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Sales Recruiter Job Description

Publish: April 17, 2021

Author: StrongerTeams Editorial

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Sales Recruiter Job Description

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A Sales Recruiter sources and recruits competent sales representatives for an organization.

Whether working for an agency, as a freelancer, or within an organization, a Sales Recruiter is an expert at spotting the skills and attributes needed to be successful in sales.

The role is highly specialized and can lead to advancement to a Lead Recruiter or Senior Recruiter position.

What Does a Sales Recruiter Typically Do?

A Sales Recruiter works with an organization to find, select, and propose candidates for sales vacancies. The specific tasks include:

Understanding the organization’s needs
Contacting qualified candidates
Creating and posting job advertisements
Running interview, assessment, and selection processes
Briefing HR management on shortlisted candidates
Communicating with applicants
Monitoring and reporting on successful hires
Selling and marketing

Understanding the Organization’s Needs

Sales roles require a highly specific set of hard and soft skills. Depending on the hiring organization, a Sales Recruiter may have to source candidates with experience in a particular industry or a background in a certain function.

A Sales Recruiter performs a thorough analysis of the roles within the hiring organization to understand its requirements, ascertain the required technical skills, and determine its cultural environment. The process also helps a Sales Recruiter understand what training will be offered to the new hire and what depth of industry-specific knowledge a candidate will need to be successful in their role.

Contacting Qualified Candidates

The hiring organization may already have a preferred candidate in mind, in which case a Sales Recruiter approaches the candidate confidentially with a job offer.

The hiring organization will often target a preferred candidate at the same time as running a recruitment drive, so a Sales Recruiter exercises caution in approaching the candidate.

The sales environment in any industry tends to be fairly close-knit, so a Sales Recruiter is careful to be discreet and maintain confidentiality at all times.

Creating and Posting Job Advertisements

A Sales Recruiter creates job ads in line with the hiring organization’s mandate, places the ads on the appropriate media, and monitors their success using tracking metrics.

In some instances, the hiring organization looks outside its industry for new sales talent, so a Sales Recruiter does not limit ad placements to industry-specific media. The focus is on generating a large volume of applications to yield a strong shortlist.

Running Interview, Selection, and Assessment Processes

The applications are filtered for suitability, and applicants that meet the minimum criteria are invited to an interview and assessment.

A Sales Recruiter runs the interview and assessment process with emphasis on both the candidates’ experience and their soft skills. Depending on the hiring organization, the required soft skills may be more in the direction of either long-term relationship-building skills or short-term lead generation and closing.

A Sales Recruiter should take these factors into account when interviewing the applicants and compiling a shortlist.

Briefing HR Management on Shortlisted Candidates

Having completed the initial interview process, a Sales Recruiter presents a shortlist of strong candidates to the hiring organization.

The presentation includes an interview summary, the results of the assessment procedures, and confirmation of background and reference checks. A Sales Recruiter may be asked to give a personal recommendation to the hiring organization, but this will be dependent on the depth of the relationship between the two parties.

Communicating With Candidates

Candidates want to know how their application is proceeding, and salespeople should demonstrate strong follow-up tendencies, so a Sales Recruiter maintains regular contact with all the shortlisted candidates to update them on their progress.

Maintaining contact also builds a Sales Recruiter’s network of qualified sales representatives, meaning that future vacancies may be easier to fill with candidates who have already been interviewed and vetted.

Monitoring and Reporting on Successful Hires

Successful Sales Recruiters maintain contact with new hires and HR management throughout the onboarding process to ensure both sides are happy.

This activity also serves to cement the relationship between a Sales Recruiter and the hiring organization, demonstrating commitment and a desire to achieve successful placements.

Selling and Marketing

An agency-based or freelance Sales Recruiter spends enough time generating leads and maintaining the relationship with existing clients to guarantee a steady flow of future work.

While time-consuming, sales and marketing efforts must be given enough attention to avoid an empty order book.

Successful Sales Recruiters are also a more attractive prospect for a hiring organization, having proven themselves capable of doing the job they are trying to recruit people for.

Sales Recruiter Salary

A Sales Recruiter earns between $44,000 and $71,000 on average a year in the U.S., with the median lying at $59,097.

What Is the Sales Recruiter Pay Difference by Location?

A Sales Recruiter’s location will affect earnings as follows:

City	Average Salary
San Francisco, CA	$73,871
Austin, TX	$58,122
Washington, D.C.	$65,787
Seattle, WA	$64,617
Boston, MA	$66,585
Milwaukee, WI	$58,488
New York, NY	$71,094
Denver, CO	$59,765

What Is the Sales Recruiter Pay Difference by Experience Level?

A Sales Recruiter’s experience will have the following influence on salary:

Experience Level	Average Salary
< 1 year	$58,005
1–4 years	$61,205
5–9 years	$61,732
10–19 years	$62,961
20+ years	$62,961