How to hire a recruiting lead

How to hire a recruiting lead, step by step

Here's a step-by-step recruiting lead hiring guide:

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

What does a recruiting lead do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a recruiting lead, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or 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 a recruiting lead 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 a recruiting lead that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of recruiting leads and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Recruiting Lead	Description	Hourly rate
   Recruiting Lead	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	$25-53
   Human Resources Supervisor	A human resources supervisor is a professional responsible for developing and administering human resources programs so that the company can achieve efficient operations. Human resources supervisors coordinate all stages of the hiring process, such as checking all candidates' backgrounds, conducting interviews, and drug screening... Show more	$22-42
   Staffing Consultant	A staffing consultant develops and maintains the accounts of clients through outside and inside organizational activities. Staffing consultants induct, assess, and monitor the job applicants preparing them for their assignments... Show more	$12-31

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Healthcare
   • Recruitment Process
   • Applicant Tracking Systems
   • Human Resources
   • Recruitment Strategies
   • Work Ethic
   • Facebook
   • Interview Process
   • EEO
   • Background Checks
   • ATS
   • Client Facing
   • Recruitment Efforts
   • HRIS

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage the team's daily activity, KPI's, weekly and monthly goals.
   • Partner with managers, compensation, workforce management, legal, and HRIS to attain goals.
   • Manage the RFP selection for ad agency and ATS system, along with composing the scripts and requirements.
   • Manage enterprise-wide HRIS software implementation through product release.
   • Manage Taleo applicant tracking system and requisition posting.
   • Manage the scheduling and logistics of all interviews between candidates and hiring managers including post-interview calibration/feedback with interview teams.

   More recruiting lead duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your recruiting lead job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A recruiting lead salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, recruiting leads' average salary in nebraska is 47% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level recruiting leads earn 54% less than senior-level recruiting leads.
   • Certifications. A recruiting lead with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a recruiting lead's salary.

   Average recruiting lead salary

   $76,768yearly

   $36.91 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level recruiting lead salary

   $52,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average recruiting lead salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$109,771	$53
   2	District of Columbia	$100,598	$48
   3	Washington	$93,638	$45
   4	New York	$82,749	$40
   5	Maryland	$82,187	$40
   6	Illinois	$81,066	$39
   7	Massachusetts	$79,736	$38
   8	Pennsylvania	$77,431	$37
   9	Virginia	$76,359	$37
   10	Kentucky	$75,572	$36
   11	Hawaii	$74,698	$36
   12	New Jersey	$74,250	$36
   13	Oregon	$74,133	$36
   14	Texas	$72,594	$35
   15	West Virginia	$70,710	$34
   16	Connecticut	$70,340	$34
   17	Michigan	$70,220	$34
   18	Missouri	$69,479	$33
   19	Ohio	$69,281	$33
   20	Colorado	$69,109	$33

   Average recruiting lead salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$132,723	$63.81	2
   2	Google	$125,576	$60.37	19
   3	Flexport	$121,549	$58.44	2
   4	Dropbox	$116,459	$55.99	1
   5	Boston Consulting Group	$108,426	$52.13	3
   6	Arkema	$105,699	$50.82
   7	Parexel International	$100,854	$48.49
   8	Cargill	$100,696	$48.41
   9	Instabase	$99,521	$47.85
   10	Citrix	$93,945	$45.17
   11	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$91,076	$43.79	19
   12	Morgan Stanley	$87,766	$42.20
   13	IBM	$86,009	$41.35	1
   14	Dentons	$85,506	$41.11	1
   15	QuintilesIMS	$84,808	$40.77
   16	Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.	$82,968	$39.89
   17	ICONMA	$82,475	$39.65	2
   18	Synechron	$81,585	$39.22
   19	The Coca-Cola Company	$81,404	$39.14	2
   20	Scotiabank	$80,824	$38.86

4. Writing a recruiting lead job description

   A recruiting lead 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. To help get you started, here's an example of a recruiting lead job description:

   Recruiting lead job description example

   Alliance Highway Capacity, a DBA of Alliance Shippers Inc., is seeking a self-motivated, energetic individual with a strong work ethic and the ability to source and screen potential candidates for our Freight Brokerage Teams across multiple offices.
   The Lead Recruiter will be expected to…
   · Maintain an effective working relationship with Human Resources and Managerial counterparts to ensure appropriate staffing service levels are met through the creation of area staffing plans
   · Manage the necessary sourcing and advertising of positions available at Alliance Critical Capacity
   · Develop and maintain working relationships with colleges, alumni groups, military sources, and diversity organizations to find and attract candidates
   · Conduct search/sourcing efforts, screening and initial assessment of candidates and update the status of candidates in our recruitment management tool
   · Maintain constant communication with hiring managers on active candidates. Also regularly discusses future hiring needs and backup candidates
   · Work with hiring managers to develop effective recruiting practices to ensure policies and legal requirements are in compliance
   · Conducting reference checks on applicants/candidates
   · Some travel required, in attending Job and Career fairs/expos
   · Possess and maintain on-going knowledge of the latest recruiting strategies
   · Ensure compliance with all federal/state laws and regulations including ADA; showing respect and sensitivity for cultural differences in all phases of the recruitment process
   · Conduct thorough behavioral based interviews and phone screens to assess both technical baseline as well as skills to be successful
   · Focus on providing a positive candidate experience at every opportunity
   · Other duties as assigned
   The Benefits: We value teamwork, employee collaboration & development, and provide a culture to support those initiatives. Here’s what else we offer: -Base Salary plus Bonus potential -Medical, Dental, Vision & Prescription Coverage -Flexible Spending Accounts for Health and Dependent Care -401K Employee Plan -Disability and Life Insurance Policies -Corporate charitable giving & events -Dynamic Learning Environment & Career Advancement Potential across our network
   It is the policy of Alliance Shippers Inc. to provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. In addition, Alliance Shippers Inc. will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right recruiting lead for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with recruiting leads they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit recruiting leads who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting recruiting leads 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.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 recruiting lead

   Once you have selected a candidate for the recruiting lead position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   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 recruiting lead. 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 a recruiting lead?