How to hire an Administrator

How to hire an administrator, step by step

Here's a step-by-step administrator hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an administrator job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new administrator
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an Administrator do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the administrator you need to hire. Certain administrator 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 administrator's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, administrators 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 administrator salaries for various roles:

   Type Of Administrator	Description	Hourly Rate
   Administrator	Computer networks are critical parts of almost every organization. Network and computer systems administrators are responsible for the day-to-day operation of these networks.	$22-54
   Network/Server Administrator	A Network Administrator ensures an organizations' network is operational and up to date. They solve problems that arise within computer networks, maintaining computer networks, interacting with clients, and consulting with them to determine their system requirements... Show More	$27-51
   Windows System Administrator	A Windows System Administrator maintains the systems and servers of a Windows operating system. They evaluate and modify the system's performance.	$28-50

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common Skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Data Entry
   • Troubleshoot
   • Payroll
   • Financial Reports
   • Oversight
   • Linux
   • Human Resources
   • PowerPoint
   • Patient Care
   • Administrative Functions
   • Windows Server
   • Bed Facility
   • SQL Server

   Check All Skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Develop a Perl script to manage the LDAP schema.
   • Hire and manage all receptionists and assistant MCA's.
   • Used all tools of Java stack in supporting and managing it.
   • Manage and process product orders on windows base on-line computer network system.
   • Manage ADP time system for technicians and approve time-off requests, supporting management.
   • Manage professional staff of 9 (including 5 MDs) and support staff of 10

   More Administrator duties

3. Make a budget

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

   $72,882yearly

   $35.04 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level administrator salary

   $46,000 yearly salary

   Updated March 18, 2025

   Average administrator salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate
   1	California	$96,252	$46
   2	Washington	$90,608	$44
   3	New Jersey	$88,198	$42
   4	Massachusetts	$87,583	$42
   5	District of Columbia	$85,804	$41
   6	Oregon	$84,257	$41
   7	New York	$81,329	$39
   8	Virginia	$80,347	$39
   9	Nevada	$79,771	$38
   10	Pennsylvania	$79,665	$38
   11	Maryland	$79,496	$38
   12	Maine	$79,059	$38
   13	Michigan	$78,795	$38
   14	Illinois	$78,359	$38
   15	Minnesota	$77,720	$37
   16	Ohio	$75,801	$36
   17	Wisconsin	$73,130	$35
   18	Arizona	$71,399	$34
   19	Indiana	$70,938	$34
   20	North Carolina	$70,626	$34

   Average administrator salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
   1	Apple	$133,400	$64.13	11
   2	Western Digital	$129,698	$62.35
   3	Bunge	$128,562	$61.81
   4	BD	$127,352	$61.23	2
   5	Meta	$125,757	$60.46	67
   6	Cargill	$123,358	$59.31
   7	Cantaloupe	$122,158	$58.73
   8	ConocoPhillips	$122,098	$58.70
   9	Practice Fusion	$122,096	$58.70
   10	Novo Nordisk	$120,226	$57.80
   11	First Republic Bank	$120,218	$57.80
   12	SUPERFUND	$119,605	$57.50
   13	TechnipFMC	$118,702	$57.07
   14	Avid	$118,443	$56.94	4
   15	Abbott	$117,828	$56.65	7
   16	Tucson Electric Power	$117,410	$56.45
   17	Pattern Energy Group	$117,357	$56.42	2
   18	Teleflex	$116,976	$56.24
   19	Koch Industries	$116,946	$56.22
   20	CONMED	$116,879	$56.19

4. Writing an Administrator Job Description

   A job description for an administrator 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 administrator job description:

   Administrator job description example

   Santa Clara Valley (Cupertino),California,United States
   
   Operations and Supply Chain
   
   + Skilled in task management. Able to effectively direct traffic, organize and work with logistical conflicts.
   
   + Ability to identify probable root cause within a complex system.
   
   + Ability to use available resources to support escalation paths to the appropriate DRIs.
   
   + Ability to receive high level direction and determine how to implement tasks to best accomplish goals
   
   + Excellent communication, organizational and collaboration skills.
   
   + Change agile and remains flexible during business pivots.
   
   + Experience with Atlassian tools such as Jira and Confluence preferred
   
   **Description**
   
   Serve as the main point of contact for our Test Engineers on priority, logistics and scheduling. Manage all Atlassian workflows and structure for the Org Jira project. Highlight and escalate emerging issues and trends across failure modes. Drive the resolution of all incoming tickets during business hours This includes: - Spearheading the collection and verification of details such as probable root cause, faulted component, priority level, relevant stakeholders, etc. - Partnering with the appropriate support teams for further investigation or triage. - Gather any missing information from the above for the post resolution review process. - Tracking trends in novel issues and ensuring faults are well documented and not becoming stale.
   
   **Education & Experience**
   
   Bachelors degree in Computer Science/Engineering discipline or 1-2 2+ years experience in a technical support and/or administrative role preferred Apple is an Equal Opportunity Employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We also take affirmative action to offer employment and advancement opportunities to all applicants, including minorities, women, protected veterans, and individuals with disabilities. Apple will not discriminate or retaliate against applicants who inquire about, disclose, or discuss their compensation or that of other applicants.
   
   **Additional Requirements**
   
   **Apple Footer**
   
   Apple is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We take affirmative action to ensure equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. Learn more about your EEO rights as an applicant (Opens in a new window) .
   
   Apple will not discriminate or retaliate against applicants who inquire about, disclose, or discuss their compensation or that of other applicants. United States Department of Labor. Learn more (Opens in a new window) .
   
   Apple is required to comply with a COVID-19 vaccination mandate issued by the New York City Department of Health. We will verify the vaccination status of all New York City team members who are working at an Apple Store, office, or partner store in New York City. New York City Department of Health Learn more (Opens in a new window) .
   
   Apple will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable law. If you're applying for a position in San Francisco, review the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance guidelines (opens in a new window) applicable in your area.
   
   Apple participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations as required by law. Learn more about the E-Verify program (Opens in a new window) .
   
   Apple is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to applicants with physical and mental disabilities. Apple is a drug-free workplace. Reasonable Accommodation and Drug Free Workplace policy Learn more (Opens in a new window) .

   Copy This Example

   

5. Post your job

   To find administrators for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any administrators they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level administrators with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your administrator job on Zippia to find and recruit administrator candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit administrators, 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.

   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.

   Sometimes, it's not enough to interview administrator candidates, so you can ask them to do a test project. If you are not a technical person and don't know what a test project should be, you can use these websites:

   • TestDome
   • CodeSignal
   • Testlify
   • BarRaiser
   • Coderbyte

   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 administrator

   Once you've selected the best administrator candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new administrator 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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How much does it cost to hire an administrator?