How to hire a senior human resources consultant

How to hire a senior human resources consultant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step senior human resources consultant hiring guide:

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

What does a senior human resources consultant do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The senior human resources consultant hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   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 senior human resources consultant 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 senior human resources consultant that fits the bill.

   Here's a comparison of senior human resources consultant salaries for various roles:

   Type of Senior Human Resources Consultant	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Human Resources Consultant	Human resources managers plan, direct, and coordinate the administrative functions of an organization. They oversee the recruiting, interviewing, and hiring of new staff; consult with top executives on strategic planning; and serve as a link between an organization’s management and its employees.	$28-51
   Employee Relations Manager	An employee relations manager's responsibilities revolve around maintaining a strong professional relationship between employees and a company's management. They are also in charge of resolving conflicts and issues within the workplace, providing technical support on all employee programs, developing orientation and workshop activities among trainees and new members of the workforce, and addressing their concerns promptly and professionally... Show more	$28-53
   Human Resource Officer	A human resources officer is typically in charge of managing and handling the employment operations in the company, including the payroll and training systems. Their responsibilities revolve around participating in advertising job openings, interviewing applicants, training and managing new employees, and devising programs that will help them learn about the policies and regulations of the company... Show more	$28-64

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Healthcare
   • Employee Engagement
   • Workforce Planning
   • Payroll
   • Project Management
   • SR
   • HRIS
   • Shared Services
   • Organizational Development
   • Post Implementation
   • Organizational Effectiveness
   • Human Capital
   • Employment Law
   • Performance Management

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage AAP plan development, modification, implementation, and reporting requirements.
   • Project leader on Lawson HRIS performance management implementation.
   • Investigate civil/federal FMLA misuse and represent the organization with a positive outcome.
   • Develop FMLA administration/case management process where none exist that receive endorsement by the DOL.
   • Correct and reinforce desire performance improvement behaviors while coaching leaders and associates on newly implement HRIS system.
   • Reduce employment litigation from multiple claims to minimal exposure providing counseling and leadership coaching and partnering with management on resolutions.

   More senior human resources consultant duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your senior human resources consultant job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A senior human resources consultant salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a senior human resources consultant in Hawaii may be lower than in New York, and an entry-level senior human resources consultant usually earns less than a senior-level senior human resources consultant. Additionally, a senior human resources consultant with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average senior human resources consultant salary

   $81,131yearly

   $39.01 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior human resources consultant salary

   $60,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average senior human resources consultant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$102,410	$49
   2	New York	$100,187	$48
   3	Connecticut	$97,877	$47
   4	Virginia	$94,176	$45
   5	Nevada	$93,652	$45
   6	Massachusetts	$91,641	$44
   7	Maryland	$90,440	$43
   8	Oregon	$88,067	$42
   9	Rhode Island	$86,604	$42
   10	Ohio	$84,616	$41
   11	Minnesota	$84,177	$40
   12	Texas	$82,210	$40
   13	Illinois	$80,648	$39
   14	West Virginia	$80,261	$39
   15	Georgia	$78,631	$38
   16	District of Columbia	$78,476	$38
   17	Iowa	$77,657	$37
   18	Arkansas	$77,149	$37
   19	Tennessee	$76,818	$37
   20	Colorado	$73,457	$35

   Average senior human resources consultant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Santander Private Banking International	$113,034	$54.34
   2	Cargill	$111,501	$53.61	9
   3	Santander Bank	$108,463	$52.15
   4	Verisign	$104,995	$50.48	1
   5	Virtusa	$100,780	$48.45	16
   6	Booz Allen Hamilton	$99,582	$47.88	3
   7	Deloitte	$92,722	$44.58	2,055
   8	Fiserv	$91,831	$44.15
   9	Capgemini	$89,638	$43.10	63
   10	KBACE Sales Ops	$89,523	$43.04
   11	Guidehouse	$87,232	$41.94	139
   12	Cardinal Health	$86,307	$41.49	110
   13	Mercer	$85,101	$40.91
   14	IBM	$83,516	$40.15	24
   15	Siemens	$80,299	$38.61	1
   16	Denken Solutions	$78,863	$37.91
   17	SHAZAM	$78,794	$37.88
   18	Qantas Holidays Limited	$78,733	$37.85
   19	Duke University Health System	$78,601	$37.79	5
   20	CSL Plasma	$78,297	$37.64

4. Writing a senior human resources consultant job description

   A senior human resources consultant 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 senior human resources consultant job description:

   Senior human resources consultant job description example

   Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is seeking a Senior Human Resources Consultant for University Human Resources. This position reports to the Director of Business Partner Services.
   
   Under the general direction of the Director, the Sr. HR Consultant will independently participate in maintaining and developing relationships throughout the university and assist with administration of University Human Resources' ( UHR ) polices, procedures and processes. In addition to daily resolving a wide variety of complex department - employee - supervisor - and human relations problems, while performing the essential key duties of this position.
   Among the key duties of this position are the following:
   
   Provides consultative and strategic client service to the university community in human resources matters to include: consultation; policy advisement; change management and resolution; performance management; compensation and classification; recruitment and staffing; training and workplace assessment in accordance with applicable university, state, and federal regulations, processes, policies, procedures and collective bargaining agreements. Identifies innovative, strategic and effective approaches to assist departments in establishing and meeting administrative goals and mission. Provides assistance in the investigation and resolution of employee issues, and guidance on performance management and corrective action procedures. Ensures compliance with contract provisions of staff unions, in consultation and collaboration with Labor Relations. Participates in special projects to promote, support, strengthen and expand the strategic role and partnerships with clients. Assist with supervising and training UHR support staff. Performs other duties as assigned.
   
   Minimum Education and Experience
   
   Bachelor's degree, preferably in Human Resources Management or a related field. A minimum of five (5) years' experience in a complex human resources environment to include providing consultative advice for exempt and nonexempt employees at all levels of the organization. Experience in human resource management to include employee and/or labor relations, classification, compensation, recruitment, staffing, performance management, leave administration, training, and compliance with applicable federal and state employment laws, preferably in higher education and/or in a labor environment; or an equivalent combination of education and/or experience.
   
   Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
   
   Ability to work in a dynamic, highly sensitive environment; and have excellent analytical, organizational, interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills. Ability to work independently and prioritize, with thorough attention to detail Demonstrated track record in delivering exceptional client service. Ability to navigate complex policies, contracts, and legal mandates to assist clients in achieving organization goals. Ability to work well in a team environment and foster a positive, productive, and progressive work environment. Demonstrated proficiency in Microsoft Office products and HRIS systems.
   
   Overview
   
   Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a leading national research university and the state of New Jersey's preeminent, comprehensive public institution of higher education. Established in 1766 and celebrated a milestone 250th anniversary in 2016, the university is the eighth oldest higher education institution in the United States. More than 70,800 students and 27,000 faculty and staff learn, work, and serve the public at Rutgers locations across New Jersey and around the world.
   
   University Human Resources ( UHR ) supports the Rutgers mission as an institution of prominence, preeminent in research, teaching, service, and clinical care. We strive to provide the highest level of customer service in delivering a comprehensive network of programs, services, and expertise to attract, retain, and develop diverse and highly skilled top talent.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right senior human resources consultant for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   To find senior human resources consultant candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as hrcrossing, ihirehr, hrjobs, shrm hr jobs.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting senior human resources consultants 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 senior human resources consultant

   Once you've decided on a perfect senior human resources consultant candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is 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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