Sales Recruiter Job Description Templates for Growing Sales Teams
6 templates for the four desks that get called the same thing: in-house full cycle, high-volume SDR, enterprise search, agency, sourcing support, and contract. Download as DOCX.
The first time I wrote a sales recruiter job description I copied a generic recruiter posting and swapped one word. Three weeks and forty applications later I had a pile of perfectly competent generalist recruiters, none of whom could tell me whether a candidate's quota number meant anything. That posting cost me a month.
Sales recruiting is a specialist seat for one reason: the screen is different. Every other part of the job looks like ordinary full-cycle recruiting. But reading a sales resume means knowing quota size from quota attainment, deal value from territory inheritance, and self-reported numbers from verifiable ones. A recruiter who cannot do that forwards you noise.
The other thing a generic posting hides is that four different jobs share this title. At FirstHR we build hiring templates for small companies without an HR department, and the six below cover all four desks plus the two seats people forget: sourcing support and a contract engagement. Browse the rest in our hiring templates library.
TL;DR
A sales recruiter fills only revenue roles and screens on quota attainment, deal profile, and comp plan fluency. The title covers four different desks: in-house full cycle, high-volume SDR, enterprise search, and an agency desk paid on commission. Commission never creates an overtime exemption. Six templates below, downloadable as DOCX.
Four Desks, One Job Title
The phrase sales recruiter describes at least four jobs with different screens, different pay structures, and different overtime answers. Naming which one you are hiring is the single highest-value edit you can make to the posting, because it changes who applies.
An in-house recruiter at a company hiring development reps every month has almost nothing in common with a search consultant closing one enterprise leader a quarter. Both are accurate uses of the title. Only one of them matches your hiring plan.
In-house sales recruiter
One hiring plan, one bar
You own every revenue req at one company: intake, sourcing, screening, offers, and the handoff to onboarding. Success is hires who ramp and stay, which means you carry the consequences of a weak hire yourself.
Agency sales desk
Billing target, many clients
You win clients, take briefs, and place candidates against a monthly billing number. Commission is the point of the seat. The classification rules are stricter than most agency owners assume.
Sales sourcer or coordinator
Top of funnel and logistics
Builds lists, sends first-touch outreach, books every interview, and keeps records current. Non-exempt in nearly every case, and the natural first step toward a full-cycle sales desk.
Contract or fractional
Fixed window, fixed plan
Engaged to deliver a named set of sales hires inside a set number of months, then to leave a documented process behind. The right answer when the hiring burst is real but temporary.
Match the Posting to the Desk, Not the Title
A high-volume development-rep desk rewards process discipline and screen throughput. An enterprise search desk rewards market mapping and patience across a long close. An agency desk rewards business development above everything else. A sourcing seat rewards precision with lists and calendars. Hire for the wrong one and you get a competent person failing at work they were never built for, which reads as a bad hire and is actually a bad posting.
What Belongs in the Posting
A sales recruiter job description does four jobs at once: it states the hiring plan, it filters generalists out, it protects you on classification and pay, and it closes a candidate who is probably talking to two other companies. Most postings do only the first, and vaguely.
The parts a recruiter reads first
The hiring plan in numbers, not adjectives
Which sales roles and which segment
Who the recruiter partners with
Whether the process already exists or has to be built
The parts that filter applicants
Years recruiting sales specifically, not recruiting in general
Sourcing expectation, stated as a share of hires
Screen volume or search count per week
Comfort with a published target
The parts that protect you
FLSA classification stated on the posting
Commission or bonus plan terms in writing
Essential functions written plainly
Equal opportunity statement
The parts that win the hire
Base pay or a good-faith range
How variable pay is earned and when it pays
Headcount they will actually get to fill
A named person and a real deadline to apply
The most common omission is the sourcing expectation. Say what share of hires you expect to come from outbound rather than inbound applications, because that number separates a recruiter who builds pipeline from one who processes it. Our guide to writing a job description covers the general structure, and the generalist recruiter templates cover the non-specialist version of this seat.
6 Sales Recruiter Job Description Templates to Download
Download all six as one file or copy them individually. Each follows the same structure: company context, position summary, key responsibilities, required qualifications, a classification and compliance note, an equal opportunity statement, and how to apply. The bracketed fields are the only parts you need to change.
Download All 6 Sales Recruiter Job Description Templates
In-house, high-volume SDR, enterprise, agency desk, sourcer, and contract. All in one download.
Sales Recruiter, In-House
Full cycle, all revenue roles
The default. Owns intake through offer for every sales req at one company, with the comp-plan conversation written into the duties.
High-Volume SDR Recruiter
Cohorts on a fixed calendar
For a company hiring sales development reps continuously, with screen volume, funnel conversion, and cohort start dates as the scoreboard.
Enterprise and Leadership
Low volume, long searches
For senior account executives and sales leadership: market mapping, passive outreach, reference depth, and counteroffer management.
Agency Sales Recruiter
360 desk with a billing target
For a staffing or search firm placing salespeople, with business development, fee negotiation, and the commission classification note stated plainly.
Sales Sourcer / Coordinator
Hourly, non-exempt
For the support seat that keeps the funnel full and the calendar accurate. The cheapest way to double a sales recruiter's output.
Contract / Fractional
Defined hiring plan
For a temporary hiring burst, with the scope, the target, the timeline, and the contractor-versus-employee decision written into the posting.
Template 1: Sales Recruiter, In-House
The default version: full-cycle ownership of every revenue req at one company, with the compensation-plan conversation written into the duties rather than assumed. Use this one if you are hiring your first dedicated sales recruiter.
Sales Recruiter Job Description (In-House)
SALES RECRUITER JOB DESCRIPTION (IN-HOUSE)
Company: __ ([City, State] / [Remote / Hybrid])
Reports to: [VP of Sales / Head of People / Founder]
Employment type: Full-time
FLSA status: Exempt or non-exempt (see classification note)
Compensation: $_ base plus [placement bonus / quarterly hiring bonus]
ABOUT [COMPANY NAME]
[Company Name] sells [product] to [customer type] in [market]. Our sales org is
[number] people today and we plan to add [number] in the next [timeframe]:
[X] SDRs, [Y] account executives, and [Z] sales managers. We are hiring a Sales
Recruiter to own that entire hiring plan end to end.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Sales Recruiter owns full-cycle hiring for every revenue role: intake with
the hiring manager, sourcing, screening, interview coordination, offer
negotiation, and handoff to onboarding. This is a specialist seat, not a
generalist one, and the person in it is measured on hires that ramp, not on
resumes submitted.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Run intake with sales leadership on every open req: territory, segment,
quota, ramp expectation, and the profile of the last person who succeeded
•Source passive sales candidates through outbound, referrals, alumni of
comparable sales orgs, and our own rejected-but-strong list
•Screen for verifiable quota attainment, deal size, sales cycle length, and
the environment the candidate actually sold in
•Run structured phone screens and coordinate panels, mock calls, and any
written or role-play exercise in our process
•Explain our compensation plan accurately to candidates: base, variable,
quota, ramp period, draw terms, and how commission is earned and paid
•Keep an active pipeline for the roles we always hire, especially [SDR / AE]
•Report weekly on pipeline, time to hire, offer acceptance, and source quality
•Negotiate offers within an approved band and hand signed hires to onboarding
•Keep candidate records, notes, and reasons for rejection consistent and
defensible
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•[Number] years recruiting sales roles specifically, in-house or at an agency
•Demonstrated ability to fill [SDR / AE / sales management] roles at [segment]
•Comfort with outbound sourcing; a large share of our hires will not apply
•Working knowledge of sales compensation structures and how to explain them
•Strong written communication; sales candidates judge you by your outreach
•Ability to hold a hiring bar when a sales leader is short on headcount
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
•Prior experience carrying a quota, or recruiting inside a company that sold
the same way we do
•Experience building an interview process from scratch rather than inheriting
one
•Familiarity with [our market / our buyer]
CLASSIFICATION AND COMPLIANCE NOTE (read before posting)
Classify honestly. An in-house recruiter who exercises real discretion on
sourcing strategy, screening standards, and offer recommendations may qualify
for the FLSA administrative exemption if the salary basis and salary level
tests are also met. A recruiter who works from a fixed script and a fixed
checklist may not. If the role is non-exempt, any placement bonus that is
promised in advance is a nondiscretionary bonus and has to be folded into the
regular rate when overtime is owed. Selection criteria must be job related and
consistently applied. This is general information, not legal advice.
EEO STATEMENT
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer and provides reasonable
accommodations for the essential functions of this role.
To apply, email __ with your resume and a note on the
hardest sales req you ever filled.
Template 2: High-Volume SDR Recruiter
For a company hiring sales development reps in cohorts on a fixed calendar, with screen volume, funnel conversion, and start dates as the scoreboard. Pair it with the SDR job description templates so the two postings describe the same bar.
High-Volume SDR Recruiter Job Description
HIGH-VOLUME SALES RECRUITER JOB DESCRIPTION (SDR AND ENTRY LEVEL)
Company: __ ([City, State] / [Remote / Hybrid])
Reports to: [Sales Development Manager / Head of Talent]
Employment type: Full-time
FLSA status: Frequently non-exempt (see classification note)
Compensation: $_ base plus [per-hire bonus]
ABOUT THIS ROLE
[Company Name] hires [number] sales development representatives per [quarter]
into [number] cohorts. Attrition in this seat is normal and planned for, which
means the pipeline never closes. We are hiring a recruiter who is comfortable
running volume without letting the bar slip.
POSITION SUMMARY
The High-Volume Sales Recruiter keeps a continuous pipeline of entry-level
sales candidates, runs a standardized screen at scale, and delivers [number]
starts per cohort on a fixed calendar.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Maintain a rolling pipeline sized to [number] starts per [month / cohort]
•Run [number] structured phone screens per week against a fixed scorecard
•Source from [campus programs / adjacent service roles / referrals /
military transition programs / retail and hospitality]
•Run group interviews, mock cold calls, and assessment days
•Coordinate cohort start dates with sales enablement and onboarding
•Track funnel conversion at every stage and report where candidates drop
•Keep time from application to screen under [number] hours
•Maintain response and rejection communication for every applicant
•Feed the strongest passed-over candidates into the next cohort list
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•[Number] years of high-volume recruiting, sales or adjacent frontline roles
•Ability to run [number] screens a week without abandoning the scorecard
•Strong scheduling discipline and comfort with a fixed cohort calendar
•Clear phone presence; entry-level candidates judge the company by this call
•Commitment to consistent, job-related screening criteria for every applicant
CLASSIFICATION AND COMPLIANCE NOTE
A high-volume recruiting seat that runs a standardized script, a fixed
scorecard, and a fixed calendar is often non-exempt, because the work follows
prescribed procedures rather than exercising independent judgment on matters of
significance. Non-exempt means hourly and overtime past forty hours in a
workweek, which matters in a role where cohort weeks run long. Any per-hire
bonus promised up front is nondiscretionary and belongs in the regular rate
when overtime is calculated. Screening at volume also raises consistency risk:
use the same job-related criteria for every applicant and keep records of why
candidates were rejected. This is general information, not legal advice.
EEO STATEMENT
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer and provides reasonable
accommodations for the essential functions of this role.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Compensation: $_ per [hour / year], [per-hire bonus], [benefits]
To apply, email __ with your resume and the highest number
of screens you have run in one week.
Still Using Spreadsheets for Onboarding?
Automate documents, training assignments, task management, and track onboarding progress in real time.
Template 3: Enterprise and Sales Leadership Recruiter
For low-volume, high-consequence searches: senior account executives, sales managers, and revenue leadership. Market mapping, passive outreach, reference depth, and counteroffer management replace throughput as the measure of the job.
Enterprise and Sales Leadership Recruiter Job Description
ENTERPRISE SALES AND SALES LEADERSHIP RECRUITER JOB DESCRIPTION
Company: __ ([City, State] / [Remote / Hybrid])
Reports to: [Chief Revenue Officer / VP of Sales / Head of Talent]
Employment type: Full-time
FLSA status: Exempt (see classification note)
Compensation: $_ base plus [annual bonus]
ABOUT THIS ROLE
[Company Name] sells [product] into [segment] with an average contract value of
$[amount] and a [number] month sales cycle. Hires at this level take months to
find and are expensive to get wrong. We are hiring a recruiter who works like a
search consultant rather than a req filler.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Enterprise Sales Recruiter runs low-volume, high-consequence searches for
senior account executives, sales managers, and sales leadership: mapping the
market, approaching people who are not looking, and managing a long close.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Build a written market map for each search: target companies, comparable
segments, and the people worth approaching
•Run direct outreach to passive candidates who are performing well where they
are and are not reading job boards
•Assess senior sales candidates on quota size and attainment, deal complexity,
team build experience, and whether the number came from the person or the
territory
•Manage searches that run [number] months without losing candidate engagement
•Run reference conversations with former managers, peers, and direct reports
•Partner with [CRO / VP Sales] on scorecards, panel design, and debriefs
•Model total compensation scenarios: base, variable, accelerators, equity
•Manage counteroffer risk and close candidates who have other options
•Report on search progress with pipeline stages, not activity counts
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•[Number] years recruiting senior sales talent, in-house or in executive search
•Track record of closing candidates who were not actively looking
•Ability to hold a credible conversation with a sales leader about pipeline
coverage, quota capacity, and territory design
•Judgment to say no to a candidate the hiring manager already likes
•Discretion with confidential searches and sensitive compensation data
CLASSIFICATION AND COMPLIANCE NOTE
A senior search seat that designs the search strategy, sets the assessment
standard, and advises leadership on offers is the clearest case for the FLSA
administrative exemption, provided the salary basis and salary level tests are
met as well. Two cautions specific to senior sales hiring. First, compensation
history questions are restricted or banned in many states and cities, so build
the conversation around expectations rather than history. Second, restrictive
covenants follow senior sales hires: confirm what a candidate signed before you
extend an offer, and never ask a new hire to bring customer lists or other
confidential material from a prior employer. This is general information, not
legal advice.
EEO STATEMENT
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer and provides reasonable
accommodations for the essential functions of this role.
To apply, email __ with your resume and one search you ran
from empty market map to signed offer.
Template 4: Agency Sales Recruiter, 360 Desk
For a staffing or search firm placing salespeople, with business development, fee negotiation, and a billing target. The commission classification note is the part most agency owners get wrong. The staffing agency recruiter templates cover the general-desk version.
Agency Sales Recruiter Job Description (360 Desk)
AGENCY SALES RECRUITER JOB DESCRIPTION (360 DESK)
Agency: __ ([City, State])
Reports to: [Desk Manager / Practice Lead / Owner]
Employment type: Full-time
FLSA status: Usually non-exempt (see classification note)
Compensation: $_ base plus commission on placements
ABOUT THIS ROLE
[Agency Name] places sales talent with [client type] across [market]. This is a
360 desk: you win the client, take the brief, fill the role, and own the
relationship afterward. Billing is [contingency / retained / both].
POSITION SUMMARY
The Agency Sales Recruiter develops client accounts that hire salespeople,
takes detailed briefs, sources and submits qualified candidates, and closes
placements against a monthly billing target.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Develop new client accounts through outbound to [hiring managers / founders]
•Take a proper brief: role, segment, quota, comp plan, process, and deadline
•Source and screen sales candidates against that brief, not against the title
•Submit [number] qualified candidates per role within [number] business days
•Prep candidates for client interviews and debrief both sides afterward
•Negotiate rates, fees, and terms within the agency schedule
•Manage offer, resignation, counteroffer, and start date
•Hit a billing target of $________ per [month / quarter]
•Keep candidate and client records current in our system every day
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•[Number] years agency recruiting, ideally on a sales desk
•Comfort with outbound business development and a published billing target
•Ability to qualify a client brief hard enough to avoid wasted submissions
•Resilience: this desk involves rejection from both clients and candidates
•Accurate record keeping under time pressure
CLASSIFICATION AND COMPLIANCE NOTE
Agency recruiter classification is a common and expensive mistake. Commission
alone does not create an exemption, and the section 7(i) commission exemption
is written for retail or service establishments, which a staffing or search
firm generally is not. Most agency recruiters are non-exempt: hourly, entitled
to overtime past forty hours in a workweek, with commissions and
nondiscretionary bonuses included in the regular rate used to calculate that
overtime. Treating a recruiter as an independent contractor while setting the
desk, the hours, the targets, and the method is a second common misstep. Put
the commission plan in writing, including how a placement is earned, when it is
paid, and what happens on a fall-off. This is general information, not legal
advice.
EEO STATEMENT
[Agency Name] is an equal opportunity employer and provides reasonable
accommodations for the essential functions of this role.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Compensation: $_ base plus [commission percentage] on billings,
[threshold], [payment timing], [fall-off terms]
To apply, email __ with your resume and your billings for
the last [twelve months].
Template 5: Sales Sourcer and Recruiting Coordinator
For the support seat that keeps the top of the funnel full and every calendar accurate. It is the cheapest way to roughly double a sales recruiter's output, and it is the natural entry point into a full-cycle recruiting career.
Sales Sourcer and Recruiting Coordinator Job Description
[Company Name] is hiring a Sales Sourcer to keep the top of the funnel full and
the calendar moving, so our sales recruiter can spend their time on screens,
hiring manager partnership, and closing. This is a first recruiting job for
someone who wants to become a full-cycle sales recruiter.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Sales Sourcer builds candidate lists, runs first-touch outreach, schedules
every interview, and keeps candidate records accurate from first contact to
signed offer.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Build sourced lists for [SDR / AE / sales management] against a written brief
•Send first-touch outreach and follow-up sequences on an agreed cadence
•Book phone screens, panels, and mock calls across multiple calendars
•Send confirmations, agendas, and directions or meeting links to candidates
•Keep every candidate record, stage, and note current the same day
•Post and refresh job ads on the channels we use
•Collect interviewer feedback within [number] hours of each interview
•Send timely rejections to every candidate who does not move forward
•Prepare the weekly pipeline report for the recruiter and sales leadership
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•[Number] years in a coordination, administrative, or customer-facing role
•Precision with calendars, records, and follow-up across many open threads
•Clear, friendly written English; this is the first impression of our company
•Discretion with candidate information
•Willingness to learn sales roles well enough to write credible outreach
CLASSIFICATION AND COMPLIANCE NOTE
A sourcing and coordination seat is non-exempt in almost every case. The work
follows prescribed procedures and does not involve independent judgment on
matters of significance, so the administrative exemption generally does not
apply regardless of salary. Pay hourly, track hours honestly, and pay overtime
past forty in a workweek. If you pay a per-hire or per-screen bonus that is
promised in advance, it is nondiscretionary and must be included in the regular
rate. Candidate records collected here are personal data: decide who can see
them and how long you keep them before the first list is built. This is general
information, not legal advice.
EEO STATEMENT
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer and provides reasonable
accommodations for the essential functions of this role.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Compensation: $_ per hour, [hours per week], [benefits summary]
To apply, email __ with your resume and a short note on
how you keep track of many parallel threads.
Template 6: Contract and Fractional Sales Recruiter
For a temporary hiring burst with a defined end: a named set of roles, a fixed window, and a documented process left behind. The contractor-versus-employee decision belongs in the posting, not in a conversation after the fact.
Contract and Fractional Sales Recruiter Job Description
Engagement type: [Fixed-term employee / Fractional, [number] hours per week]
FLSA status: Depends on the engagement (see classification note)
Compensation: $_ per [hour / month] for [number] months
ABOUT THIS ENGAGEMENT
[Company Name] needs to hire [number] sales roles over the next [number]
months and does not need a permanent recruiter afterward. We are engaging a
sales recruiter for a defined period with a defined hiring plan, working
alongside [founder / VP of Sales].
POSITION SUMMARY
The Contract Sales Recruiter delivers a specific set of sales hires inside a
fixed window, then leaves behind a documented process the team can run without
them.
SCOPE OF THE ENGAGEMENT
•Roles to fill: [list roles, segments, and target start dates]
•Target: [number] signed offers by [date]
•Hours: [number] per week for [number] weeks
•Reporting: weekly written pipeline update to [name]
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Run intake and write the scorecard for each role in the plan
•Source, screen, and shortlist candidates against that scorecard
•Coordinate all interviews and keep the process moving on a weekly rhythm
•Advise on compensation bands using current market data
•Support offer negotiation and acceptance
•Leave behind a written process: scorecards, screen questions, outreach
templates, and the interview structure
•Hand every signed hire to whoever owns onboarding, with notes
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•[Number] years recruiting sales roles, with recent work at [segment]
•Proven delivery inside a fixed timeline rather than an open-ended headcount
•Ability to work with minimal supervision and no internal support staff
•Willingness to document the process rather than keep it in your head
•References from at least two comparable engagements
CLASSIFICATION AND COMPLIANCE NOTE
Decide up front whether this is a fixed-term employee or a genuine independent
contractor, and be honest about it. A recruiter who works your hours, uses your
systems, follows your process, and reports to your leader is an employee for
wage and hour purposes regardless of what the agreement is called. Both federal
and state tests apply, and several states use an ABC test that is far stricter
than the federal analysis. If you engage a contractor, the agreement should
cover deliverables, confidentiality, data handling, and who owns the candidate
records at the end. If you hire a fixed-term employee, the classification and
overtime rules are the same as for any other recruiter on your payroll. This is
general information, not legal advice.
EEO STATEMENT
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer and provides reasonable
accommodations for the essential functions of this role.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Compensation: $_ per [hour / month], [term], [extension terms]
To apply, email __ with your rate, availability, and two
comparable engagements.
Commission, Overtime, and Classification
Commission never creates an overtime exemption. That one sentence prevents the most expensive mistake on this page, and it applies whether the recruiter is paid a placement bonus in-house or a percentage of billings at an agency.
The exemption a recruiter might genuinely reach is the administrative one, which turns on duties plus the salary basis and salary level tests. The current federal salary threshold is $684 per week, or $35,568 a year, after the 2024 rule was vacated and then formally rescinded in May 2026. If you are working through where a specific seat lands, our breakdown of exempt versus non-exempt classification walks the tests in order.
Commission does not create an exemption
This is the single most common mistake on an agency sales desk. Paying a recruiter a percentage of billings has no bearing on whether the role is exempt from overtime. The commission exemption people half-remember is section 7(i), and it is written for employees of a retail or service establishment whose regular rate exceeds one and a half times the minimum wage and who earn more than half their pay from commissions. A staffing or executive search firm is generally not a retail or service establishment, so that route is usually closed. The exemption a recruiter might genuinely reach is the administrative one, and that turns on duties plus the salary basis and salary level tests, not on how the pay is structured. Decide on duties first, then look at the pay. This is general information, not legal advice.
Placement bonuses ride along into overtime
If a recruiter is non-exempt and you promise a bonus in advance for each hire, each start, or each month above target, that bonus is nondiscretionary. Federal wage rules require nondiscretionary bonuses and commissions to be included in the regular rate used to calculate overtime, which means a fifty-hour week with a placement bonus in it costs more than the base rate suggests. Commissions that cannot be calculated until the end of a longer period get allocated back over the weeks they were earned. None of this is a reason to avoid variable pay for recruiters, and it is a strong reason to put the plan in writing before the first paycheck: how the placement is earned, when it pays, what happens on a fall-off, and how it interacts with overtime.
Screening consistency is the real exposure
A sales recruiter screens more people per hire than almost anyone else in the company, which multiplies whatever inconsistency exists in the process. Federal equal employment law reaches selection procedures, not just hiring decisions, so an informal screen that quietly filters on something unrelated to the job is exposure even when nobody intended it. Two habits fix most of it. Use the same job-related criteria and the same scorecard for every candidate in a req, and record the reason each candidate was rejected in the same place at the time it happens. A third habit matters for sales specifically: compensation history questions are restricted or banned in a growing number of states and cities, so build the conversation around expectations and your own published range.
The roles they fill carry their own rules
A sales recruiter has to explain classification to candidates, so they need to understand it themselves. Outside sales employees who customarily and regularly work away from the employer's place of business making sales have no salary test at all under the outside sales exemption. Inside sales staff working from your office or from home usually do not qualify for that exemption and are frequently non-exempt, with commissions folded into their regular rate the same way a recruiter's placement bonus is. Sales managers may reach the executive exemption if they genuinely direct a team. A recruiter who gets this wrong in a screen sets an expectation your offer letter then has to contradict, and that is how good candidates walk. This is general information, not legal advice.
Two federal sources are worth reading directly before you classify anyone. The Department of Labor fact sheet on the outside sales exemption explains why field sales staff have no salary test while inside sales staff usually do, which your recruiter needs to explain to candidates. The regulation on commission payments and the regular rate explains why a non-exempt recruiter with a placement bonus costs more per overtime hour than the base rate suggests. Our guide to how commission pay works covers the plan design side.
The Numbers the Role Owns
Put the scoreboard in the job description. A sales recruiter is a metrics-native hire by temperament, and a posting that states what will be measured attracts the ones who are comfortable being measured. Vagueness here filters in exactly the wrong direction.
Metric
What it tells you
Where it belongs in the posting
Signed offers per quarter
Whether the hiring plan is being delivered at all
State the target number for the first two quarters
Time to hire
Whether the process is losing candidates to faster companies
Give the current figure and the target
Offer acceptance rate
Whether pay bands and the closing conversation are working
State the current rate honestly, even if it is poor
Sourced share of hires
Whether the recruiter builds pipeline or processes applications
The single most useful line in a sales recruiter posting
Screen to onsite conversion
Whether the phone screen bar matches the hiring manager bar
Relevant mainly for high-volume development-rep desks
Ramp attainment of hires
Whether the screen predicted actual selling ability
The honest measure; state the ramp definition you use
Retention at twelve months
Whether the hires were right rather than merely available
Include it if you have the data to support it
Ramp attainment and twelve-month retention are the two that matter most and the two most companies never track. A recruiter who fills every seat with people who miss their first-year number has not solved your problem. Our guides to recruitment KPIs and the recruiting funnel cover how to instrument this without buying anything.
What to Pay a Sales Recruiter
There is no federal occupation called sales recruiter, so the closest benchmark is human resources specialists, the classification that covers recruiting, screening, interviewing, and placing workers. Treat it as a starting point rather than a target, because specialist recruiting seats sit in the upper half of that range.
The Closest Federal Benchmark
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey (May 2025), human resources specialists (SOC 13-1071) had a national median wage of $75,940 a year, or $36.51 an hour. The percentile ladder runs $47,180 at the 10th, $58,610 at the 25th, $99,380 at the 75th, and $128,720 at the 90th. About 944,300 people worked in the classification in 2024, with roughly 81,800 openings projected each year through 2034 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS).
The second number that belongs in your planning is what the roles you are asking this person to fill actually pay, because that sets both the offer conversation and the credibility bar for the recruiter. A sales recruiter who talks to enterprise account executives all day needs to be paid like someone those candidates take seriously.
Occupation
National median (BLS OEWS, May 2025)
Why it matters to the recruiter posting
Human resources specialists
$75,940 per year
The closest federal benchmark for the recruiter seat itself
Human resources managers
$149,280 per year
The ceiling reference if the seat also leads a recruiting function
Human resources assistants
$50,610 per year
The nearest benchmark for a sourcing and coordination seat
Sales managers
$148,270 per year
The senior roles an enterprise recruiter is asked to fill
Sales reps, technical and scientific products
$104,920 per year
Complex-sale account executives; the hardest reqs to fill
Sales reps, wholesale and manufacturing
$72,080 per year
The volume account executive market
Sales reps of services
$69,990 per year
Common target market for a small business sales recruiter
Retail salespersons
$35,410 per year
Frontline retail hiring, a different desk entirely
Agency desks work differently again. A lower base plus commission on billings means total earnings swing hard with the market, and the plan needs to state the threshold, the percentage, the payment timing, and the fall-off terms in writing. For the roles above, the underlying figures come from the BLS national occupational wage estimates. Before you set a number for an in-house seat, compare it against what hiring costs you today: our breakdown of recruitment costs puts agency fees, job ads, and internal time on the same page.
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Screen with work samples, not conversation. Sales recruiters persuade for a living and know what an interviewer wants to hear, which makes a conversation-only process close to worthless for this specific hire. Give them a real open req and read what comes back.
The exercise that separates candidates fastest: hand over one genuinely open sales role, ask for a written intake plan, a sourced list of ten named candidates with a reason for each, and the exact outreach message they would send. Then read that message as a busy account executive would read it, on a phone, in ten seconds.
The Question Most People Skip
Ask which of their own hires failed and what they got wrong about the screen. A recruiter who cannot name a miss has either not made enough hires to have data or is managing you rather than answering you. Both are disqualifying for a seat whose entire value is honest judgment about other people. Follow it with numbers in context: hires made, how many were still in seat after a year, and where the candidates actually came from.
Then check the screening habits you are about to inherit. Ask how they keep criteria consistent across a req, where rejection reasons get recorded, and how they handle compensation expectations in states where asking about pay history is restricted. A recruiter who has never thought about any of that will import the risk into your process on day one.
Hiring a Sales Recruiter Without an HR Department
Small companies fail at this hire in three predictable places: the sales leader is doing the recruiting between customer calls, the interview rewards talking over doing, and the paperwork after the signature lands on nobody in particular. Each one has a fix.
The VP of Sales is doing the recruiting between customer calls
At most small companies the person filling sales roles is the sales leader who also carries a number. Recruiting is what happens after the pipeline review, which means outreach goes out in bursts, candidates wait days for a reply, and the strongest people take another offer while the calendar is being sorted out. The fix is not more effort from the sales leader. It is a written scorecard, a fixed weekly rhythm, and someone whose actual job is to keep the funnel moving. That someone can be a coordinator at hourly rates long before it needs to be a full sales recruiter, and the posting for either one should say plainly which of the two seats you are filling.
You are hiring a recruiter to hire salespeople and cannot tell a good one from a good talker
Sales recruiters interview well by construction. They persuade for a living and they know exactly what an interviewer wants to hear, which is why a conversation-only process is close to useless here. Give the work instead. Hand them one of your real open sales roles and ask for a written intake plan and a sourced list of ten named candidates with a reason for each. Ask them to write the outreach message they would actually send, then read it the way a busy account executive would. Ask which of their own hires failed and what they got wrong about the screen. Numbers help too: hires made, hires still there after a year, and where their candidates came from.
The hire is signed and then the paperwork lands on nobody in particular
Sales hiring runs in bursts, and the burst does not stop at the signature. A cohort of new sales hires means offer letters, commission plan acknowledgments, confidentiality and invention agreements, restrictive covenant paperwork where it is enforceable, territory assignments, handbook sign-offs, equipment, system access, and a first-week ramp plan, all landing in the same few days. FirstHR was built for that pattern: the onboarding wizard runs the same sequence for every new hire, built-in e-signature handles the offer and the plan acknowledgments, document management stores the signed agreements against each employee profile, and training modules cover product and process before the first call. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR. Note that FirstHR is an onboarding and HR platform, not a payroll provider.
The pattern underneath all three is that sales hiring arrives in bursts. A funding round, a new territory, or a bad quarter of attrition produces five hires in three weeks and then nothing for months, which is exactly the shape that breaks an ad-hoc process. Our guides to high-volume recruiting and time to hire cover how to keep a burst from turning into a backlog.
What happens after the offer is signed is a separate discipline again, and the one small companies most often skip. A sales hire who signs on Friday and gets a laptop on Monday with no ramp plan is a hire you will replace inside a year, which is why sales onboarding belongs in the hiring conversation rather than after it.
Key Takeaways
Sales recruiter describes four different desks: in-house full cycle, high-volume development-rep hiring, enterprise search, and an agency desk paid on billings. Name the one you are hiring in the first line of the posting.
The specialist skill is reading a sales resume: quota size versus attainment, deal value, cycle length, inherited territory, and whether any of it is verifiable.
Commission creates no overtime exemption. The section 7(i) route is written for retail and service establishments, which staffing and search firms generally are not, so most agency desks are non-exempt.
Promised placement bonuses are nondiscretionary and must be folded into the regular rate when a non-exempt recruiter works overtime, so write the plan down before the first paycheck.
The closest federal pay benchmark is human resources specialists at a $75,940 median (BLS OEWS, May 2025), with specialist sales desks sitting in the upper half of that range.
Screen with a work sample on a real open req rather than a conversation, and ask which of their own hires failed and why.
Sales hiring lands in bursts, and the paperwork lands with it. FirstHR runs the same onboarding sequence for every new hire, with e-signature for offers and commission plan acknowledgments, document storage for signed agreements, and training modules that cover product and process before the first call. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a sales recruiter do?
A sales recruiter fills revenue roles and only revenue roles: sales development reps, account executives, account managers, and sales leadership. The mechanics look like any other full-cycle recruiting job (intake, sourcing, screening, interview coordination, offer, close) but the screening is different in one specific way. A sales recruiter has to read a sales resume properly: quota size, quota attainment, average deal value, sales cycle length, whether the number came from the person or from an inherited territory, and whether it is verifiable at all. They also have to explain a compensation plan accurately, because a candidate who misunderstands ramp, draw, or accelerators during the screen will find out at the offer stage and walk. At a small company the seat usually reports to the sales leader rather than to HR.
What is the difference between a sales recruiter and a technical recruiter?
The difference is the market they hire into and the screen they have to run. A sales recruiter fills quota-carrying and sales support roles, screens for verifiable attainment and deal profile, and has to be fluent in compensation plans. A technical recruiter fills engineering and product roles, screens for stack depth and system experience, and usually partners with an engineering manager who runs the technical assessment. Volume differs too: sales hiring, especially at the development-rep level, is continuous and high-turnover, so a sales recruiter often runs a rolling pipeline rather than a set of discrete searches. The two roles are rarely interchangeable in practice, though at a small company one full-cycle recruiter may carry both and should be paid accordingly.
Is a sales recruiter exempt or non-exempt from overtime?
It depends on duties, not on the title and not on how the pay is structured. A recruiter who designs the sourcing strategy, sets the screening standard, and advises leadership on offers may qualify for the FLSA administrative exemption if the salary basis and salary level tests are met too. A recruiter working from a fixed script, a fixed scorecard, and a fixed calendar generally does not, and a sourcing or coordination seat almost never does. Commission is a common source of confusion. Paying a percentage of billings creates no exemption on its own, and the section 7(i) commission exemption is written for retail or service establishments, which a staffing or search firm generally is not. If the role is non-exempt, promised placement bonuses and commissions are nondiscretionary and must be folded into the regular rate used to calculate overtime. This is general information, not legal advice.
How much does a sales recruiter make?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish a separate occupation for recruiters, so the closest federal benchmark is human resources specialists, the classification covering people who recruit, screen, interview, and place workers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey (May 2025), that occupation had a median annual wage of $75,940, or $36.51 an hour, with the lowest ten percent under $47,180, the twenty-fifth percentile at $58,610, the seventy-fifth at $99,380, and the top ten percent above $128,720. About 944,300 people worked in the classification in 2024. Sales recruiting seats usually sit in the upper half of that range once variable pay is counted, and an agency desk works differently again: a lower base plus commission on placements, where total earnings swing hard with billings. Benchmark locally and publish a good-faith range where pay transparency rules apply.
Should a small business hire a sales recruiter or use an agency?
Volume and duration decide it. An agency makes sense for one or two senior searches a year, because you pay per placement and carry no fixed cost between hires. An in-house sales recruiter starts paying for itself when you are hiring salespeople continuously, because a typical contingency fee of fifteen to twenty-five percent of first-year compensation on several hires quickly exceeds a salary. There is a third option most small companies skip: a contract or fractional sales recruiter engaged for a defined hiring plan over a defined number of months, which fits the common pattern of a funding-driven hiring burst followed by a quiet year. Whichever route you take, write the intake, the scorecard, and the screen questions down, because that is the asset that stays with you when the recruiter does not.
How do you screen a sales recruiter in an interview?
Give them the work rather than the conversation, because sales recruiters persuade for a living and interview well by construction. Hand them one of your genuinely open sales roles and ask for a written intake plan, a sourced list of ten named candidates with a reason for each, and the exact outreach message they would send. Read that message the way a busy account executive would read it. Then ask which of their own hires failed and what they got wrong about the screen, since a recruiter who cannot name a miss has either not made enough hires or is not being honest with you. Finally ask for numbers with context: hires made, how many were still in seat after a year, and where their candidates actually came from.
What should a sales recruiter job description include?
Seven things. The hiring plan in numbers rather than adjectives, so the recruiter knows how many roles of which type by when. The specific sales roles and the segment, because hiring development reps and hiring enterprise account executives are different jobs. Who the recruiter partners with and who signs off on offers. Whether the interview process already exists or has to be built. The sourcing expectation, stated as a share of hires that will come from outbound. The FLSA classification, plus the commission or bonus plan terms in writing. And the base pay or a good-faith range, which matters more here than in most postings because a recruiter who cannot get a straight answer about their own pay will assume the same about the candidates they are asked to sell to. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
