What Is a Recruiting Coordinator?

The recruitment process has several stages, each requiring the intervention of a specialist who ensures that the best candidates move forward.

This article focuses on one role in particular: the recruiting coordinator.

• What are recruiting coordinators?
• What’s the difference between recruiting coordinators and other staffing industry roles?
• How do I hire recruiting coordinators?
• Is recruitment coordinator a good job?
• Great staffing is more than coordination

What are recruiting coordinators?

So, what does a recruiting coordinator do? As the name implies, a recruiting coordinator manages and coordinates administrative and logistical details involved in selecting, screening, and recruiting new candidates. A recruiting coordinator works with hiring managers and other human resources (HR) department members to ensure the recruitment process goes smoothly.

The recruiting coordinator’s job description includes the following responsibilities:

• Setting recruitment goals. While recruiting coordinators are not involved in decision making, they are expected to set goals and objectives for each recruitment cycle.

• Scheduling interviews. As part of the recruiting coordinator’s job, they correspond with candidates via phone or email to set up interviews across departments.

• Coordinating candidate logistics. This includes making travel arrangements for the candidate as needed.

• Greeting candidates. The recruiting coordinator meets with interviewees and introduces them to the company’s ethos and culture.

• Tracking candidates. Coordinators use applicant tracking system (ATS) software to keep track of each candidate as they go through the hiring cycle.

• Preparing progress reports. Coordinators prepare reports that outline the progress of the hiring process and share it with hiring managers and recruiters.

• Assisting with miscellaneous tasks. Recruiting coordinators can be assigned tasks beyond the scope of coordination. These might include conducting initial interviews and representing the company at outside events.

• Identifying areas of improvement and providing feedback. Coordinators assist with a wide range of administrative details and serve as a liaison between various HR team members. They are well-positioned to identify areas that need improvement and provide valuable feedback to hiring managers and recruiters.

What’s the difference between recruiting coordinators and other staffing industry roles?

People who are not immersed in the staffing industry may have a hard time distinguishing between the various roles that make up the recruiting and hiring departments.

After all, many tasks overlap between these roles, and it’s not usual for staffing professionals to wear different hats within an organization. With that being said, you should note that each team member is expected to serve a specific function.

Below is an overview of the main differences between recruiting coordinators and other staffing roles.

What is the difference between a staffing coordinator and a recruiting coordinator?

Staffing coordinators can take on similar responsibilities as recruiting coordinators. The main difference is that the job duties of staffing coordinators can often extend beyond coordinating the various moving parts that make up the hiring process.

Some of the tasks that may fall under the responsibility of a staffing coordinator include ensuring compliance with regulations, working with payroll to ensure employees are correctly compensated, and developing work schedules for various departments.

What is the difference between a recruiting consultant and a recruiting coordinator?

Recruiting consultants act as intermediaries between professionals seeking employment and companies looking for candidates that fit their needs. Consultants don’t coordinate the administrative and logistical details of the hiring process.

Rather, they leverage their long-term relationships with employers and professionals to identify the ideal candidate for a particular job.

What is the difference between a recruiter and a recruiting coordinator?

“Recruiting coordinator/staffing coordinator vs. recruiter” is a point of confusion for many, as these positions are often conflated with one another. In reality, these roles have significant differences.

While coordinators provide logistical and administrative support, recruiters play a more active role in the screening and recruitment of candidates. Depending on the company that employs them, the job of a recruiter may consist of conceiving of and implementing staffing strategies, designing interviews, going through resumes, screening applicants, and providing a shortlist of candidates to hiring managers.

What is the difference between a hiring manager and a recruiting coordinator?

To put it simply, the hiring manager decides which candidates to hire. They evaluate candidates and assess their potential before moving them to an on-site interview. They negotiate the terms of employment with the final candidates and maintain a relationship with them after they accept the job offer.

How do I hire recruiting coordinators?

As is the case with any position within your organization, filling the recruiting coordinator role can be accomplished through a variety of methods. These approaches can vary widely in terms of scope, cost, and time frame.

Consider exploring the following methods to find a recruiting coordinator who is the right fit for your company.

• Promote internally. The first option to explore is promoting from within. Your HR department has employees and interns familiar with your recruitment processes, so a transition to the recruiting coordinator role may be seamless for some.

• Search your talent pool database. If you have already built a talent pool database, search it to see if any candidates match your current needs.

• Ask for a referral. Hiring through referrals has traditionally yielded good results. Ask for referrals from the HR staff and spread the word to every department in the company.

• Conferences. Networking at conferences is a great way to meet talented and highly motivated professionals. HR conferences should be of special interest to you since they are attended by a wide range of staffing industry professionals.

• Recruitment agencies. If you don’t have the time or desire to manage the hiring cycle yourself, you can outsource it to a recruitment agency. Despite their high fees, using a staffing agency can be a convenient option for companies that lack the human resources to undertake a comprehensive recruitment process.

• Recruitment events. For companies that want to fill several positions, recruitment events (e.g., open days and recruitment fairs) can prove effective in attracting the right profiles.

• Social media. If your company or organization has a visible presence on several social media platforms, you may be one tweet or Instagram post away from reaching the perfect recruiting coordinator. Paid advertising is also effective on these platforms, thanks to their advanced ad targeting options.

• Job sites. Another tried and tested method of finding skilled professionals is to post your job online. Examples of free job posting sites that get a lot of traffic include Indeed, AngelList, LinkedIn, SimplyHired, and Ladders.

If you are looking for a laser-focused approach that can narrow the pool of candidates down to a shortlist that matches your requirements, then the Upwork recruiting jobs section might be exactly what you need.

Instead of sifting through hundreds of resumes and carrying out a tedious screening process, you can leverage Upwork’s immense pool of highly experienced and vetted talent to identify the perfect fit for your company.

Is recruitment coordinator a good job?

A career as a recruitment coordinator can be extremely rewarding for the right person. People who possess great verbal communication skills will find the job more fulfilling than a desk job, as it involves constant contact with a flow of new candidates and colleagues from various departments.

Aside from communication skills, a recruitment coordinator should have excellent organizational skills and be able to plan their work around others’ schedules. The job also requires some level of tech proficiency and solid clerical skills.

As for compensation, the average recruiting coordinator salary in the U.S. is $50,719. Keep in mind that the base salary will vary depending on factors like location, experience, and organization size.

People interested in pursuing a career as a recruitment coordinator will need to meet the following qualifications:

• A bachelor’s degree in business administration, human resources, or a related field

• Familiarity with employment law

• Experience in a human resources role

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

• Great time-management and self-motivation skills

• Basic understanding of direct sourcing

• Ability to collaborate within and across different units and departments

• Proficiency with ATS and other HR tools

Great staffing is more than coordination

Coordination is one of the fundamental pillars of the recruitment cycle. Having a skillful recruitment coordinator on board helps smooth the hiring process any time you need to fill a position.

As important as recruitment coordination is, it is not the only role you need to fill if you want to ensure long-term, quality staffing. The good news is that you don’t have to go through multiple recruitment cycles to help fill skills gaps

Thanks to Upwork, you can get a wide range of staffing solutions from a team of specialized recruiters who do all the heavy lifting for you.