Employment Interviewer

Job Skills

Employment interviewers must be high-energy, poised, tactful, patient, and professional people. They must have highly-developed telephone skills and sales ability. They need to be free of ethnic or social prejudice, and be able to process facts and present analysis clearly and concisely. They should also be very interested in working with people.

Income

The salaries of employment interviewers vary depending on a number of factors such as location and type of employer, and length and type of experience. Median wages vary between $11.54 per hour and $13.57 per hour. Experienced employment interviewers can earn up to $13.60 per hour. However, they often earn commissions from private employment agencies of between 30 and 50 percent of the employer or applicant fee. Most work full time and standard business hours, and most employers offer paid vacation, sick leave, medical, dental, and life insurance, and partially paid retirement plans.

Training and Education

Most employers require candidates to have a bachelor's degree with emphasis in personnel and industrial relations, psychology, social studies, and interviewing techniques. Some employers will waive college requirements if the candidate has substantial work experience. Many employers offer on-the-job training in areas such as agency procedures, classification of jobs, and interviewing techniques. Firms that hire highly-trained employees such as accountants, lawyers, engineers, or executives prefer employment interviewers who have some degree of experience in the relevant field.

Job Outlook

Between 2002 and 2012, the number of employment interviewers is expected to increase much faster than the average. Temporary employment agencies and personnel consulting firms will create the most new jobs. However, growth will not occur in local government agencies due to reduced budgets and the rise in usage of computerized job matching services, particularly over the Internet.