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The differences between professional recruiters and recruiting leads 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 recruiting lead. Additionally, a recruiting lead has an average salary of $76,768, 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 recruiting lead are healthcare, recruitment process, and applicant tracking systems.
| Professional Recruiter | Recruiting Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $54,615 | $76,768 |
| Hourly rate | $26.26 | $36.91 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 74,711 | 34,440 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
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.
A recruiting lead is responsible for identifying the staffing needs of an organization by coordinating with the department's heads for their hiring requirements and qualifications. Recruiting leads update job posting on the company's website and other media platforms, ensuring that the job description and other hiring factors are accurately delivered. They filter job applicants, review applications and portfolios, and schedule interviews and assessments with the qualified candidates. A recruiting lead also assists the successful applicants in processing their documents until the final onboarding.
Professional recruiters and recruiting leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Professional Recruiter | Recruiting Lead | |
| Average salary | $54,615 | $76,768 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $74,000 | Between $52,000 And $112,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | McKinsey & Company Inc | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Insurance | - |
There are a few differences between a professional recruiter and a recruiting lead in terms of educational background:
| Professional Recruiter | Recruiting Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between professional recruiters' and recruiting leads' demographics:
| Professional Recruiter | Recruiting Lead | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 43.2% Female, 56.8% | Male, 49.5% Female, 50.5% |
| 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, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 8.5% White, 56.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |