Professional recruiter vs recruitment manager

The differences between professional recruiters and recruitment managers 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 recruitment manager. Additionally, a recruitment manager has an average salary of $87,506, 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 recruitment manager are customer service, client relationships, and human resources.

Professional recruiter vs recruitment manager overview

	Professional Recruiter	Recruitment Manager
Yearly salary	$54,615	$87,506
Hourly rate	$26.26	$42.07
Growth rate	8%	7%
Number of jobs	74,711	31,106
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 78%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age	41	47
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 recruitment manager do?

The primary job of recruitment managers is to find and recruit job candidates to fill job vacancies. They typically work for companies or recruiting agencies. Recruitment managers are responsible for a few tasks, including identifying prospective candidates, defining job descriptions, and conducting job interviews. They are also responsible for developing recruiting procedures, overseeing the entire recruitment team, and selecting job advertising options. Most employers prefer someone with experience as a recruitment manager or related position, knowledge of labor law, and a bachelor's degree in human resources management.

Professional recruiter vs recruitment manager salary

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

	Professional Recruiter	Recruitment Manager
Average salary	$54,615	$87,506
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $74,000	Between $57,000 And $134,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	New York	California
Best paying company	McKinsey & Company Inc	Bain & Company
Best paying industry	Insurance	Technology

Differences between professional recruiter and recruitment manager education

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

	Professional Recruiter	Recruitment Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 78%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Northwestern University

Professional recruiter vs recruitment manager demographics

Here are the differences between professional recruiters' and recruitment managers' demographics:

	Professional Recruiter	Recruitment Manager
Average age	41	47
Gender ratio	Male, 43.2% Female, 56.8%	Male, 47.0% Female, 53.0%
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, 7.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 5.7% White, 70.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	9%	18%

Differences between professional recruiter and recruitment manager 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

Recruitment manager example responsibilities.

Manage the implementation of online applicant tracking system, ICIMS.
Lead RFP process for prefer staffing and background check vendors.
Manage pulling resumes off of Jobvite and screen each resume.
Manage HRIS to ensure compliance with applicant flow log, I9's, background & reference check, etc.
Schedule new hires for sales training and orientation programs, manage PeopleSoft files and on line resume tracking reports.
Manage the recruitment budget; approve and track expenses; ensure highest ROI by tracking outputs of events and postings.

Professional recruiter vs recruitment manager 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 recruitment manager skills

Customer Service, 18%
Client Relationships, 9%
Human Resources, 6%
Business Development, 6%
Recruitment Strategies, 5%
Recruitment Process, 4%

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Professional Recruiter vs Recruitment Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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