	Cogent Communications	$58,579	$28.16
   15	Blood Heroes	$58,373	$28.06
   16	Alliance Physical Therapy Partners	$57,102	$27.45
   17	Spire	$56,622	$27.22
   18	Washington State University	$55,707	$26.78	2
   19	Texas	$55,500	$26.68	2
   20	Vanguard Services	$53,658	$25.80

4. Writing an industrial relations specialist job description

   An industrial relations specialist 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. Below, you can find an example of an industrial relations specialist job description:

   Industrial relations specialist job description example

   Work type: Full Time
   School/Department: School of Professional Studies Grade: Grade 11 Categories: Commun/PR/Editorial, Other, Stdnt Affairs/Educational Admn Job Type: Officer of Administration Bargaining Unit: Regular/Temporary: Regular End Date if Temporary: Hours Per Week: 35 Salary Range: Position Summary
   
   Columbia University School of Professional Studies invites applications for the full-time position of Industry Relations Specialist.The Industry Relations Specialist works as part of the CDL team in executing an employer outreach strategy, focused on engaging industry partners including but not limited to internship and full time opportunities and SPS alumni employers.
   
   The Specialist will work closely with CDL staff, alumni relations and the SPS academic programs to market industry, facilitate and evaluate career development programming, and support workshops, panels, speakers, and networking opportunities for students. This role will ensure that students have the opportunity to explore career options and develop career decision-making skills.
   
   Responsibilities
   
   Industry Relationship Building
   Develops intentional, collaborative, and supportive working relationships with employers and supports day-to-day operations of the employer engagement, providing a world class customer service experience for all employers, students, alumni, faculty, and other key stakeholders of the university. Works actively to promote recruitment of our students by desirable employers through outreach to new and existing employers relationships Work closely with team members to plan and implement programming and initiatives for connecting employers and students. Creates and implements school-wide and program-side employer events, including employer presentations, panels, networking events. Establish new employer contacts and strengthen current employer contacts through outreach activities, such as cold calls, emails, and individual employer visits. Identify and share featured jobs to highlight in the weekly newsletters and CDL website, and to be shared with career advisors. Assist in developing an effective employer communication & marketing outreach collateral Strategic Planning and Program Development
   Support all SPS employer focused programs and initiatives. Encourage employers to engage by providing detailed information on recruitment and engagement methods including but not limited to: Industry showcases, HBCU employer mentors, Greater Good Challenge coaches, judges, sponsors, UNICC Think-a-Thon, SPS-wide Recruitment Events & Programs, Career Fairs & Networking, E-Mentors and Alumni Employer Volunteers. Educates employers on recruiting services and determines whether follow-up for deeper engagement is appropriate. Integrates DEIA into employer engagement by providing education and resources to support recruiting for diversity, as well as to support employer accountability for inclusion and commitment to DEIA in their recruiting and hiring practices. Develop relationships across campus and global centers to grow student work opportunities Data and Infrastructure Management
   Update, and expand employer databases with students, alumni, employers, and other campus community members for jobs and internship Maintain a job portal to track and follow up on leads, encourage employer registration, and train employer partners on how to navigate job portal and utilize recruitment tools when necessary. Track and record employer engagement Tracking, assessing, and reporting on career services outcomes Utilize data to inform internship and career opportunities with industry Perform other duties and special projects as assigned or requested.
   
   Minimum Qualifications
   Bachelor's degree and/or equivalent related experience required 2 years of related experience A resume and cover letter with salary requirements must be submitted for the applicant to be submitted for the position Preferred Qualifications
   Masters' degree in related field (Higher Education, Human Resources, Marketing) Experience working with employers in settings such as career services, HR or recruiting Substantial experience with computer programs, including MS Office applications, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, UConnect, 12 Twenty or other database management systems. Other Requirements
   Must be detail oriented, self-motivated, and able to work independently and carefully manage multiple responsibilities simultaneously with short deadlines in a high volume environment Strong interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills with the ability to develop and maintain effective relationships with a wide range of constituencies Ability to work well under pressure with short deadlines and changing priorities is needed Candidates must be self-starters with the ability to work independently, as well as collaboratively in a team environment Candidates must possess strong organizational, time management, and prioritization skills Strong coaching skills and understanding of diverse cultural backgrounds Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran
   
   Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.
   
   Applications open: Aug 01 2022Eastern Daylight Time
   Applications close:

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5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right industrial relations specialist for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your industrial relations specialist job on Zippia to find and recruit industrial relations specialist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting industrial relations specialists 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 industrial relations specialist

   Once you've decided on a perfect industrial relations specialist 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.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new industrial relations specialist. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are 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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