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What is a senior contract recruiter and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted expert
Mick Joneja

There are a few recruiters who work for multiple clients at a time. They fill different job orders at different firms and organizations. These guys aren't 100 percent loyal to just one client. Sometimes, they even offer one candidate to different clients. But there are some recruiters who work for only one dedicated client at one time. These recruiters are contract recruiters. After getting some experience, they are promoted to senior contract recruiters.

Senior contract recruiters help firms to source, screen, and communicate with applicants for different vacant positions. They lead, maintain, and monitor the complete hiring process by scheduling and resume screening. If you want to hire an experienced senior contract recruiter, you can ask a staffing agency to find one.

If you are naturally curious to learn new things and have the ability to instantly pick up knowledge on the go, you can become a successful recruiter. The annual wage of recruiters is $73,163. Highlight a bachelor's degree in business or human resource management on your resumes to get the job.

What general advice would you give to a senior contract recruiter?

Mick JonejaMick Joneja LinkedIn profile

Senior Director of Talent Acquisition, Life Time

We see similar trends to the Great Recession and Global Financial Crisis of 2008, regarding the workforce supply and demand in many US industries. Because of the recent spike in the amount of talent, companies have become inundated with a significant increase in applicants. For those graduates entering the workforce now or shortly, it will be vital for them to find ways to set themselves apart, while being open and patient during this unique time.

1.Graduates need to use their networks to make personal connections to increase their chances of being considered for those more desired, entry-level roles. Student organizations with alumni networks, family friends, and career service centers with strong relationships with local companies are great places to start. Appropriate and professional persistence is essential when candidates are requesting introductions through their network.

2.Many companies that were financially impacted during the epidemic have restructured their corporate offices, and have found more creative ways to combine roles and work more cross-functionally. Candidates need to be more open to positions that may come with a mixture of different types of related work and see it as a way to grow their skills while learning their new role and integrating themselves into the company. Temporary roles are also the right way for candidates to get their foot in the door, exceed expectations, and transition into permanent positions.

3.The implementation of short, project-based work and gigs is becoming significantly more common, where various leaders need additional help on critical initiatives in short periods. Once hired, those beginning their careers should look for these opportunities to quickly diversify their backgrounds and internally network across new divisions.

4.While conducting your job search, or after getting settled into your first position, consider online courses and certificates related to your desired profession and industry. Not only will you gain new educational experience, but the progress also shows work ethic and dedication to continuous development.
ScoreSenior Contract RecruiterUS Average
Salary
5.3

Avg. Salary $67,690

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
8.0

Growth rate 8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
6.8
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.73%

Asian 8.34%

Black or African American 10.82%

Hispanic or Latino 17.96%

Unknown 5.30%

White 56.86%

Gender

female 54.23%

male 45.77%

Age - 40
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 40
Stress level
8.0

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
7.0

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Senior contract recruiter career paths

Key steps to become a senior contract recruiter

  1. Explore senior contract recruiter education requirements

    Most common senior contract recruiter degrees

    Bachelor's

    80.2 %

    Master's

    8.5 %

    Associate

    7.7 %
  2. Start to develop specific senior contract recruiter skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Applicant Tracking Systems16.94%
    Source Candidates8.61%
    Human Resources6.56%
    Recruitment Strategies6.53%
    SR5.40%
  3. Complete relevant senior contract recruiter training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior contract recruiters learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a senior contract recruiter based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior contract recruiter resumes.
  4. Research senior contract recruiter duties and responsibilities

    • Manage online application and interviewing process utilizing Taleo.
    • Manage the scheduling and logistics of all interviews between candidates and hiring managers including post-interview calibration/feedback with interview teams.
    • Partner with HRIS data analytics team to gather workforce reports.
    • Maintain compliance with establish protocols of OFCCP, EEOC and ISO-9000.
  5. Get senior contract recruiter experience

    Generally, it takes 4-6 years to become a senior contract recruiter. The most common roles before becoming a senior contract recruiter include recruiter, senior recruiter team lead and senior technical recruiter.
  6. Prepare your senior contract recruiter resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior contract recruiter resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a senior contract recruiter resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable senior contract recruiter resume templates

    Build a professional senior contract recruiter resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your senior contract recruiter resume.
    Senior Contract Recruiter Resume
    Senior Contract Recruiter Resume
    Senior Contract Recruiter Resume
    Senior Contract Recruiter Resume
    Senior Contract Recruiter Resume
    Senior Contract Recruiter Resume
    Senior Contract Recruiter Resume
    Senior Contract Recruiter Resume
    Senior Contract Recruiter Resume
  7. Apply for senior contract recruiter jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a senior contract recruiter job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first senior contract recruiter job

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Average senior contract recruiter salary

The average senior contract recruiter salary in the United States is $67,690 per year or $33 per hour. Senior contract recruiter salaries range between $47,000 and $95,000 per year.

Average senior contract recruiter salary
$67,690 Yearly
$32.54 hourly

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How do senior contract recruiters rate their job?

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Senior contract recruiter reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2019
Cons

need a lot of time


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2019
Pros

I like Bonus and helping people. Sometimes our company cover expanse for networking and meeting. More we do networking more we can earn.

Cons

too much pressure. to hire 1 executive vacancy we have to make connections with 100s of people. We work with people and people are sometimes really hard even we are doing our best. After weeks of hard work right before the placement, some firms reject them without any answers


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2019
Pros

Learning about the business and candidate journey

Cons

declining under or overqualified candidates


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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