How to hire an administrative assistant/project coordinator

How to hire an administrative assistant/project coordinator, step by step

Here's a step-by-step administrative assistant/project coordinator 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/project coordinator job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new administrative assistant/project coordinator
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The administrative assistant/project coordinator hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

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   Hiring the perfect administrative assistant/project coordinator also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   Here's a comparison of administrative assistant/project coordinator salaries for various roles:

   Type of Administrative Assistant/Project Coordinator	Description	Hourly rate
   Administrative Assistant/Project Coordinator	Secretaries and administrative assistants perform clerical and administrative duties. They organize files, prepare documents, schedule appointments, and support other staff.	$13-25

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • PowerPoint
   • Purchase Orders
   • Database Management
   • Expense Reports
   • General Contractors
   • Meeting Minutes
   • Payroll
   • SharePoint
   • Status Reports
   • Office Equipment
   • Administrative Tasks
   • Calendar Management
   • Provides Administrative Support
   • Event Planning

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage electronic files and hard copies of technical documents in EDMS.
   • Manage quality assurance checks for FDA and internal audits which result in no documentation/information error and successful completion of the audits.
   • Assist with the upgrade of the EDMS from start to finish.
   • Provide change orders, RFI's for each project, back charge invoices.
   • Coordinate documents and transferring to GMP.
   • Write departmental work instructions, procedures and update forms for ISO conformance.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your administrative assistant/project coordinator job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An administrative assistant/project coordinator salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, administrative assistant/project coordinators' average salary in oklahoma is 43% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level administrative assistant/project coordinators earn 46% less than senior-level administrative assistant/project coordinators.
   • Certifications. An administrative assistant/project coordinator with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in an administrative assistant/project coordinator's salary.

   Average administrative assistant/project coordinator salary

   $38,876yearly

   $18.69 hourly rate

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   Entry-level administrative assistant/project coordinator salary

   $28,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

4. Writing an administrative assistant/project coordinator job description

   An administrative assistant/project coordinator job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of an administrative assistant/project coordinator job description:

   Administrative assistant/project coordinator job description example

   Job DescriptionSoftware Guidance & Assistance, Inc., (SGA), is searching for a Business Analyst for a FULL TIME assignment with one of our premier Pharmaceutical Services clients in Hawthorne, NY .
   
   Responsibilities :

   • Actively work and support CEO with various tactical and strategic projects.
   • Lead and liaise special corporate initiatives requiring cross functional communication with key staff across multiple geographic regions.
   • Responsible for managing and preparing monthly management reports and dashboards working with key functions.
   • Support key commercial team business reviews and function as an active contributor in assessing opportunities driving business success.
   • Coordinate monthly reviews of different functions and progress update on key projects undertaken by multiple business units.

   
   Required Skills :

   • A minimum of a Bachelor's degree is required
   • At least one to two years of experience in corporate analytics / business strategy preferably within the pharmaceutical industry.
   • Strong interpersonal skills
   • Strong collaboration skills
   • Strong oral and written communication skills with the ability to speak publicly
   • Strong negotiation and influencing skills
   • Adept with the use of MS Excel, PowerPoint, and familiarity with ERP systems.

   Preferred Skills :

   • MBA or MS in Operations/Finance strongly preferred.

   
   SGA is a Certified Women's Business Enterprise (WBE) celebrating over thirty years of service to our national client base for both permanent placement and consulting opportunities. For consulting positions, we offer a variety of benefit options including but not limited to health & dental insurance, paid vacation, timely payment via direct deposit. SGA accepts transfers of H1 sponsorship for most contracting roles. We are unable to sponsor for Right-to-Hire, Fulltime, or Government roles. All parties authorized to work in the US are encouraged to apply for all roles. Only those authorized to work for government entities will be considered for government roles. Please inquire about our referral program if you would like to submit a candidate for any of our open or future job opportunities. SGA is an EEO employer. We encourage Veterans to apply. To view all of our available job postings and/or to learn more about SGA please visit us online at www.sgainc.com .

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5. Post your job

   To find the right administrative assistant/project coordinator for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with administrative assistant/project coordinators they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit administrative assistant/project coordinators who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit administrative assistant/project coordinators, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates 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/project coordinator

   Once you've found the administrative assistant/project coordinator 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 also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new administrative assistant/project coordinator. 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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