Recruiter: What is the cost of hiring?

2025-10-0114000.0064793.43178000.00YEARLY

Recruiter: What is the cost of hiring?

• Common salary in US:
• Typical salaries range from -
• Find more information on Indeed Salaries

COMMON

LOW

HIGH

*Indeed data (US) –

As of April 2021, recruiter jobs in the U.S. are moderately competitive compared to other job markets, with an average of 31 job seekers per recruiter job.

recruiter: What is the cost of hiring?

• Common salary in US: $48,699 yearly
• Typical salaries range from $14,000 – $127,000 yearly
• Find more information on Indeed Salaries

$48,699

COMMON

LOW

$14,000

HIGH

$127,000

*Indeed data (US) – April 2021

As of April 2021, recruiter jobs in the U.S. are moderately competitive compared to other job markets, with an average of 31 job seekers per recruiter job.

Why hire a recruiter?

The need for new staff can affect both your existing team and your bottom line. A great recruiter hire can help your business:

• Increase customers
• Increase employee success rate
• Improve company reputation

Deciding between a full-time vs freelance recruiter

When a business doesn’t have enough employees to perform the duties that need to be done, they can hire a freelance recruiter in a temporary capacity to bring in more candidates for the open positions. The freelance recruiter can advertise the position, perform the prescreening processes and give quality candidates’ information to the employer , who’s in charge of the hiring decisions. Businesses can also work with freelance recruiters through temp offices if they need short-term employees.

Companies that have a high turnover rate or a growing need for more employees can hire a full-time recruiter. Branches of the military also often employ full-time recruiters to encourage more people to join. 

What are the types of recruiters?

There are a few different ways a company can work with recruiters. The titles these recruiters hold are:

• Internal recruiter: An internal recruiter can be full time or freelance, and they search for full-time employees to work at large corporations, such as Google and Amazon. 
• Contingency recruiter: Contingency recruiters look for employees for companies and are paid either a flat or percentage-based fee for each employee they find. They can be responsible for arranging and conducting interviews with potential hires. 
• Retained recruiter: Sometimes referred to as “headhunters,” retained recruiters are those companies maintain relationships with. Businesses pay a flat up-front fee for the retained recruiter to perform a thorough search.
• Outplacement recruiter: Companies can hire outplacement recruiters to find work for employees they’ve had to lay off. 
• Temp agency: Temp agencies hire individuals and send them out to work for different companies on a temporary basis. 

Where to find recruiters

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

• Search for an established recruiting agency. Your company can hire an existing recruiting agency to search for new employees. 
• Look online. Experienced recruiters may be advertising their services online. Reach out to them and set up a meeting to determine if they’re interested in the position. 
• Hang help wanted flyers. Putting up signs about the position can encourage members of the community to apply for it. 
• Ask other businesses in the area. Other businesses in the area may have information on quality recruiters they’ve hired in the past. Make inquiries and contact these candidates. 
• Post your job online. Try posting your recruiter job on Indeed to find and attract quality recruiter candidates.

Skills to look for in a great Recruiter

A great recruiter candidate will have the following skills and attributes as well as work experience that reflects:

• Interviewing skills
• Find good candidates
• Manage an extensive portfolio
• Great rapport with candidates
• Team Work
• Problem Solving

Writing a recruiter job description

A thoughtful description is important to finding qualified recruiter candidates. A recruiter job description includes a compelling summary of the role, a detailed list of duties and responsibilities and the required and preferred skills for the position.

When writing your recruiter job description, consider including some or all of the following keywords to improve the visibility of your job posting . These are the most popular search terms leading to clicks on recruiter jobs, according to Indeed data:

• Recruiter
• Human resources
• Talent acquisition
• HR
• Remote work from home
• Remote recruiter
• Recruiter remote
• Recruiting
• Human resources assistant
• Corporate recruiter

Interviewing recruiter candidates

Strong candidates for recruiter positions will be confident answering questions regarding:

• How to evaluate good candidates
• How to interview candidates
• Working with hiring managers

Need help coming up with interview questions? See our list of recruiter interview questions for examples (with sample answers).