How to hire an administrative professional

How to hire an administrative professional, step by step

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

What does an administrative professional do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring an administrative professional, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or 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 professional 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 professional that fits the bill.

   This list presents administrative professional salaries for various positions.

   Type of Administrative Professional	Description	Hourly rate
   Administrative Professional	Secretaries and administrative assistants perform clerical and administrative duties. They organize files, prepare documents, schedule appointments, and support other staff.	$11-31
   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
   Office Secretary	An office secretary is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to ensure the smooth flow of operations and prevent delays with project deliverables. Office secretaries also welcome guests, respond to their inquiries and concerns, and direct them to the appropriate department or personnel for their appointments... Show more	$12-20

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • PowerPoint
   • Data Entry
   • Travel Arrangements
   • Administrative Tasks
   • Office Equipment
   • SharePoint
   • Phone Calls
   • Office Procedures
   • Payroll
   • Reservations
   • Event Planning
   • Word Processing
   • Front Desk

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage documentation, folder structures and user permissions in SharePoint.
   • Participate in committee meetings by preparing minutes and presentation summaries, planning meeting agendas, and organizing and managing meeting logistics.
   • Keep vendors accounts up to date, process payroll, collect on accounts receivable, keep accounts payable up to date.
   • Create document libraries for several hospital initiatives in SharePoint.
   • Receive and distribute payroll garnishment/bankruptcy notification letters to employees.
   • Develop and maintain relevant organizational charts, facilitating retrieval of staff data in PowerPoint format.

   More administrative professional duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the administrative professional job description is a good way to get more applicants. An administrative professional salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for an administrative professional in Tennessee may be lower than in Connecticut, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level administrative professional. Additionally, an administrative professional with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average administrative professional salary

   $39,486yearly

   $18.98 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level administrative professional salary

   $23,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 21, 2026

   Average administrative professional salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$55,348	$27
   2	Connecticut	$53,491	$26
   3	New Jersey	$53,044	$26
   4	District of Columbia	$52,089	$25
   5	New York	$50,294	$24
   6	Texas	$46,770	$22
   7	Nevada	$44,480	$21
   8	Massachusetts	$43,838	$21
   9	Arizona	$41,439	$20
   10	Washington	$41,049	$20
   11	North Dakota	$38,377	$18
   12	Ohio	$36,418	$18
   13	Michigan	$36,261	$17
   14	Alabama	$36,084	$17
   15	Colorado	$35,497	$17
   16	North Carolina	$34,993	$17
   17	Missouri	$34,922	$17
   18	Utah	$34,858	$17
   19	Illinois	$34,835	$17
   20	Indiana	$34,832	$17

   Average administrative professional salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	HomeOwners Advantage	$125,006	$60.10	3
   2	RE/MAX	$96,976	$46.62	3
   3	AlixPartners	$90,780	$43.64	2
   4	Jacobs Engineering Group	$81,896	$39.37
   5	MUFG EMEA	$65,321	$31.40
   6	Subaru	$54,156	$26.04
   7	Northrop Grumman	$52,707	$25.34	11
   8	AssuredPartners	$51,787	$24.90
   9	Holder Construction	$49,771	$23.93	3
   10	Siemens	$49,665	$23.88	3
   11	UC Merced	$49,394	$23.75
   12	Beacon Hill Staffing Group	$49,146	$23.63
   13	University of California-Berkeley	$49,079	$23.60	1
   14	Washington State University	$48,510	$23.32	3
   15	Computer Science Corporation	$48,291	$23.22
   16	Univ Of Colorado-Colorado Spgs	$47,732	$22.95
   17	UC Santa Barbara	$47,654	$22.91
   18	PSEA	$47,003	$22.60	10
   19	Cottage Grove MN	$46,722	$22.46
   20	University of Colorado Boulder	$46,251	$22.24	17

4. Writing an administrative professional job description

   A good administrative professional 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 professional job description:

   Administrative professional job description example

   $5,000 HIRING BONUS (Prorated by FTE)

   • Full-time and part-time(20 hours minimum per week) available.
     
   • Benefits for 30+ hours per week include:
     • Family medical, dental, long term disability, 403(b) plan with 6% match, and more.
     • Generous paid time off policy. (Annual accrual up to 208 hours - based on FTE status and available to use upon accrual). Plus 11 paid holidays annually.
       
   • Bilingual skills a plus; Options pays a premium for employees who can conduct business in Spanish and provide certification of a language proficiency test approved by the Oregon Health Authority that meets a proficiency level of “High Intermediate”.

   Schedule : Monday-Friday 8AM-5PM

   Overview

   The Administrative Professional 2 provides excellent internal and external customer service by phone and in person as part of the Support Services team for our outpatient programs. Provides administrative support for the agency or department. Works with clients to fill out admission paper work, explains the range of services available to the client, and facilitates the client’s entry into service. Assists in scheduling client appointments and coordinating services.

   Responsibilities

   Responds to phone and in-person questions and concerns from community and those seeking services.

   Schedules client appointments.

   Processes client enrollments, tracks data, prepares routine correspondence, and utilizes a variety of computer programs.

   Provides clerical support to program manager and agency staff, reviewing, copying, collating, and assembling documents, making phone calls, etc.

   Develops knowledge of agency’s departments and services; directs clients and callers to the appropriate resource.

   Greets and assists mental health clients and visitors.

   Assists with special projects or other departmental activities.

   Qualifications

   Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to multi-task in a fast-paced office environment with a high degree of flexibility required.

   High school diploma or equivalent and a general understanding of the population served. Some post-secondary coursework preferred. Possess medical or human service business experience sufficient to meet the demands of the position, including proficiency with a variety of software applications.

   Candidates must be able to use e-mail, compose documents, save and locate documents electronically, and learn to use our Electronic Health Record (EHR) system. Proficiency in Word and other MS Office applications preferred.

   Must pass state-required background and DMV checks. Candidate must be able to work independently and flexibly, under general supervision.

   Options for Southern Oregon is subject to the State of Oregon vaccine mandate for healthcare workers. New hires must submit vaccination documentation showing they are fully vaccinated, or be approved for an exception/accommodation, by their hire date.
   
   Options for Southern Oregon provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regards to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find administrative professionals for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit administrative professionals, 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 professional

   Once you've found the administrative professional 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 professional. 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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How much does it cost to hire an administrative professional?