Post job

What is a senior executive recruiter and how to become one

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

Employees are the greatest assets of a business, and it is the job of a senior executive recruiter to find the best people possible to fill in job vacancies. To do that, they spend most of their time developing recruiting strategies, training recruitment employees, and, of course, headhunting the best talent for the organization.

More than that, the duties of a senior executive recruiter also include optimizing interview strategies, finding the best recruitment platforms to use, working with procurement firms, and participating in the development of training procedures and protocols for successful candidates. If you want to become a senior executive recruiter, the best educational background to have is a degree in psychology, business, or communication.

Since this is a senior-level position, having extensive experience in human resource management is also a common requirement as well as a great advantage. On average, the salary of a senior executive recruiter is around $31 an hour or roughly $64,000 per year, depending on one's employer, expertise, and level of experience.

What general advice would you give to a senior executive 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 Executive RecruiterUS Average
Salary
7.5

Avg. Salary $97,158

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
8.0

Growth rate 8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
6.6
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.62%

Asian 8.28%

Black or African American 10.36%

Hispanic or Latino 18.25%

Unknown 5.21%

White 57.28%

Gender

female 50.26%

male 49.74%

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 executive recruiter career paths

Key steps to become a senior executive recruiter

  1. Explore senior executive recruiter education requirements

    Most common senior executive recruiter degrees

    Bachelor's

    76.4 %

    Master's

    11.9 %

    Associate

    8.5 %
  2. Start to develop specific senior executive recruiter skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Reference Checks12.98%
    Human Resources8.81%
    Applicant Tracking Systems6.75%
    Interview Process6.12%
    Offer Negotiation5.77%
  3. Complete relevant senior executive recruiter training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior executive 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 executive recruiter based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior executive recruiter resumes.
  4. Research senior executive recruiter duties and responsibilities

    • Manage and supervise work of recruiting coordinators as appropriate.
    • Track success and maintain the ATS system to ensure that every search is transparent and measurable.
    • Negotiate employment terms and finalize employment offers with clients in the pharmaceutical, healthcare, manufacturing and technology sectors.
    • Search experience within healthcare: private, public, academic, for-profit, non-profit, corporate and in-house landscapes.
  5. Get senior executive recruiter experience

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

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior executive 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 executive 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 executive recruiter resume templates

    Build a professional senior executive 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 executive recruiter resume.
    Senior Executive Recruiter Resume
    Senior Executive Recruiter Resume
    Senior Executive Recruiter Resume
    Senior Executive Recruiter Resume
    Senior Executive Recruiter Resume
    Senior Executive Recruiter Resume
    Senior Executive Recruiter Resume
    Senior Executive Recruiter Resume
    Senior Executive Recruiter Resume
  7. Apply for senior executive recruiter jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a senior executive 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 executive recruiter job

Zippi

Are you a senior executive recruiter?

Share your story for a free salary report.

Average senior executive recruiter salary

The average senior executive recruiter salary in the United States is $97,158 per year or $47 per hour. Senior executive recruiter salaries range between $68,000 and $138,000 per year.

Average senior executive recruiter salary
$97,158 Yearly
$46.71 hourly

What am I worth?

salary-calculator

How do senior executive recruiters rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Senior executive recruiter reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2019
Pros

research, build a good relationship with others, interview

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 Oct 2019
Pros

Communicating with people, interview applicants.

Cons

I don't have anything I don't like.


Working as a senior executive recruiter? Share your experience anonymously.
Overall rating*
Career growth
Work/Life balance
Pay/Salary

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.

Browse business and financial jobs