Corporate Recruiter Job Descriptions, Average Salary, Interview Questions

What Does a Corporate Recruiter Do?

A key concern for any organization is finding and hiring the most talented people. Employees are the backbone of almost every company and regarded as its most valuable resource. Finding and retaining the right personnel is critical to sustaining ongoing success.

Corporate recruiters fill open positions of all kinds for their organization. Their role covers so much more than just posting job openings on job sites or social media. Corporate recruiters first develop recruiting plans, then set hiring goals that are appropriate for the company’s needs and budgets. They work with managers to create accurate job descriptions to post and develop and manage an ongoing pool of candidates likely to be good fits for future job openings. Simply put, the heart of a corporate recruiter’s job is to fill open positions effectively and efficiently with quality candidates.

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National Average Salary

Corporate recruiter salaries vary by experience, industry, organization size, and geography. To explore salary ranges by local market, please visit our sister site zengig.com.

The average U.S. salary for a Corporate Recruiter is:

$75,600

Corporate Recruiter Job Descriptions

When it comes to recruiting a corporate recruiter, having the right job description can make a big difference. Here are some real world job descriptions you can use as templates for your next opening.

Example 1

A corporate recruiter is needed for urgent hire at [Your Company Name]! The responsibilities of this role are typically straightforward, with some slight variation. Generally, the corporate recruiter will be responsible for hiring employees to fill specific spots at a company. The strategy to do this depends on the company and recruiter, although some of the most common tactics are social media, job ads, job fairs, and networking. Upon getting candidates, you must then begin the screening process. The job is not only to get employees but to find employees who will bring the most value to the company for long periods of time. The method to do this is based on the recruiter, but background checks, several interviews, and overall judgment of character are all reasonable. In order to successfully do this, you must have the ability to uphold good conversations with candidates, as well as come to concrete conclusions on the viability of each applicant.  

Typical duties and responsibilities

  • Work with hiring managers to recognize and fulfill recruiting needs
  • Keep abreast of available talent and candidates
  • Manage job postings internally and externally
  • Develop and update job descriptions
  • Work with internal partners to promote the company as a desirable place to work
  • Stay up to date on talent acquisition trends and best practices

Education and experience

This position requires a bachelor’s degree in human resources management, business administration, organizational development, or a related field. 

Required skills and qualifications

  • Experience working in full-cycle recruitment
  • Working knowledge of Applicant Tracking System (ATS)
  • Strong relationship-building and communication skills
  • Expertise in adaptability, accountability, and confidentiality
  • Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite

Preferred qualifications

  • 5+ years of experience in sales or recruiting
  • Bachelor’s degree
  • Experience in HR and working with hiring employees

Example 2

Job duties

  • Source qualified candidates by developing recruitment strategies to achieve and maintain required staffing levels
  • Develop relationships with department managers to understand needs and culture of each department and each position
  • Conduct interviews for positions throughout the company to determine the suitability of applicants for employment
  • Extend employment offers and complete all pre-employment screening. Follow through on the background check process to completion
  • Directs the efforts of employment agencies and search firms for qualified candidates

Qualifications and requirements

  • Bachelor’s Degree
  • Previous experience recruiting for positions at various levels within an organization
  • Must be reliable, responsible, dependable and always act in a professional manner, showing the utmost level of integrity
  • Detail oriented and thorough in completing work tasks
  • Exhibit “team player” attitude at all times in working with employees/departments throughout the company. Support a “can do” attitude
  • Comply with all company policies
  • Effective verbal and written communication skills

Physical demands

  • Regularly required to sit, stand, walk, and occasionally bend and move about the facility
  • Infrequent light physical effort required
  • Occasional lifting under 10 lbs
  • Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions

Example 3

Essential duties and responsibilities

  • Full cycle corporate recruitment (i.e. sourcing, screening, extending offer, and onboarding qualified candidates)
  • Develop and manage working relationships with Hiring Managers through consultation and appropriate communication
  • Build credibility and rapport with Hiring Managers by understanding and researching market trends and data for each specific position as it pertains to the department or location
  • Act as a subject matter expert on Workday Processes and Procedures as they relate to Recruiting
  • Partner with key business leaders, candidates, and the Talent Team in the development of staffing strategies for current and future corporate staffing needs
  • Actively participate in regular meetings to review recruiting strategies, challenges, and initiatives
  • Create and Manage job descriptions for assigned requisitions
  • Act as point of contact for Vendor Relationships, Job Posting Sites, Staffing Agency Contracts, etc.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required:

  • Proven track record of building strong, mutually respectful relationships with business leaders
  • Able to communicate well at all levels, adapting communication to suit the receiver
  • Excellent customer service skills
  • Able to give and receive feedback appropriately
  • Proven ability to maintain confidentiality
  • Able to influence others without formal authority
  • Knowledge of state and federal employment law

Education and experience

  • Associate degree in Business, Human Resources, or related discipline OR Equivalent experience is required
  • Minimum 1-3 years of Recruiting experience
  • Corporate recruiting experience is preferred
  • PHR/SPHR Certification (or similar) is a plus

Example 4

Responsible for the execution of assigned searches. Execution activities will include screening resumes, conducting interviews with potential candidates, communicating with hiring managers throughout the search process, conducting reference checks, and maintaining the database.

Duties

  • Manage candidate development and candidate flow for each assigned search. Conduct research and sourcing to actively recruit candidates as necessary. Screen resumes for each open position. Determine relevance of experience to position criteria. Conduct phone screen interviews with candidates to further determine appropriate fit. Conduct in-person interviews with potential candidates
  • Manage research and search strategy development for each open position. This will include building a target list, posting on appropriate web sites, identifying potential sourcing resources such as professional associations or consulting firms
  • Manage candidates through the company search process, ensuring that necessary paperwork is filled out completely, and that candidates and hiring managers are kept updated on the process
  • Manage communication with hiring managers through the search process on candidate flow and status of candidates through the search
  • Conduct reference checking for final candidates; prepare reference reports
  • Maintain the recruitment/staffing database throughout the process: populate the database with potential candidates and networking resources for company Stores on an ongoing basis; keep electronic search files maintained
  • Conduct additional research projects to support company’s recruitment strategy as necessary
  • Position will perform other job duties and projects as assigned

Competencies

  • Adaptability
  • Initiative
  • Communication
  • Integrity
  • Influence
  • Planning and Organizing
  • Networking
  • Listening
  • Customer Service

Qualifications and special skills required

  • Bachelor’s degree required
  • Minimum of 3 years of recruiting experience
  • Strong verbal and written communication skills (both oral and written)
  • Ability to set priorities and exercise independent judgment
  • Ability to work well under the pressure of deadlines
  • Ability to analyze data
  • Ability to conduct interviews and reference checks, and work effectively with hiring managers and candidates
  • Ability to work in a fast paced multi-task office atmosphere
  • Maintain confidentiality of all reports and salary information

Candidate Certifications to Look For

  • SHRM. Society for Human Resource Management offers certification for both senior workers, as well as new. With this program, candidates will have the ability to sharpen and prove their skills within the umbrella of human resources. This umbrella term heavily applies to corporate recruiters. 
  • HRCI. HR Certification Institute gives eight different certifications within human resources. With certifying over 500,000 people, I would deem this organization trustworthy. If candidates wish to advance their career or begin their career with certification, this program can be a help to them. 
  • AIRS. Created by HR management software, this company offers certification to recruiters. They have a long track record for helping recruiters, as the company was founded in 1997. They offer both an academy, as well as a certification. Although this option may be slightly more expensive, it is recognized by both SHRM and HRCI.

Sample Interview Questions

  • How did you become a recruiter, and what is the most challenging thing about your job?
  • Would you be able to walk us through your recruitment process and how you source, screen and select top talent?
  • When it comes to building and maintaining strong relationships with hiring managers and candidates, what strategies do you use?
  • Can you discuss a time when you managed a difficult placement or candidate situation and how you dealt with it?
  • In what ways do you keep up with the changing job market and emerging hiring trends?
  • Have you ever had to think creatively to fill a difficult or unique job requirement?
  • When working on multiple searches at once, how do you balance competing priorities and manage your time effectively?
  • Would you be able to explain how you evaluate a candidate’s fit for a particular position beyond just their skills and experience?
  • Describe how you handle candidate rejections and ensure all parties are treated respectfully and professionally.
  • How do you negotiate compensation and benefits with a candidate?
  • When was the last time you had to manage hiring managers’ expectations?
  • What are some of the ways you build a strong talent pipeline and network of potential candidates?
  • Are you able to identify problematic people and ensure that these people are not recruited?

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