How to hire a nurse recruiter

How to hire a nurse recruiter, step by step

Here's a step-by-step nurse 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 nurse recruiter job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new nurse recruiter
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a nurse recruiter do?

Post a nurse recruiter job for free, promote it for a fee

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your nurse 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 nurse 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?

   Yes

   No

   A nurse recruiter's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, nurse recruiters 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.

   This list shows salaries for various types of nurse recruiters.

   Type of Nurse Recruiter	Description	Hourly rate
   Nurse Recruiter	Human 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	$18-35
   Self-Employed	A 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
   Human Resources Generalist	A human resources generalist is responsible for monitoring the human resources policies and procedures, making adjustments as needed to align with the company's goals and objectives. Duties of a human resources generalist also include improving employee relations system, organizing compliance and knowledge training, reviewing benefit plans, managing compensation inquiries, assisting in recruitment and staffing needs, communicating with department heads in employees' performance reviews, and storing employees' files for reference... Show more	$19-36

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Applicant Tracking Systems
   • HR
   • Recruitment Strategies
   • Patient Care
   • Recruitment Efforts
   • Background Checks
   • Home Health
   • Health Professionals
   • Health System
   • Recruitment Process
   • Linkedin
   • HRIS
   • Reference Checks
   • Career Fairs

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Utilize ATS (applicant tracking software) for organizational recruiting efforts, reviewing applicant information and managing open requisitions.
   • Process new hires and transfers using Taleo.
   • Recruit nurses via cold calling, excel lead spreadsheets, indeed, LinkedIn, CareerBuilder, and internal referrals.
   • Complete necessary Taleo procedures including entering requisitions, and responding to online applicants.
   • Provide training and recommend training opportunities including utilization of online sources such as LinkedIn.
   • Maintain ATS files for candidates; process approved candidate files forward and effectively disposition reject candidate files.

   More nurse recruiter duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the nurse recruiter job description is a good way to get more applicants. A nurse 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 nurse recruiter in Ohio may be lower than in New Jersey, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level nurse recruiter. Additionally, a nurse recruiter with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average nurse recruiter salary

   $53,189yearly

   $25.57 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level nurse recruiter salary

   $38,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 31, 2025

   Average nurse recruiter salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$68,351	$33
   2	Washington	$67,626	$33
   3	New Jersey	$67,317	$32
   4	Rhode Island	$61,654	$30
   5	Massachusetts	$60,045	$29
   6	Maryland	$58,810	$28
   7	Colorado	$58,659	$28
   8	New York	$58,510	$28
   9	North Dakota	$55,900	$27
   10	North Carolina	$55,727	$27
   11	Illinois	$52,888	$25
   12	Pennsylvania	$52,601	$25
   13	Texas	$52,555	$25
   14	Missouri	$52,438	$25
   15	Virginia	$51,039	$25
   16	South Dakota	$49,323	$24
   17	South Carolina	$48,085	$23
   18	Georgia	$46,290	$22
   19	Florida	$43,655	$21
   20	Tennessee	$41,825	$20

   Average nurse recruiter salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Wellpath	$64,093	$30.81
   2	Highmark	$59,459	$28.59	9
   3	Parkland Hospital	$58,530	$28.14
   4	Bon Secours Community Hospital	$57,579	$27.68
   5	Geisinger Medical Center	$57,162	$27.48	8
   6	HealthTrust	$56,873	$27.34	2
   7	Integrated Resources	$56,854	$27.33	41
   8	Ellis Medicine	$56,735	$27.28
   9	Monroe County	$56,001	$26.92
   10	Vidant Health	$55,123	$26.50
   11	AllCare Health	$54,771	$26.33
   12	Brooks Rehabilitation	$54,403	$26.16
   13	Lee Regional Health System	$54,071	$26.00	3
   14	Gila Regional Medical Center	$53,992	$25.96	1
   15	Universal Health Services	$53,804	$25.87	33
   16	Carolinas HealthCare System Blue Ridge	$52,960	$25.46
   17	CommuniCare	$52,879	$25.42	1
   18	Trusted Nurse Staffing	$52,836	$25.40
   19	Indian Health Service	$52,781	$25.38	1
   20	SoutheastHEALTH	$52,462	$25.22

4. Writing a nurse recruiter job description

   A good nurse 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 nurse recruiter job description:

   Nurse recruiter job description example

   Employment Status: Full-Time Hours/Pay Period: 80/hr pp Shift: Days Work Schedule: M-F
   
   About WMC:
   
   The major strength of Weeks Medical Center is found in the ability of our physicians and staff to offer extensive services utilizing state-of-the-art technology, while maintaining the personalized care of a community hospital. Weeks is a 25-bed critical access hospital offering medical, surgical, and intensive care services. In addition, a wide variety of outpatient services are available, including cardiac and physical rehabilitation; fully-staffed oncology department; 24-hour emergency care; a fully equipped laboratory; and an extensive radiology department. Weeks is blessed with strong leadership and a dedicated community that allows us to meet the ever-changing requirements of today 's healthcare environment.
   
   About North Country Healthcare (NHC):
   
   North Country Healthcare is a non-profit affiliation of four medical facilities in the White Mountains Region of New Hampshire. NCH includes numerous physicians and medical providers at multiple locations. This leading comprehensive healthcare network which employs hundreds of highly-trained individuals delivers integrated patient care through three community hospitals, specialty clinics, and home health and hospice services. NCH remains committed to the health and well-being of the communities we serve.
   
   Member organizations include Androscoggin Valley Hospital in Berlin, Upper Connecticut Valley Hospital in Colebrook, Weeks Medical Center in Lancaster, and North Country Home Health and Hospice Agency in Littleton. NCH is proud to be the largest employer in the North Country.
   
   Job Summary:
   
   The Professional Nurse Recruiter is responsible for delivering all facets of recruiting success throughout the organization. This will be achieved through the development of local and national recruiting plans, employing traditional sourcing strategies and resources as well as developing new, creative recruiting ideas. The Professional Nurse Recruiter will play a critical role in ensuring the organization is hiring the best possible talent. This position can be either on site or remote. If remote will require some travel to Northern NH. Qualifications: Associates degree from an accredited college or university in nursing, preferred. Valid State Driver's License. Valid, active and clear nursing license preferred. Minimum of 3 years of recruiting/marketing/sales/leadership experience in a best-in-class organization; ideally healthcare.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find nurse recruiters for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting nurse recruiters 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.

   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 nurse recruiter

   Once you've found the nurse recruiter 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 good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them 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 nurse recruiter?