What Is a Senior Recruiter? How to Become One, Salary, Skills.

Senior recruiters reach out to potential talent, interview candidates and help with a company’s hiring process. Here’s what to know about a senior recruiter’s salary, needed skills and how to become one 

What Is a Senior Recruiter?

Senior recruiters serve as the first point of contact for job applicants. They are responsible for vetting and recommending candidates to hiring managers, conducting interviews and ensuring the hiring process runs smoothly. 

What Do Senior Recruiters Do?

Senior recruiters actively seek out potential candidates and educate them about the company and the benefits of working there. They are responsible for conducting initial interviews and maintaining a steady database of talent for their company. 

Senior Recruiter Responsibilities

• Research and reach out to potential candidates through social media, job boards and networking events. 
• Interview candidates. 
• Make recommendations to hiring managers. 
• Work with HR and other recruiters to develop and implement a recruiting strategy.
• Establish and maintain candidate profiles. 
• Conduct background and reference checks for job applicants. 
• Work with hiring managers to identify staffing needs. 
• Assist in the onboarding process and follow up with candidates and new hires. 

Senior Recruiters Within a Company

Senior recruiters work closely with HR and other recruiters to evaluate staffing needs and ensure hiring and onboarding best practices are met. Depending on the structure of the company, they could fall under the HR or people operations departments and typically report to a recruiting manager. Some senior recruiters may also work for a third-party recruiting firm that’s hired by a company. 

Importance of Senior Recruiters

As one of the first people candidates will speak with, senior recruiters serve as a representative of the company. A successful senior recruiter guides the hiring and onboarding process and informs candidates about the company and its benefits. 

What Skills Are Needed to Be a Senior Recruiter?

Qualifications to Be a Senior Recruiter

• Strong understanding of HR laws and regulations. 
• Experience interviewing candidates.
• Understanding of talent acquisition and onboarding best practices.
• Familiarity with the tools and technologies used in recruiting. 
• Ability to multitask and manage communications with both internal and external people. 

Senior Recruiter Prerequisites

• Many senior recruiters have a bachelor’s degree in human resources or a related field. 
• Certifications in recruitment and HR. 

Senior Recruiter Hard Skills

• Basic IT skills. 
• Social media management skills. 
• Basic data analysis skills. 
• Business acumen. 

Senior Recruiter Soft Skills

• Collaboration skills. 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. 
• Networking skills. 
• Critical thinking and problem solving skills. 
• Presentation skills. 
• Active listening skills. 

Tools and Programs Senior Recruiters Use

• Job platforms such as LinkedIn, Indeed and Glassdoor. 
• ADP
• Workday
• Greenhouse
• Jobvite
• SurveyMonkey
• monday.com
• LiveAgent

How to Become a Senior Recruiter

Senior Recruiter Education and Experience

Senior recruiters may have a bachelor’s degree in human resources or a related field but most recruiting positions require specific recruiting certifications. As a senior-level position, those looking to be a senior recruiter should have four to five years of experience working in recruiting. 

Senior Recruiter Certificates and Courses

• 31 Recruiter Certifications to Advance Your Career
• 17 Recruitment Training Courses Every Recruiter Should Consider
• Talent Acquisition Certification Program
• PHR Certification
• SPHR Certification
• Tech Recruitment Certification 

Senior Recruiter Career Path

Those aspiring to be a senior recruiter may start their career as an entry-level recruiter or human resources generalist. Commonly held titles after being a senior recruiter include recruitment manager, senior technical recruiter and human resources manager. 

Senior Recruiter Salary and Job Outlook

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that human resource specialists, a field related to recruiting, will have 8 percent growth between 2021 and 2031. 

The full compensation package for a senior recruiter depends on a variety of factors, including but not limited to the candidate’s experience and geographic location. See below for detailed information on the average senior recruiter’s salary.