How to hire an administrative assistant and recruiter

How to hire an administrative assistant and recruiter, step by step

Here's a step-by-step administrative assistant and recruiter hiring guide:

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

What does an administrative assistant and recruiter do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the administrative assistant and recruiter you need to hire. Certain administrative assistant and recruiter roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   An administrative assistant and recruiter's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, administrative assistant and recruiters from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of administrative assistant and recruiters.

   Type of Administrative Assistant And Recruiter	Description	Hourly rate
   Administrative Assistant And Recruiter	Secretaries and administrative assistants perform clerical and administrative duties. They organize files, prepare documents, schedule appointments, and support other staff.	$12-27
   Administrative Support	Administrative support specialists provide different types of governmental assistance. They carry out varied clerical duties in almost all industries... Show more	$12-25
   Administrative Staff	As the administrative staff, they primarily provide administrative and secretarial support for the department. Typically, they do report-writing, filing and scheduling, and payroll... Show more	$27-48

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Data Entry
   • Background Checks
   • HR
   • Travel Arrangements
   • Interview Schedules
   • Recruitment Process
   • Drug Screens
   • Reference Checks
   • Candidate Interviews
   • Expense Reports
   • Interview Process
   • I-9
   • Administrative Tasks
   • Front Desk

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Add responsibility of building, maintaining, and managing all key components of the applicant tracking system within the HRIS.
   • Orchestrate special events and reservations; manage customer relations and provide exemplary service to all customers.
   • Recruit potential clients through a database system and via LinkedIn.
   • Maintain professional social networking sites, such as LinkedIn and Facebook.
   • Audit I9 files on a regular basis and acquire new documents if necessary.
   • Research data to report; EEO, salary grid, and title/job description data.

   More administrative assistant and recruiter duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your administrative assistant and recruiter job description helps attract top candidates to the position. An administrative assistant and recruiter salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for an administrative assistant and recruiter in Missouri may be lower than in California, and an entry-level administrative assistant and recruiter usually earns less than a senior-level administrative assistant and recruiter. Additionally, an administrative assistant and recruiter with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average administrative assistant and recruiter salary

   $40,247yearly

   $19.35 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level administrative assistant and recruiter salary

   $27,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 21, 2025

   Average administrative assistant and recruiter salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$63,095	$30
   2	District of Columbia	$58,813	$28
   3	Washington	$49,397	$24
   4	Utah	$44,827	$22
   5	Oregon	$42,965	$21
   6	Maryland	$42,053	$20
   7	Massachusetts	$41,967	$20
   8	Texas	$39,735	$19
   9	North Carolina	$38,313	$18
   10	Illinois	$38,140	$18
   11	Wisconsin	$37,340	$18
   12	Minnesota	$35,013	$17
   13	Tennessee	$33,093	$16
   14	Florida	$32,444	$16
   15	Montana	$30,897	$15

   Average administrative assistant and recruiter salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Kent Daniels & Associates	$71,752	$34.50	14
   2	McGuireWoods	$55,695	$26.78	5
   3	Beacon Hill Staffing Group	$51,221	$24.63
   4	University of California	$50,826	$24.44	33
   5	University of California-Berkeley	$50,481	$24.27	1
   6	Pacific Architects and Engineers	$48,889	$23.50
   7	Cenergy International Services	$41,599	$20.00
   8	PSEA	$40,807	$19.62	14
   9	Illinois Farm Bureau	$40,716	$19.57
   10	Unifi Manufacturing	$40,300	$19.38
   11	Staffing 360 Solutions	$40,192	$19.32
   12	Della Infotech	$40,192	$19.32
   13	IH Services	$40,070	$19.26
   14	Epes Transport System	$39,566	$19.02
   15	The GEO Group	$39,359	$18.92	1
   16	Randstad North America, Inc.	$39,148	$18.82	12
   17	Kelly Services	$38,729	$18.62	63
   18	Robert Half	$38,651	$18.58	342
   19	Sodexo Management, Inc.	$38,213	$18.37	27
   20	ManpowerGroup	$37,600	$18.08	62

4. Writing an administrative assistant and recruiter job description

   A good administrative assistant and recruiter job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of an administrative assistant and recruiter job description:

   Administrative assistant and recruiter job description example

   Job DescriptionOrganizes and implements administrative systems and procedures. Serves as principal source of information on unit, project or program. Gathers and maintains data for and assists in preparing reports, often using a variety of computer software. Prepares and maintains financial, personnel, administrative, student records. Provides for smooth day to day flow of communications within the department. May compose, proofread, edit and prepare correspondence, reports and other materials using word processing, spreadsheets and or databases. Arranges for use of facilities and plans meetings, conferences and seminars. Contributes to unit goals by accomplishing clerical or administrative duties as required. Ability to work independently with minimal supervision, to handle complex and confidential information. Competency using a variety of office computer software. Requires intermediate to advanced knowledge of email calendar, word processing, spreadsheets. Prior office experience required.
   
   Provides administrative support in the day-to-day operations of External Relations Alumni Marketing & Communications, working closely with the senior director and leadership team. Performs a variety of administrative duties, including managing budget and invoice processes, provides support for the alumni magazine publishing process, collateral inventory management, and distributing mail. Performs editorial duties including content tagging. Delivers excellent customer service to internal partners in External Relations (ER) and across HBS, as well as alumni.
   
   1. Supports budget management for the department; and by creating reports and dashboards as necessary
   
   2. Provides support for the HBS Alumni Bulletin magazine, including quarterly tasks of tagging class notes, managing distribution of special deliveries, logging special mentions of individuals; weekly managing the email inbox; annually preparing the year's production schedules, ordering the bound copies of the year's magazines and filing each issue with the Library of Congress
   3. Manages in-house printing on-demand
   4. Materials management and collation for special presentations
   5. Orders office supplies
   6. Supports photo archiving, batching photos and uploading to digital asset management system
   7. Assists in preparing mailing lists for vendors
   8. May provide general office assistance for immediate supervisor and leadership team, including monitoring and responding to office voice mail and email boxes, and maintaining department vendor list.
   9. Manages multiple schedules as needed.
   
   Skills and experience
   The successful candidate should have the ability to work independently with minimal supervision, as well as part of a team, be comfortable working with staff at all levels in an organization, possess strong organizational and excellent interpersonal skills, be accurate and detail-oriented, and have the ability to manage and prioritize multiple projects to meet deadlines in a fast-paced office. Ability to handle complex and confidential information with discretion. Able to work overtime (including weekend time) during peak periods (rare occurrence). Candidate should have the willingness to learn new skills, the ability to communicate ideas clearly (verbally and written), and a knowledge of customer service. College degree preferred. Proficiency in all Microsoft Office applications, including advanced skills in Excel (required).

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right administrative assistant and recruiter for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit administrative assistant and recruiters, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   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 administrative assistant and recruiter

   Once you've decided on a perfect administrative assistant and recruiter candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new administrative assistant and recruiter. 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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