How to hire an administrative graduate assistant

How to hire an administrative graduate assistant, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The administrative graduate assistant 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 graduate assistant 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.

   This list shows salaries for various types of administrative graduate assistants.

   Type of Administrative Graduate Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Administrative Graduate Assistant	Secretaries and administrative assistants perform clerical and administrative duties. They organize files, prepare documents, schedule appointments, and support other staff.	$13-25
   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
   Administrative Internship	Administrative interns are entry-level professionals providing administrative support in organizations. The interns are responsible for the improvement of their knowledge of administrative works... Show more	$14-24

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Graduate Studies
   • Data Entry
   • Undergraduate Courses
   • Student Data
   • Graduate Assistants
   • Alumni
   • Provides Administrative Support
   • Administrative Tasks
   • Computer Lab
   • Graduate Programs
   • Clerical Support
   • Financial Reports
   • Event Planning
   • Front Desk

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Support medical doctors, manage sensitive and confidential records pertaining to high risk patients with emphasis on accuracy.
   • Create websites for various CBA departments using HTML and JavaScript.
   • Develop Ecommerce website ElectrOnline using HTML, PHP, MySQL, JavaScript, XAMPP server.
   • Provide assistance with grading assignments, as well as the creation and maintenance of PowerPoint slides and online course webpage.
   • Assist supervisor to arrange PowerPoint presentation for quarterly budget proposal.
   • Provide day-to-day administration and support operations, maintenance, and upgrades on SharePoint intranet and Internet.

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, administrative graduate assistants' average salary in oklahoma is 45% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level administrative graduate assistants earn 46% less than senior-level administrative graduate assistants.
   • Certifications. An administrative graduate assistant 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 graduate assistant's salary.

   Average administrative graduate assistant salary

   $38,707yearly

   $18.61 hourly rate

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   Entry-level administrative graduate assistant salary

   $28,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

4. Writing an administrative graduate assistant job description

   An administrative graduate assistant 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 graduate assistant job description:

   Administrative graduate assistant job description example

   The College of Media & Communication at Texas Tech University is seeking a full-time Administrative Assistant to support Undergraduate and Graduate Affairs. The Administrative Assistant will be responsible to assist with covering the following essential duties:
   Serves as Graduate Affairs Receptionist Support graduate and undergraduate scheduling through enrollment verification, course histories, changes and withdrawal/admits Verify Funded Student Enrollment for minimum hours Create files for new graduate programs student applicants and add info to Access Student Records Attend Graduate Programs and Undergraduate Affairs Meetings and take minutes Coordinate graduate files in Access and Student Tracker Data Base including new graduate programs applications, student records and data backups Coordinate submission of graduate student annual reviews Submit SharePoint forms, print out Calendar for 158G and prepare appropriate forms Mail out acceptance or non-acceptance letters for graduate students Coordinate MCOM 6350 presentations Coordinate Graduate Programs travel for prospective job candidates Manage graduate student office space Maintain email lists of undergraduate and graduate students Maintain and update alumni information Other duties as assigned to ensure the smooth operation of the Undergraduate and Graduate Affairs Ability to manage multiple tasks Excellent written and oral communication skills Excellent organizational skills and time management skills Respectful, cooperative, and effective in getting along with a diverse group of employees, faculty, and clients Ability to be a great team player to anticipate the needs of the office Knowledgeable in the use of MS Office to include MS Outlook; MS Word; MS Access and MS Excel Prior office experience
   
   Major/Essential Functions
   
   Performs routine administrative support or technical program assistance work. Works under moderate supervision with limited latitude for the use of initiative and independent judgment.
   
   Required Qualifications
   
   Completion of high school or the equivalent. Five years office experience. Additional education may substitute for experience on a year for year basis.
   
   Preferred Qualifications
   
   Excellent word processing abilities and knowledgeable in the use of MS Office to include MS Outlook; MS Word; MS Access and MS Excel Prior office experience

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5. Post your job

   To find the right administrative graduate assistant 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 graduate assistants they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit administrative graduate assistants 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 graduate assistant job on Zippia to find and recruit administrative graduate assistant 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 graduate assistants, 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 graduate assistant

   Once you've decided on a perfect administrative graduate assistant 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 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.

   To prepare for the new administrative graduate assistant first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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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