How to hire an administrative support specialist

How to hire an administrative support specialist, step by step

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

What does an administrative support specialist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring an administrative support specialist, 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

   An administrative support specialist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, administrative support specialists 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.

   Here's a comparison of administrative support specialist salaries for various roles:

   Type of Administrative Support Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Administrative Support Specialist	Secretaries and administrative assistants perform clerical and administrative duties. They organize files, prepare documents, schedule appointments, and support other staff.	$13-23
   Support Clerk	A support clerk is primarily in charge of performing administrative support tasks in an office, making the daily workflow easier. Their responsibilities typically include preparing and processing documentation, answering and forwarding calls, handling correspondence, disseminating and organizing files, and running errands as needed... Show more	$10-25
   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

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Data Entry
   • Patients
   • PowerPoint
   • Administrative Functions
   • Office Equipment
   • Travel Arrangements
   • Office Procedures
   • Provides Administrative Support
   • Phone Calls
   • Human Resources
   • Database Management
   • Clerical Support
   • Booking

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Create PowerPoint presentations, manage spreadsheet information/graphs and provide reports as necessary.
   • Participate in committee meetings by preparing minutes and presentation summaries, planning meeting agendas, and organizing and managing meeting logistics.
   • Assist SharePoint intranet creation and documentation.
   • Generate PowerPoint presentations for meetings and training.
   • Maintain and post unit documents utilizing SharePoint.
   • Maintain files on all division civilian personnel, submit accurate payroll sheets for assign civilian personnel.

   More administrative support specialist duties

3. Make a budget

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

   $38,244yearly

   $18.39 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level administrative support specialist salary

   $29,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average administrative support specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$51,869	$25
   2	Connecticut	$51,155	$25
   3	California	$48,259	$23
   4	Washington	$46,993	$23
   5	Massachusetts	$44,527	$21
   6	New Jersey	$43,735	$21
   7	Oregon	$43,377	$21
   8	Texas	$41,038	$20
   9	Minnesota	$40,249	$19
   10	New York	$40,164	$19
   11	Virginia	$39,728	$19
   12	Colorado	$38,225	$18
   13	Arizona	$37,909	$18
   14	Pennsylvania	$37,647	$18
   15	Indiana	$37,551	$18
   16	Illinois	$36,875	$18
   17	Florida	$36,491	$18
   18	Maine	$36,174	$17
   19	Ohio	$35,990	$17
   20	South Carolina	$34,749	$17

   Average administrative support specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	King County	$50,572	$24.31	5
   2	University of California-Berkeley	$47,677	$22.92	1
   3	Dana-Farber Cancer Institute	$46,906	$22.55	7
   4	Guidehouse	$46,220	$22.22	24
   5	Dublin City Schools	$45,916	$22.07	2
   6	UC Santa Barbara	$45,579	$21.91
   7	Defense Finance and Accounting Service	$45,414	$21.83
   8	Deschutes County	$45,019	$21.64	2
   9	Cornell University	$44,744	$21.51	17
   10	Daimler Trucks North America	$44,522	$21.40	4
   11	New York Life Insurance	$44,515	$21.40	4
   12	Inter-Con Security Systems	$44,380	$21.34	1
   13	EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants	$44,372	$21.33
   14	Valmont Industries	$43,754	$21.04	1
   15	University of Rochester	$43,513	$20.92	34
   16	Minnesota State Fair	$43,291	$20.81	23
   17	Lockheed Martin	$42,774	$20.56	78
   18	Virta Health	$42,171	$20.27
   19	Pete's RV Center	$41,792	$20.09	1
   20	BMO Capital Markets	$41,565	$19.98	6

4. Writing an administrative support specialist job description

   A good administrative support specialist 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 support specialist job description:

   Administrative support specialist job description example

   Phys Support Specialist 2- TGMG Admin - (22000260) Description Facility Profile
   TGH is the area's only level I trauma center and one of just two ABA-verified adult & pediatric burn centers in Florida. With five medical helicopters*, we transport critically injured or ill patients from 23 surrounding counties to receive the advanced care they need. The hospital is home to one of the busiest solid organ transplant centers in the country. TGH is a nationally designated comprehensive stroke center, and has a 32-bed Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit. Other outstanding centers include cardiovascular, orthopedics, high-risk and normal obstetrics, urology, ENT, endocrinology, and the Children's Medical Center, which features a nine-bed pediatric intensive care unit and pediatric kidney transplant services. As the region's leading safety net hospital, Tampa General is committed to providing area residents with world-class and compassionate health care ranging from the simplest to the most complex medical services.
   
   Tampa General Hospital was named the #1 hospital in Tampa Bay by U.S. News & World Report, 2020-2021, and recognized as one of America's Best Hospital's in five medical specialties: Cardiology & Heart Surgery, Diabetes & Endocrinology, Gastroenterology & GI Surgery, Nephrology, and Orthopedics. Tampa General Hospital has been designated a Magnet Hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), the highest recognition for nursing excellence, for the fourth consecutive time - an accomplishment that fewer than one percent of hospitals nationwide have earned. TGH is accredited by The Joint Commission and was awarded disease-specific certification in five medical specialties. TGH is also accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). *Air transport provided by Metro Aviation, Inc.
   Department Profile
   Tampa General Medical Group (TGMG) is an affiliate of Tampa General Hospital and includes physicians specializing in cardiology, digestive disorders, endocrinology, family practice, hepatology (liver disease), internal medicine, organ transplantation, pediatrics and surgery. TGMG physicians provide care at convenient locations throughout the Tampa area.
   
   Job Summary
   Under general supervision of the Office Supervisor, follows established policies and procedures; gathers and records all necessary information in the process of scheduling an office procedure and generating an office account. Demonstrates expertise with all proficiencies of a PSS 1. Responsible for obtaining and verifying demographic, confidential clinical and financial information necessary to accurately and efficiently schedule surgery and other office/hospital procedures. Pre-registers patient, verifies insurance eligibility and benefits, identifies those services that require an insurance authorization, notification and/or Precert. Recognizes and adheres to all CMS, JCAHO, and HIPAA requirements when creating a hospital account. Works directly with nurses, medical staff, ancillary departments, insurance carriers and other external professionals to assist patients with obtaining health care and financial services. Responsible for performing job duties in accordance with the mission, vision and values of Tampa General Hospital.
   Qualifications Required Skills
   High School Diploma or GED required.
   Approved medical terminology certification or med term course completion and 2 years of PSS1 Experience OR Graduate of Medical Assistant Program.
   Primary Location: TampaWork Locations: TGH Main Campus 1 Tampa General Circle Tampa 33606Job: AmbulatoryOrganization: USFTGPSchedule: Full-time Shift: Day JobJob Posting: Sep 7, 2022, 5:56:43 PM

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right administrative support specialist 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 support specialists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit administrative support specialists 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 support specialist job on Zippia to find and recruit administrative support specialist 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 support specialists, 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.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 specialist

   Once you've decided on a perfect administrative support specialist 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.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   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 support specialist?