How to hire an administrative support associate

How to hire an administrative support associate, step by step

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

What does an administrative support associate do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring an administrative support associate, 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

   Hiring the perfect administrative support associate 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.

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

   Type of Administrative Support Associate	Description	Hourly rate
   Administrative Support Associate	Secretaries and administrative assistants perform clerical and administrative duties. They organize files, prepare documents, schedule appointments, and support other staff.	$12-19
   Support	A support employee is responsible for assisting the business operations and responding to customers' inquiries and concerns regarding its goods and services. Support logs all customers' interaction and escalates potential complaints to the appropriate department... Show more	$11-25
   Support Staff	School support staff provide specialized instructional and student support while utilizing school facilities. They often include diverse staff members whose main role is to ensure that students learn in a supportive and safe learning environment... Show more	$12-19

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Administrative Tasks
   • Data Entry
   • Patients
   • PowerPoint
   • Payroll
   • HR
   • Hr Liaison
   • Excellent Organizational
   • Office Equipment
   • Phone Calls
   • I-9
   • Travel Arrangements
   • Clerical Support

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Orchestrate special events and reservations; manage customer relations and provide exemplary service to all customers.
   • Assist with migration from LiveLink to SharePoint.
   • Maintain and update SharePoint on daily, weekly and monthly basis.
   • Provide support for data analysis, production of reports, and PowerPoint presentations upon request.
   • Complete candidate dispositions post interview via Taleo.
   • Verify accuracy of payroll and make corrections and reconciliations as needed.

   More administrative support associate duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, administrative support associates' average salary in indiana is 39% less than in hawaii.
   • Seniority. Entry-level administrative support associates 34% less than senior-level administrative support associates.
   • Certifications. An administrative support associate 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 support associate's salary.

   Average administrative support associate salary

   $16.30hourly

   $33,903 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level administrative support associate salary

   $27,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 29, 2026

   Average administrative support associate salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Hawaii	$45,181	$22
   2	California	$39,619	$19
   3	Colorado	$39,297	$19
   4	Washington	$38,978	$19
   5	Illinois	$38,145	$18
   6	Texas	$38,131	$18
   7	New York	$37,770	$18
   8	Utah	$35,153	$17
   9	Arizona	$34,812	$17
   10	North Carolina	$32,461	$16
   11	Maine	$31,822	$15
   12	Tennessee	$31,503	$15
   13	Michigan	$31,034	$15
   14	Florida	$30,644	$15
   15	Georgia	$30,308	$15
   16	Virginia	$29,362	$14

   Average administrative support associate salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	National Renewable Energy Laboratory	$39,309	$18.90
   2	AlixPartners	$37,777	$18.16	2
   3	National Financial Network	$37,425	$17.99	2
   4	PHMC	$37,241	$17.90	1
   5	The Mosaic Company	$37,131	$17.85	2
   6	Univ. Of Texas Cancer Ctr.	$36,858	$17.72	63
   7	Colorado Boxed Beef Company	$36,171	$17.39
   8	Macy's	$35,722	$17.17	396
   9	Rainbow International	$35,221	$16.93	19
   10	Emergis	$35,135	$16.89
   11	University of North Carolina	$35,038	$16.85	14
   12	Randstad North America, Inc.	$34,640	$16.65	22
   13	True Corporation	$34,329	$16.50
   14	Five Star Gourmet Foods	$33,964	$16.33
   15	University of Texas System	$33,745	$16.22	10
   16	Northwell Health	$33,702	$16.20	101
   17	Gwinnett County	$33,064	$15.90	3
   18	Buncombe County Government	$32,983	$15.86
   19	Aerotek	$32,957	$15.84	21
   20	Kelly Services	$32,857	$15.80	48

4. Writing an administrative support associate job description

   An administrative support 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. To help get you started, here's an example of an administrative support associate job description:

   Administrative support associate job description example

   • $300 Sign-On Bonus Opportunity

   • Seasonal Performance Bonus

   • Employee Discount at Bloomingdale's & Macy's Stores

   • Flexible Scheduling

   • End of Year Job Placement Opportunities

   About:

   Bloomingdale's makes fashion personal and fun, aspirational yet approachable. Our mission is to guide and inspire our customers to make style a source of creative energy in their lives. We will always strive to make Bloomingdale's like no other store in the world. Everyone plays a critical role to bring our mission to life. Regardless of position, we believe all colleagues have a voice and access to share their thoughts with every level of leadership. Our colleagues are passionate, driven, entrepreneurial and collaborative. We welcome and embrace diversity of background, thought and opinion while having a lot of fun along the way.

   Job Overview:

   The Seasonal Administrative Support Colleague (SASC) supports the Manager Business Administration (MBA) and the Colleague/Customer Experience, executes store administrative functions and supports the People Strategy. The SASC is both customer and colleague facing and has responsibility for providing a great customer experience and delivering high touch organization and communication skills that support total store and HR initiatives and functions.

   Essential Functions:

   SUPPORTS THE MBA AND THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

   • Provide an exceptional customer experience by ensuring both the in-store and online customers are always the top priority. Service customers who visit the Executive Office / Store Manager office for assistance. • Respond and address customer concerns quickly • Floor present as needed to support store

   SUPPORTS STORE ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTIONS

   • Support Cash Office functions • Assist GM, MBA and ASCs as needed

   SUPPORTS THE PEOPLE STRATEGY

   • Assists store management in sourcing applicants through online resources and in-store referral program • Oversees candidate management process including recruiting, hiring, candidate correspondence, and coordination of onboarding • Retains documents through Imaging Documenting System and in-store hires

   Qualifications and Competencies:

   High Scool Diploma or equivalent required

   1-2 years related experience

   • Effectively communicate and present information in one-on-one and small group situations to customers, and all levels of internal and external business partners

   • Ability to effectively plan and execute strategies

   • Ability to monitor and maneuver workflow to achieve priorities

   • Ability to work a flexible schedule with retail hours, including day, evening, weekends, and/or holidays

   Physical Requirements:

   • Requires periods of walking, standing, hearing, talking, reaching with extended arms, crouching and climbing ladders

   • Frequent use of computers and other office equipment

   • Requires close vision, color vision, and ability to adjust focus

   • Frequently lift/move up to 25 lbs.

   STORES00

   HRCOM00

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find administrative support associates 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 support associate job on Zippia to find and recruit administrative support associate candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with administrative support associate 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.

   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 support associate

   Once you've decided on a perfect administrative support 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.

   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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