How to hire a Video Editor

How to hire a video editor, step by step

Here's a step-by-step video editor hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a video editor job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new video editor
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a Video Editor do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your video editor job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a video editor for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine Employee vs Contractor Status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a video editor to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a video editor that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of video editors.

   Type Of Video Editor	Description	Hourly Rate
   Video Editor	Film and video editors and camera operators manipulate moving images that entertain or inform an audience.	$15-37
   Editing Internship	An editorial intern is responsible for assisting the editorial department of an organization with publishing various media and digital content. Editorial interns shadow tenured editorial staff on researching stories, validating information, writing captivating articles, interviewing target audiences, and screening submitted manuscripts... Show More	$12-21
   Editor & Producer	A Production Editor is responsible for the process of launching a publication. They format, edit, and proofread book manuscripts.	$15-37

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common Skills:

   • Video Content
   • Motion Graphics
   • Video Production
   • YouTube
   • Adobe Premiere Pro
   • Adobe Photoshop
   • Edit Video
   • Color Correction
   • Adobe Creative Suite
   • Media Management
   • Graphic Design
   • Video Projects
   • Photography
   • Promotional Videos

   Check All Skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Upgrade PC's and manage the network involving internet, cable and satellite.
   • Manage a Facebook page to help promote the show and are fans can know the latest news.
   • Manage media assets including creating graphics, digitizing, archiving, editorial 'string-outs' and tracking media assets.
   • Interact with different organizations to acquire additional footage and manage company YouTube page.
   • Manage and resolve editorial disagreements across relevant departmental staff to join up an organizational narrative on each output.
   • Produce and re-edite b-roll packages to be place on video web hosting sites such as YouTube, iTunes, and Google.

   More Video Editor duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the video editor job description is a good way to get more applicants. A video editor salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a video editor in Wyoming may be lower than in New Jersey, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level video editor. Additionally, a video editor with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average video editor salary

   $51,131yearly

   $24.58 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level video editor salary

   $33,000 yearly salary

   Updated March 26, 2025

   Average video editor salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate
   1	California	$68,008	$33
   2	New Jersey	$67,822	$33
   3	New York	$65,197	$31
   4	Pennsylvania	$60,754	$29
   5	Massachusetts	$56,499	$27
   6	District of Columbia	$50,917	$24
   7	Virginia	$50,439	$24
   8	Washington	$47,697	$23
   9	Illinois	$46,167	$22
   10	Alabama	$46,042	$22
   11	Arizona	$44,741	$22
   12	Colorado	$44,526	$21
   13	Wisconsin	$43,305	$21
   14	Utah	$42,128	$20
   15	Maryland	$41,866	$20
   16	Missouri	$41,226	$20
   17	Georgia	$40,195	$19
   18	Florida	$36,168	$17
   19	Minnesota	$33,404	$16
   20	Texas	$30,815	$15

   Average video editor salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
   1	Apple	$99,393	$47.79	23
   2	East-West Center	$85,339	$41.03
   3	Amazon	$84,050	$40.41	38
   4	Bloomberg	$82,543	$39.68	4
   5	NRDC	$80,733	$38.81
   6	ESPN	$76,563	$36.81	2
   7	Morgan Stanley	$75,181	$36.14
   8	Gaia	$72,694	$34.95	2
   9	Anastasia Beverly Hills	$72,605	$34.91
   10	Texas Roadhouse	$71,650	$34.45
   11	Altice USA	$70,141	$33.72	7
   12	Sony Pictures	$69,891	$33.60
   13	R/GA	$68,040	$32.71
   14	Accenture	$66,683	$32.06
   15	Activision Blizzard	$65,866	$31.67	7
   16	Kabam	$65,013	$31.26
   17	OpenEye - The Cloud Video Platform	$64,934	$31.22
   18	Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc.	$64,579	$31.05
   19	Manifest Solutions	$64,560	$31.04
   20	Arrow Electronics	$64,257	$30.89

4. Writing a Video Editor Job Description

   A job description for a video editor role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a video editor job description:

   Video Editor job description example

   Who We Are
   
   Our mission is simple: to rid the world of cheesy corporate videos. It's a tall task, and our work is far from done. That's where you come in - because behind every pixel we create exists an incredibly talented, highly motivated team relentlessly committed to producing incredible video content that elevates our clients' brand.
   
   About You
   
   You're a digital creative who specializes in editing videos in Adobe Premiere. Whether you're cutting a 30 second narrative commercial or a 12-minute branded documentary, you understand that story is everything. You use subtle tweaks to pace and tone to keep viewers engaged and drive them to take action. You know that effective editors keep things tidy, and you hold a grudge when you see offline media is sitting in someone else's downloads folder. Multicam sequences, the lumetri panel, captioning tools, and After Effects pre-comps don't send you into a tizzy. Most importantly, you're an effective and upbeat collaborator across multiple rounds of revisions with 522 and our clients.
   
   Applications must include a link to a portfolio of recent and relevant videos. Applications without a portfolio will not be considered. Direct links to Google Drive or Dropbox also will not be considered.
   With 522, you will:Work directly with our creative directors and project managers in our Alexandria, VA office. Edit videos in Adobe Premiere and After Effects.Take projects from raw footage to completion with minimal hand-holding.Implement feedback from 522 and our clients during in-person workshops and through written notes. Navigate 522's stock music, video, and photo libraries to select assets that meet concept and brand requirements. Proof all video deliverables twice for good measure and maintain impeccably-organized project files.
   
   What's Next?
   
   Bringing the right people onto our team is one of our most important responsibilities. Our interview process, particularly for full-time work, may consist of multiple rounds of phone, video, and in-person interviews. We take our time to make sure the process is done right. We'll do our best to respond to each applicant, but please know that we appreciate your interest even if a position with us isn't an immediate fit.
   
   If you want to be a big part of a growing business, if you want a team environment to collaborate on creative ideas, if you want to take the next step in your career-come talk to us.
   
   At 522 Productions, we're made stronger by working with people with a diverse set of backgrounds and perspectives. We're an equal opportunity employer and we're committed to providing reasonable accommodations to any applicant or employee with a disability.

   Copy This Example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find video editors for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your video editor job on Zippia to find and recruit video editor candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with video editor candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new video editor

   Once you've found the video editor candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new video editor. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a video editor?