Doormen add elegance and a measure of security to establishments where they work. They are often the first and last face a person encounters when visiting a building, putting them in a position to impact a person's overall experience. Doormen positions range from part-time hourly positions with no benefits to full-time, unionized positions. According to Indeed.com, as of December 2014, the average salary for a doorman in the U.S. was $24,000.

Job Requirements and Skills

Doormen must be able to stand for long periods and may have to work in inclement weather. They may have to lift a certain amount of weight regularly. Doormen must be well groomed and need good communication, etiquette and customer service skills. They should be good at remembering names, faces and other details about clients and tenants. Honesty and integrity are also important, since doormen are often trusted with others' property and granted access to homes and hotel rooms. Some employers conduct criminal background checks and may require a high school diploma or GED. Some employers also prefer to hire doormen with previous hospitality experience.

Duties: More Than Opening Doors

Doormen's duties vary depending on the type of establishment. Doormen work in office buildings, apartment buildings, resorts and hotels. They open doors when people arrive and greet those entering a building. These workers announce guests, get permission for visitors to go to a desired location in a building and ensure visitors sign in and out. Doormen accept packages, hail taxis and clear walkways. Some employers and unions don't strictly define a doorman's duties, and guests or residents ask them to do additional tasks, such as walking dogs, checking on elderly tenants or helping people carry groceries or luggage.

Tips

Doormen commonly receive tips for additional services. A doorman at a hotel may receive tips daily for helping guests with their luggage or other tasks. For residential doormen, tips are especially common during the holiday season. In a 2013 Brick Underground article, residential doormen in New York City reported receiving holiday gifts ranging from $20 to $600. The amount may vary depending on how long the tenant lived in the building, how the tenant's finances fared during the year and how helpful the doorman has been.

Doorman Pay

A doorman's salary varies depending on location and the type of establishment. The best doormen jobs are at high-end resorts and in New York City, says Job Monkey. In December 2014, Indeed.com reported the average New York doorman salary was $33,000, identical to the average salary for doormen in San Francisco. In Houston, doormen averaged $27,000 a year, while doormen in Chicago earned $29,000. But in Las Vegas, doormen only averaged $19,000, 19 percent less than the national average, according to Indeed.com.