How to hire an associate administrative assistant

How to hire an associate administrative assistant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step associate administrative assistant hiring guide:

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

What does an associate administrative assistant do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your associate administrative assistant job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find an associate administrative assistant for hire on a part-time basis or as a 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 associate administrative assistant 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 associate administrative assistant that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of associate administrative assistants.

   Type of Associate Administrative Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Associate Administrative Assistant	Secretaries and administrative assistants perform clerical and administrative duties. They organize files, prepare documents, schedule appointments, and support other staff.	$13-37
   Administrative Support	Administrative support specialists provide different types of governmental assistance. They carry out varied clerical duties in almost all industries... Show more	$12-25
   Administrative Staff	As the administrative staff, they primarily provide administrative and secretarial support for the department. Typically, they do report-writing, filing and scheduling, and payroll... Show more	$27-48

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Data Entry
   • PowerPoint
   • Financial Reports
   • Payroll
   • Travel Arrangements
   • HR
   • Office Equipment
   • Expense Reports
   • POS
   • Sales Floor
   • Administrative Tasks
   • Schedule Appointments
   • Credit Card

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Direct correspondence and communications, monitoring emails and phone calls and managing social media and online presence on Facebook and website.
   • Support medical doctors, manage sensitive and confidential records pertaining to high risk patients with emphasis on accuracy.
   • Reconcile credit card purchases and identify and resolve all payroll discrepancies.
   • Post photos of available properties on company's Facebook page.
   • Prepare spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations and documentation.
   • Create spreadsheet to calculate payroll information collect from audit to determine findings.

   More associate administrative assistant duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your associate administrative assistant job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An associate administrative assistant salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, associate administrative assistants' average salary in montana is 68% less than in connecticut.
   • Seniority. Entry-level associate administrative assistants earn 64% less than senior-level associate administrative assistants.
   • Certifications. An associate administrative assistant with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in an associate administrative assistant's salary.

   Average associate administrative assistant salary

   $46,939yearly

   $22.57 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level associate administrative assistant salary

   $28,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 3, 2026

   Average associate administrative assistant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Massachusetts	$91,057	$44
   2	District of Columbia	$87,846	$42
   3	New York	$87,442	$42
   4	Pennsylvania	$75,251	$36
   5	California	$69,697	$34
   6	Maryland	$69,302	$33
   7	North Carolina	$55,122	$27
   8	Illinois	$51,952	$25
   9	Oregon	$49,637	$24
   10	Wisconsin	$48,328	$23
   11	Texas	$48,229	$23
   12	Florida	$46,761	$22
   13	Missouri	$45,595	$22
   14	Alabama	$44,984	$22
   15	Kansas	$42,394	$20
   16	Iowa	$41,207	$20
   17	Arizona	$39,596	$19
   18	Colorado	$37,775	$18
   19	Georgia	$37,530	$18
   20	Wyoming	$36,766	$18

   Average associate administrative assistant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$122,826	$59.05	95
   2	Baird	$115,746	$55.65	12
   3	Industrial and Commercial Bank of China	$110,149	$52.96	1
   4	American Red Cross	$85,587	$41.15	2
   5	Lendlease	$77,730	$37.37
   6	Gannett Fleming	$77,062	$37.05	4
   7	New York University	$75,066	$36.09	7
   8	Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center	$70,248	$33.77	3
   9	Mount Sinai Health System	$68,949	$33.15	52
   10	Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai	$66,145	$31.80
   11	University of California	$64,788	$31.15	57
   12	Children's Hospital of Philadelphia	$64,573	$31.04	2
   13	American Electric Power	$64,213	$30.87	2
   14	Davidson's	$61,474	$29.55	1
   15	Carter Lumber	$55,512	$26.69	2
   16	HUB International	$55,476	$26.67	10
   17	SSM Health	$55,382	$26.63	11
   18	ZT Systems	$55,112	$26.50
   19	Children's of Alabama	$52,094	$25.05	1
   20	University of California-Berkeley	$51,261	$24.64	1

4. Writing an associate administrative assistant job description

   A good associate administrative assistant 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 associate administrative assistant job description:

   Associate administrative assistant job description example

   The Administrative Assistant (RCA) will join the Refugee Social Services team and will be responsible for providing administrative support to the Refugee Cash Assistance program, which includes but is not limited to the following duties:
   Preparing purchase orders Distributing checks and logging monthly payments Evaluating distribution process and proposing updates and modifications Drafting program advisal, referral, and termination letters
   This position requires:
   Bachelor's degree
   Previous experience working in a non-profit or government setting is preferred but not required.
   
   Visit our website www.ccannj.com
   
   CURRENT EMPLOYEES:
   Please be advised that current employees applying to open positions within the Agency are required to fill out an Agency Internal Job Application Form which is available for download to all employees on HR's public folders in Outlook. Please forward the completed form to HR via email to the agency email address indicated at the end of the application form.
   AGENCY MISSION:
   Catholic Charities as a ministry of the Archdiocese of Newark, participates in the Church's social mission by recognizing the inherent dignity and worth of all people, especially the poor, marginalized, and vulnerable, and by responding to the corporeal and material needs of those it serves with sincere Christian compassion. The activities of Catholic Charities are inspired and governed by its faith in Jesus Christ, the examples of Sacred Scripture, and the continuing exposition of Catholic social teaching. Through these activities, Catholic Charities strives to assist individuals in need, strengthen families, and to have those it serves experience the redemptive power of God's mercy.
   BENEFITS:
   CCAN offers a competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits package for employees. CCAN is an equal opportunity employer. M/F/D/V. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin/ancestry, citizenship status, disability, age, marital or family status, and military or veteran status.
   Potential eligibility for federal student loan forgiveness.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting associate administrative assistants requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   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 associate administrative assistant

   Once you've found the associate administrative assistant 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 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 associate administrative assistant 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 associate administrative assistant?