How to hire an administrative internship

How to hire an administrative internship, step by step

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

What does an administrative internship do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the administrative internship you need to hire. Certain administrative internship 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 internship's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, administrative interns 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.

   The following list breaks down different types of administrative interns and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Administrative Internship	Description	Hourly rate
   Administrative Internship	Secretaries and administrative assistants perform clerical and administrative duties. They organize files, prepare documents, schedule appointments, and support other staff.	$14-24
   Project Management Internship	When it comes to a project management internship, the tasks may vary on the organization or industry where one is involved. However, the primary duties are to provide administrative support by accomplishing tasks ranging from performing research and analysis, responding to inquiries and concerns, assisting in data entry and record-keeping, producing reports, and managing schedules... Show more	$12-20
   Office Administrator	Office administrators are employees who ensure that the office is running in tip-top shape. They manage the administrative needs of the office... Show more	$13-23

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Data Entry
   • Healthcare
   • PowerPoint
   • Administrative Intern
   • Financial Statements
   • Administrative Tasks
   • Windows
   • Human Resources
   • Patient Care
   • Front Desk
   • Professional Development
   • Salesforce
   • Data Analysis
   • Linux

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Create and manage the company's Facebook page for online promotion of artists and performances.
   • Manage Linux staging and testing environments.
   • Support medical doctors, manage sensitive and confidential records pertaining to high risk patients with emphasis on accuracy.
   • Assist with maintaining company newsletter, website, twitter, and Facebook.
   • Enhance operational effectiveness, emphasizing cost containment and high-quality patient care with healthcare organizations, government agencies, and third-party payers.
   • Create monthly student and alumni magazine.

   More administrative internship duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your administrative internship job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. An administrative internship can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, administrative interns' average salary in georgia is 36% less than in hawaii.
   • Seniority. Entry-level administrative interns 40% less than senior-level administrative interns.
   • Certifications. An administrative internship with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in an administrative internship's salary.

   Average administrative internship salary

   $38,801yearly

   $18.65 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level administrative internship salary

   $30,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 23, 2025

   Average administrative internship salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$45,721	$22
   2	Washington	$43,453	$21
   3	District of Columbia	$43,372	$21
   4	New York	$41,895	$20
   5	Colorado	$40,470	$19
   6	Massachusetts	$39,408	$19
   7	Utah	$39,063	$19
   8	Arizona	$38,677	$19
   9	Maryland	$37,903	$18
   10	Texas	$37,422	$18
   11	Virginia	$37,201	$18
   12	Michigan	$36,639	$18
   13	Illinois	$36,394	$18
   14	Montana	$35,880	$17
   15	Tennessee	$35,415	$17
   16	North Carolina	$35,392	$17
   17	Florida	$35,332	$17
   18	Pennsylvania	$35,286	$17
   19	Indiana	$35,015	$17
   20	New Jersey	$33,177	$16

   Average administrative internship salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Photronics	$83,776	$40.28
   2	Ciena	$48,075	$23.11
   3	Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center	$47,841	$23.00
   4	Dana-Farber Cancer Institute	$47,194	$22.69	4
   5	Washington State University	$47,019	$22.61	3
   6	Atos	$46,582	$22.40
   7	BBYO	$46,214	$22.22
   8	Northrop Grumman	$44,162	$21.23	7
   9	City of San Antonio	$44,077	$21.19	1
   10	American Water	$43,961	$21.14	2
   11	University of Massachusetts Medical School	$43,664	$20.99	4
   12	Family & Children Assoc	$43,477	$20.90
   13	General Dynamics	$43,060	$20.70	39
   14	Avid	$43,027	$20.69	2
   15	TransPerfect	$42,848	$20.60
   16	Baptist Health Home Care	$42,589	$20.48	7
   17	Intel	$42,396	$20.38
   18	City of Riverside	$41,888	$20.14
   19	Prime Healthcare	$41,874	$20.13
   20	Southcoast Health	$41,871	$20.13	1

4. Writing an administrative internship job description

   A job description for an administrative internship role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's an administrative internship job description:

   Administrative internship job description example

   We offer you an excellent total compensation package, including competitive salary, excellent benefit package and growth opportunities. We believe in our team and your ability to do excellent work with us. Your benefits include 401k, PTO medical, dental, flex spending, life, disability, tuition reimbursement, employee discount program, employee stock purchase program and student loan repayment. We would love to talk to you about this fantastic opportunity.

   Medical City Denton is a 208-bed full-service hospital that serves the growing population of Denton, Wise, Cooke and Montague Counties. Offering the full spectrum of healthcare, including advanced open-heart surgery and trauma programs, Medical City Denton's more than 850 employees and 300 physicians are constantly striving to offer the highest quality service to the North Texas area.

   Performs services relevant to patient care/treatment as delegated by the registered nurse; assists nursing staff and physicians with procedures; reports patient complaints, changes in status or requests to primary nurse or team leader within a timely manner; transports patients to other departments as delegated by nursing staff; maintains competency within scope of practice and attends educational/in-service as required to provide care. Provides patient care as needed for patient types, which include but are not limited to neurological disorders, oncologic, cardiac services, orthopedic disorders, and Trauma in the following age categories: adult, pediatric and geriatric populations.

   Qualifications

   • Must have completed Med/Surg rotation (Transcript Required) in an accredited nursing program.
   • Current Healthcare Provider BLS issued by the American Heart Association required.
   • Current PALS and ACLS issued by the American Heart Association preferred.
   • Prefer recent hospital PCA experience.
   • Strongly prefer basic computer skills to process order entry and retrieve data.

   Notice

   Our Company’s recruiters are here to help unlock the next possibility within your career and we take your candidate experience very seriously. During the recruitment process, no recruiter or employee will request financial or personal information (Social Security Number, credit card or bank information, etc.) from you via email. The recruiters will not email you from a public webmail client like Gmail or Yahoo Mail. If you feel suspicious of a job posting or job-related email, let us know by clicking here.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right administrative internship 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 interns they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit administrative interns 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 internship job on Zippia to find and recruit administrative internship candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with administrative internship candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   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 internship

   Once you've decided on a perfect administrative internship 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.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is 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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How much does it cost to hire an administrative internship?