How to hire an administrative associate

How to hire an administrative associate, step by step

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

What does an administrative associate do?

Post an administrative associate job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your administrative associate 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 an administrative associate 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 an administrative associate 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 an administrative associate that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of administrative associates.

   Type of Administrative Associate	Description	Hourly rate
   Administrative Associate	Secretaries and administrative assistants perform clerical and administrative duties. They organize files, prepare documents, schedule appointments, and support other staff.	$11-24
   Secretary	Secretaries are employees who are responsible for many of the administrative needs of the office. They are usually assigned to executives or to a specific department... Show more	$12-24
   Department Secretary	A department secretary is responsible for providing administrative and clerical support to a specific department, ensuring smooth operations to maintain high-quality services to the customers and business partners. Department secretaries should have excellent knowledge of office management principles, especially on data processing procedures and customer service processes... Show more	$12-22

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Administrative Tasks
   • Purchase Orders
   • Customer Service
   • Telephone Calls
   • Travel Arrangements
   • Patients
   • Data Entry
   • Medical Terminology
   • PowerPoint
   • Office Equipment
   • Patient Care
   • Eagle
   • Phone Calls
   • Excellent Organizational

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage consultants' calendar, arrange travel, paid bills via QuickBooks software.
   • Support medical doctors, manage sensitive and confidential records pertaining to high risk patients with emphasis on accuracy.
   • Enter invoices in QuickBooks and P2P.
   • Fulfill medical record requests from patients, providers and insurance companies in a HIPAA compliant way.
   • Prepare PowerPoint presentations and address day to day general operations and office procedures.
   • Prepare PowerPoint & other digital media for presentations that are distributed to upper management.

   More administrative associate duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your administrative associate job description helps attract top candidates to the position. An administrative associate 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 associate in Kentucky may be lower than in New York, and an entry-level administrative associate usually earns less than a senior-level administrative associate. Additionally, an administrative associate 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 associate salary

   $16.77hourly

   $34,873 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level administrative associate salary

   $23,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 13, 2026

   Average administrative associate salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$48,108	$23
   2	New York	$43,752	$21
   3	Connecticut	$40,640	$20
   4	Massachusetts	$40,252	$19
   5	Minnesota	$39,435	$19
   6	Illinois	$39,045	$19
   7	Virginia	$37,073	$18
   8	Ohio	$36,413	$18
   9	Pennsylvania	$36,302	$17
   10	California	$36,168	$17
   11	Nebraska	$34,879	$17
   12	Indiana	$33,443	$16
   13	Colorado	$33,193	$16
   14	Tennessee	$32,553	$16
   15	West Virginia	$31,245	$15
   16	North Carolina	$30,954	$15
   17	Kansas	$30,100	$14
   18	Florida	$29,457	$14
   19	Arizona	$28,051	$13
   20	Georgia	$27,519	$13

   Average administrative associate salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Lord Abbett	$110,635	$53.19	1
   2	First Republic Bank	$103,673	$49.84
   3	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$102,050	$49.06	88
   4	City National Bank	$96,974	$46.62	11
   5	State Street	$95,079	$45.71	27
   6	AllianceBernstein	$82,840	$39.83	5
   7	Eli Lilly and Company	$75,521	$36.31	1
   8	Sempra Energy	$72,473	$34.84
   9	Accenture	$65,993	$31.73
   10	Wiss Janney Elstner	$64,242	$30.89
   11	University of Illinois Springfield	$63,090	$30.33
   12	BlackRock	$60,854	$29.26	4
   13	BTAS	$54,263	$26.09
   14	Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai	$53,203	$25.58	1
   15	Advent Software	$53,188	$25.57
   16	Children's Hospital Los Angeles	$50,113	$24.09	2
   17	Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center	$48,918	$23.52
   18	Yale University	$48,906	$23.51	23
   19	Stanford University	$48,878	$23.50	20
   20	Research Foundation of The City University of New York	$48,809	$23.47

4. Writing an administrative associate job description

   An administrative associate 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. Below, you can find an example of an administrative associate job description:

   Administrative associate job description example

   Ferguson is the largest wholesale distributor of residential and commercial plumbing supplies and pipe, valves and fittings in the U.S. The company is also a major distributor of HVAC equipment, fire protection systems, waterworks and industrial products and services. Ferguson and its subsidiaries serve customers in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, Mexico and the Caribbean.
   
   We realize that our greatest assets are our best-in-class associates, which is why we're dedicated to offering limitless opportunities for growth and advancement. We want to help you build a long-lasting career with Ferguson. Together, we can continue to lead the industry and help build our nation's infrastructure from the ground up. Join our Brookshire, TX Distribution Center team today!
   
   Ferguson is currently seeking the right individual to fill an immediate need for an Administrative Assistant in our brand new distribution center located in Brookshire, TX.
   Responsibilities
   Answer and transfer incoming calls pleasantly and professionally Direct calls to the appropriate associate or department, take a message or transfer to the associate's voicemail when necessary Greet visitors and alert associates when they have a visitor Data entry Warehouse Supply Inventory and OrderingAccounts payable Assisting with various HR functions including setting up interviews, completing paperwork, engagement events, etc.
   
   Qualifications
   High school degree is required combined with previous administrative experience Must be customer service minded and have excellent interpersonal skills, including written and verbal communication Proficient in Microsoft Office products Ability to handle multi-line phone system Ability to work well in a fast-paced environment Minimum clerical skills (basic typing and computer skills)
   
   Ferguson is dedicated to providing meaningful benefits programs and products to our associates and their families-geared toward benefits, wellness, financial protection, and retirement savings. Ferguson offers a competitive benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, retirement savings with company match, paid leave (vacation, sick, personal, holiday, and paternal), employee assistance programs, associate discounts, community involvement opportunities, and much more!
   
   -
   The Company is an equal opportunity employer as well as a government contractor that shall abide by the requirements of 41 CFR 60-300.5(a), which prohibits discrimination against qualified protected Veterans and the requirements of 41 CFR 60-741.5(A), which prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals on the basis of disability.
   
   Ferguson Enterprises, LLC. is an equal employment employer F/M/Disability/Vet/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity.
   
   Equal Employment Opportunity and Reasonable Accommodation Information

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find administrative associates for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any administrative associates they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level administrative associates with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your administrative associate job on Zippia to find and recruit administrative associate 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 associates, 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.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete 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 associate

   Once you've decided on a perfect administrative associate 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.

   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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new administrative associate. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire an administrative associate?