How to hire a Senior Human Resources Generalist

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

Here's a step-by-step senior human resources generalist 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 generalist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new senior human resources generalist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a Senior Human Resources Generalist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a senior human resources generalist, 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

   A senior human resources generalist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, senior human resources generalists from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of senior human resources generalists.

   Type Of Senior Human Resources Generalist	Description	Hourly Rate
   Senior Human Resources Generalist	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.	$25-46
   Human Resources Administration Manager	A human resources administration manager performs multiple roles, one of which is to maintain and review all human resources, administrative systems, and procedures. They give guidance on HR to the office... Show More	$25-51
   Human Resources Coordinator	A human resources coordinator is responsible for cooperating with the company's human resources department, supporting its processes and procedures, and assisting with employees' concerns. Human resources coordinators' duties include maintaining business files and employees' records, processing documents and submitting required reports, administering background checks for the recruitment process, reviewing and referring to company's handbook for corrective action and performance review, scheduling meetings and facilitating events, and advising effective strategies to human resources management... Show More	$15-28

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common Skills:

   • HRIS
   • Payroll
   • Employee Engagement
   • SR
   • Customer Service
   • Exit Interviews
   • Excellent Interpersonal
   • Employment Law
   • Organizational Development
   • Succession Planning
   • FMLA
   • Open Enrollment
   • Employee Development
   • Corrective Action

   Check All Skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage hourly and management recruiting activity to meet establish AAP goals.
   • Manage AAP plan development, modification, implementation, and reporting requirements.
   • Partner with Sr. Management and line managers to develop organizational strategies and achieve overall organizational objectives.
   • Administer and negotiate benefits package, perform internal audits, manage disability and FMLA and perform in-house training.
   • Manage the FMLA application process, conduct employee investigations, resolve payroll and benefit discrepancies and administer salary adjustments per contract.
   • Complete all government filing requirements are complete timely and accurately, including ERISA, VETS-100A, EEO-1 and OSHA reporting.

   More Senior Human Resources Generalist duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, senior human resources generalists' average salary in south carolina is 34% less than in nevada.
   • Seniority. Entry-level senior human resources generalists earn 44% less than senior-level senior human resources generalists.
   • Certifications. A senior human resources generalist 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 senior human resources generalist's salary.

   Average senior human resources generalist salary

   $72,512yearly

   $34.86 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior human resources generalist salary

   $54,000 yearly salary

   Updated April 18, 2025

   Average senior human resources generalist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate
   1	Connecticut	$86,723	$42
   2	California	$86,092	$41
   3	New York	$85,363	$41
   4	Washington	$80,652	$39
   5	Massachusetts	$78,540	$38
   6	Oregon	$78,418	$38
   7	District of Columbia	$77,765	$37
   8	Arizona	$77,189	$37
   9	Maryland	$75,428	$36
   10	Iowa	$74,152	$36
   11	Illinois	$73,568	$35
   12	Virginia	$72,753	$35
   13	Minnesota	$70,779	$34
   14	Pennsylvania	$70,676	$34
   15	Wyoming	$70,402	$34
   16	Utah	$70,052	$34
   17	Colorado	$69,688	$34
   18	Indiana	$68,843	$33
   19	Alabama	$68,441	$33
   20	North Carolina	$68,348	$33

   Average senior human resources generalist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
   1	PitchBook Data	$118,623	$57.03	1
   2	McKinsey & Company Inc	$107,062	$51.47
   3	RSM US	$104,791	$50.38	9
   4	Citi	$102,800	$49.42	6
   5	ResMed	$99,067	$47.63
   6	MUFG EMEA	$97,410	$46.83
   7	Abbott	$96,923	$46.60	12
   8	REV Group	$96,066	$46.19	2
   9	NuVasive	$93,219	$44.82
   10	Activision Blizzard	$91,890	$44.18	8
   11	Dell	$91,392	$43.94
   12	Morgan Stanley	$90,933	$43.72	6
   13	Jacobs Vehicle Systems	$90,812	$43.66
   14	Northwell Health	$89,241	$42.90	33
   15	FormFactor	$88,519	$42.56
   16	TreeHouse Foods	$88,245	$42.43	13
   17	Rockwell Automation	$88,177	$42.39	6
   18	Stanley Black & Decker	$87,723	$42.17	5
   19	Miller, Cooper & Co., Ltd.	$87,679	$42.15	1
   20	Rich Products	$87,674	$42.15	1

4. Writing a Senior Human Resources Generalist Job Description

   A senior human resources generalist 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 generalist job description:

   Senior Human Resources Generalist job description example

   Job DescriptionOur client is hiring a Senior HR Generalist with Labor Relations experience for their growing manufacturing facility in York County!
   
   Under general supervision, assists in the administration of policies and programs including: labor relations, staffing/recruiting, employee relations, compensation, performance management and talent management. This position supports a variety of HR projects and process improvement initiatives in support of Human Resources and the Mill.
   
   Administers job posting, bidding, and employee transfer program in accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
   
   Manages the hiring of hourly bargaining and non-bargaining employees. Administers the job posting, bidding, and employee transfer process in accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
   
   Strategically builds relationships with colleges and universities locally and nationally. This includes Paper Science and Engineering universities in an effort to competitively recruit the best, most qualified talent. Facilitates and builds co-op and internship program, ensuring meaningful work for students with results that benefit the mill, as a result, also building a pipeline of potential future candidates.
   
   Analyzes, recommends, and supports implementation of improvement initiatives across assigned HR processes to increase efficiency and reduce costs. Performs and/or supports other processes and special projects as appropriate including but not limited to pension plan and retirement communication and administration, job description maintenance, SOP development, etc
   
   Manages Workers' Compensation and Unemployment Compensation claims in coordination with third party vendors, attending hearings on behalf of the Company as appropriate.
   
   Acts as back-up in maintaining accurate employee data in HRIS and creates reports from system as needed. Acts as back-up in processing all new hires, changes and terminations in a timely manner and communicates with the appropriate internal stakeholders.
   HR Generalist / Labor Relations requirements Bachelor's Degree in HR, Business Administration or related field required. PHR preferred. 1-3 years' related human resources in union manufacturing industry
   
   #LI-SM3

   Copy This Example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find senior human resources generalists for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your senior human resources generalist job on Zippia to find and attract quality senior human resources generalist candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as hrcrossing, ihirehr, hrjobs, shrm hr jobs.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with senior human resources generalist candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   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 generalist

   Once you've found the senior human resources generalist candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new senior human resources generalist. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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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