Recruiter Job Description: Duties, Skills & Salary (USA)

A recruiter finds, screens and presents candidates for open jobs and guides both sides through the hiring process. Typical duties include:

Exact duties vary between staffing agencies and in-house talent acquisition teams, so always read the job posting.

• Meet hiring managers or clients to understand each job and its must-have skills
• Write and post job ads on job boards and social media
• Source candidates from job boards, LinkedIn, the applicant tracking system (ATS) and referrals
• Screen resumes and hold phone or video screening calls
• Confirm each candidate's availability, pay expectations and basic job requirements
• Present a shortlist of qualified candidates to the hiring manager or client
• Schedule interviews and help candidates prepare
• Collect feedback, manage offers and support background checks and onboarding
• Keep candidate and job records up to date in the ATS or CRM
• Build long-term relationships with candidates and clients

• Strong phone, email and in-person communication
• Sales and relationship-building skills, especially in staffing agencies
• Organization and time management across many open jobs
• Sourcing skills, including Boolean search on job boards and LinkedIn
• Comfort with ATS and CRM software
• Knowledge of the field you recruit for, such as IT, health care or office jobs
• Understanding of fair hiring practices and equal employment opportunity (EEO) rules
• Bachelor's degree (often preferred) or relevant sales, HR or customer service experience
• Ability to work toward activity and placement targets in agency roles

Agency recruiters work for a staffing company and fill jobs for client employers. Their goals often include sales activity and placements. In-house recruiters, also called talent acquisition specialists, work for one employer and hire only for that company.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) includes recruiters, also called recruitment specialists or talent acquisition specialists, in the human resources specialists occupation. The median annual wage for human resources specialists was $75,940 in May 2025. Agency recruiters may also earn commission or bonuses, so check how pay works before you accept an offer.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Human Resources Specialists, median pay May 2025 (bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/human-resources-specialists.htm).

Copy the bullets that match your real experience, and add numbers only if they are true:

• Managed full-cycle recruiting for [number] open roles in [industry]
• Sourced candidates through job boards, LinkedIn and Boolean search
• Screened resumes and held phone and video interviews
• Presented qualified candidates to hiring managers and collected feedback
• Scheduled interviews and kept candidates informed at every stage
• Managed offers and supported background checks and onboarding
• Kept accurate records in [ATS or CRM name]
• Built relationships with clients and won [number] new job orders (agency roles)

Many recruiters start in sales, customer service, HR support or recruiting coordinator roles. Learn how to read a job description, practice sourcing on LinkedIn and job boards, and learn the basics of an ATS. If you want to recruit for IT jobs, learn common IT job titles and skills so you can talk confidently with candidates and hiring managers.

• Do recruiters need a degree? Requirements vary. Many employers prefer a bachelor's degree, but sales, customer service or HR experience can also open the door.
• What is the difference between a recruiter and a recruitment consultant? They are the same kind of job. Recruitment consultant is the common UK title; U.S. employers usually say recruiter, staffing recruiter or talent acquisition specialist.
• What should I check before applying? Read the duties, targets, pay structure (base salary, commission or bonus), schedule and location in the job posting.

Browse recruiting jobs on our Recruitment Jobs page: ethicleaf.com/recruitment-jobs