How to hire an instructional designer

How to hire an instructional designer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step instructional designer hiring guide:

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

What does an instructional designer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your instructional designer 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 instructional designer 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?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them an instructional designer 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 an instructional designer that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of instructional designers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Instructional Designer	Description	Hourly rate
   Instructional Designer	Instructional coordinators oversee school curriculums and teaching standards. They develop instructional material, coordinate its implementation with teachers and principals, and assess its effectiveness.	$19-37
   Curriculum Developer	A curriculum developer is responsible for managing instructional materials, providing recommendations to the teachers, and making adjustments to the current student's curriculum to adhere to the highest educational standards and policies. Curriculum developers also facilitate and offer assistance for any implemented procedures... Show more	$17-37
   Vocational Training Instructor	A vocational training instructor is responsible for teaching students with the subject expertise needed to land a job for a specific industry requirement. Vocational training instructors are the same as regular instructors as they also identify the students' strengths and weaknesses, manage their learning expectations, and develop personalized teaching plans to address difficulties... Show more	$17-41

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Instructional Design
   • Subject Matter Experts
   • Project Management
   • PowerPoint
   • ELearning
   • Training Programs
   • Training Materials
   • Articulate Storyline
   • Customer Service
   • Course Content
   • Learning Solutions
   • Learning Objectives
   • Learning Management System
   • Blended Learning

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Design instructor lead, virtual, and SCORM compliant web base training for a 300 seat inbound customer care department.
   • Manage project development including facilitating all stages of the ADDIE process from analysis to evaluation.
   • Develop PowerPoint presentations to support instructor lead courses and other training documentation including job aids, and business process procedures.
   • Design and development of eLearning and instructor lead courses in a wide area of subjects including leadership development and innovation curriculum.
   • Conduct college-level courses in anatomy, physiology and pharmacology.
   • Develop automotive instructional materials for curriculum interactive distance learning and instructor-le courses using ADDIE model.

   More instructional designer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the instructional designer job description is a good way to get more applicants. An instructional designer 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 an instructional designer in Mississippi may be lower than in Connecticut, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level instructional designer. Additionally, an instructional designer with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average instructional designer salary

   $57,534yearly

   $27.66 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level instructional designer salary

   $41,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 19, 2025

   Average instructional designer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Connecticut	$77,179	$37
   2	Washington	$69,123	$33
   3	California	$68,453	$33
   4	District of Columbia	$66,226	$32
   5	New York	$66,223	$32
   6	New Jersey	$66,178	$32
   7	Massachusetts	$65,245	$31
   8	Maryland	$64,426	$31
   9	Virginia	$63,994	$31
   10	Minnesota	$63,403	$30
   11	Oregon	$63,130	$30
   12	Pennsylvania	$58,035	$28
   13	Illinois	$54,870	$26
   14	Colorado	$54,658	$26
   15	Texas	$53,890	$26
   16	Georgia	$52,974	$25
   17	Utah	$51,487	$25
   18	North Carolina	$51,202	$25
   19	Ohio	$51,175	$25
   20	Arizona	$50,655	$24

   Average instructional designer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Google	$96,413	$46.35	93
   2	Meta	$93,002	$44.71	505
   3	Biogen	$90,305	$43.42
   4	Apple	$89,548	$43.05	49
   5	Novo Nordisk	$88,158	$42.38
   6	Goldman Sachs	$86,558	$41.61
   7	Intuitive Surgical	$85,939	$41.32	13
   8	Adobe	$84,348	$40.55	21
   9	The New York Times Company	$83,998	$40.38	3
   10	First Republic Bank	$83,956	$40.36
   11	General Motors	$82,800	$39.81	68
   12	Credit Suisse	$81,867	$39.36
   13	City National Bank	$81,807	$39.33
   14	LinkedIn	$81,241	$39.06	3
   15	Citi	$80,641	$38.77	1
   16	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$79,858	$38.39	25
   17	Cypress Semiconductor	$79,647	$38.29
   18	Palo Alto Networks	$79,242	$38.10	8
   19	Tesla	$79,144	$38.05	40
   20	Mouser Electronics	$78,893	$37.93

4. Writing an instructional designer job description

   An instructional designer 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 instructional designer job description:

   Instructional designer job description example

   **About The Position**
   
   The Instructional Designer is responsible for all aspects of select training programs from needs assessment and initial design to measurement and reporting.
   
   **Job Location:** This position may be located anywhere within the Ameren Illinois service territory.
   
   **Key responsibilities include:**
   
   · Work with subject matter experts, safety professionals, and other key stakeholders to translate business needs into high-impact learning designs (e.g., e-learning, curriculum, tools, workshops, videos, instructor-led training, etc.).
   
   · Design and develop assessments that measure mastery of course material and evaluate ability to perform job-related tasks. Analyze evaluation data and participate in reviews as part of the quality assurance process. Make recommendations and implement modifications necessary to ensure continuous improvement.
   
   · Create and manage work plans, communication and implementation plans, and sustainability processes to support Training / Learning initiatives.
   
   · Facilitate Change Management activities including developing training for operational/procedural changes as well as update existing training material when changes occur.
   
   · Form relationships with internal and external clients to proactively identify performance gaps and offer the client potential solutions.
   
   · Participate in SMR Teams to gain understanding of processes and procedures.
   
   · Perform special assignments and participate on and /or lead project teams in which his/her knowledge and skills can be leveraged.
   
   **Qualifications**
   
   Bachelor's Degree, preferably in education or communication, from an accredited college or university required. Three or more years instructional design experience required. Training experience along with development and design of computer- or web-based training required.
   
   In addition to the above qualifications, the successful candidate will demonstrate:
   
   Working knowledge of adult learning and instructional design principles, including e-learning. Must have excellent written and oral communications, interpersonal relationships, proactive problem solving, decision making, and the ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects. Ability to work with tight deadlines. Must be proficient using Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint). Experience using graphics software or web-based training programs (e.g., Articulate, Captivate, Storyline, etc.) preferred. Utility experience preferred.
   
   **Additional Information**
   
   Ameren's selection process includes a series of interviews and may include a leadership assessment process. Specific details will be provided to qualified candidates
   
   **All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, genetic information, military service or status, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other class, trait, or status protected by law.**

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find instructional designers 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 instructional designers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level instructional designers 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 instructional designer job on Zippia to find and recruit instructional designer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with instructional designer 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.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates 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 instructional designer

   Once you've found the instructional designer candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   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 instructional designer. 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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How much does it cost to hire an instructional designer?