Professional recruiter vs corporate recruiter

The differences between professional recruiters and corporate recruiters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a professional recruiter and a corporate recruiter. Additionally, a corporate recruiter has an average salary of $70,538, which is higher than the $54,615 average annual salary of a professional recruiter.

The top three skills for a professional recruiter include applicant tracking systems, human resources and background checks. The most important skills for a corporate recruiter are applicant tracking systems, human resources, and customer service.

Professional recruiter vs corporate recruiter overview

	Professional Recruiter	Corporate Recruiter
Yearly salary	$54,615	$70,538
Hourly rate	$26.26	$33.91
Growth rate	8%	8%
Number of jobs	74,711	45,393
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 78%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	6	6

What does a professional recruiter do?

A professional recruiter is responsible for finding qualified candidates for a job opening and ensuring that the demands of the employer and the employee are met throughout the recruitment process. Your duties will typically include sourcing, pre-screening, and presenting qualified candidates to the recruitment manager, soliciting employee referrals, and conducting background and reference checks. Additionally, you are expected to manage and oversee the job offer process, ensure the delivery of an exceptional job candidate experience, and facilitate employee onboarding.

What does a corporate recruiter do?

A corporate recruiter is responsible for identifying potential candidates to fill in a position within the company by closely coordinating with the department managers for their specific requirements and qualifications. Corporate recruiters update the company's online job board, as well as posting job hiring to several online platforms. They carefully screen the applicants' credentials and set interview appointments to the chosen candidates. A corporate recruiter helps successful applicants with processing their requirements and provides them with instructions for onboarding.

Professional recruiter vs corporate recruiter salary

Professional recruiters and corporate recruiters have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Professional Recruiter	Corporate Recruiter
Average salary	$54,615	$70,538
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $74,000	Between $46,000 And $106,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Sacramento, CA
Highest paying state	New York	Washington
Best paying company	McKinsey & Company Inc	Apple
Best paying industry	Insurance	Retail

Differences between professional recruiter and corporate recruiter education

There are a few differences between a professional recruiter and a corporate recruiter in terms of educational background:

	Professional Recruiter	Corporate Recruiter
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 78%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Professional recruiter vs corporate recruiter demographics

Here are the differences between professional recruiters' and corporate recruiters' demographics:

	Professional Recruiter	Corporate Recruiter
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 43.2% Female, 56.8%	Male, 37.5% Female, 62.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 6.9% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 7.8% White, 56.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between professional recruiter and corporate recruiter duties and responsibilities

Professional recruiter example responsibilities.

Manage all phases of the iCIMS - iRecruiter applicant tracking system process and source/recruit qualify internal and external management candidates.
Manage records of sales activities and follow-up on requirements by utilizing office specific HRIS technology.
Utilize internal database, LinkedIn (or other social media), job boards and other networks to identify qualify candidates.
Update and verify all information in ATS.
Perform recruitment metrics data analysis and reporting for business partners and team members using recruiting system and PeopleSoft HRIS.
Research and recruit potential employees through LinkedIn

Corporate recruiter example responsibilities.

Manage requirements from staff appraisers, work flow and project site in SharePoint.
Participate in Lawson HRIS user implementation and staffing procedural strategies that manage candidate process.
Manage applicant tracking requirements and relate documentation to ensure compliance with OFCCP regulations and reduce risk to the company
Manage the scheduling and logistics of all interviews between candidates and hiring managers including post-interview calibration/feedback with interview teams.
Construct, track and report out success metrics utilizing TALEO ATS.
Utilize a variety of resources such as job boards, LinkedIn, and advance recruiting techniques to source candidates.

Professional recruiter vs corporate recruiter skills

Common professional recruiter skills

Applicant Tracking Systems, 34%
Human Resources, 6%
Background Checks, 6%
Reference Checks, 4%
Recruitment Process, 3%
Work Ethic, 3%

Common corporate recruiter skills

Applicant Tracking Systems, 12%
Human Resources, 7%
Customer Service, 7%
Healthcare, 5%
Background Checks, 4%
Source Candidates, 4%

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Professional Recruiter vs Corporate Recruiter

Updated January 8, 2025

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