How to hire an associate/team lead

How to hire an associate/team lead, step by step

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

What does an associate/team lead do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring an associate/team lead, 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 associate/team lead's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, associate/team leads 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.

   This list presents associate/team lead salaries for various positions.

   Type of Associate/Team Lead	Description	Hourly rate
   Associate/Team Lead		$13-50
   Floor Supervisor	A floor supervisor is personnel hired by the hospitality and retail establishments who provide a quality experience to guests by inspecting the guest area's cleanliness. To maintain freshness, a floor supervisor collaborates with a manager to deploy custodial staff and train new employees... Show more	$10-16
   Shift Supervisor	Shift supervisors are responsible for the employees assigned to the shift that they are handling. Shift supervisors ensure that the employees who were expected to report to work at the specific shift came in... Show more	$12-21

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Excellent Interpersonal
   • Product Knowledge
   • Quality Standards
   • Leadership
   • Math
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Regulatory Compliance
   • Food Safety
   • Credit Card
   • Customer Service
   • Ladders
   • Develop Team
   • WFM
   • Retail Execution

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Accomplish requirements, allocating resources, scheduling and coordinating staff and assure accuracy of payroll.
   • Ensure all sales transactions, refunds and POS system function smoothly and take corrective action when necessary.
   • Process sales transactions, POS, credit applications, discounts, trade-in allowances, warranties and delivery dates.
   • Provide leadership and mentoring of team members to increase productivity while ensuring accuracy.
   • Handle inbound/outbound escalate customer complaints, including executive escalations from various levels of leadership.
   • Aggregate, analyze and organize information from QC reports into a department-wide WIKI to facilitate information sharing and best practice utilization.

   More associate/team lead duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the associate/team lead job description is a good way to get more applicants. An associate/team lead 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 associate/team lead in Alaska may be lower than in Rhode Island, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level associate/team lead. Additionally, an associate/team lead with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average associate/team lead salary

   $54,721yearly

   $26.31 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level associate/team lead salary

   $28,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 31, 2026

   Average associate/team lead salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Massachusetts	$89,973	$43
   2	District of Columbia	$89,361	$43
   3	New Jersey	$85,987	$41
   4	New York	$81,145	$39
   5	Delaware	$79,040	$38
   6	Pennsylvania	$73,566	$35
   7	Virginia	$73,404	$35
   8	Connecticut	$71,586	$34
   9	North Carolina	$64,023	$31
   10	Minnesota	$62,877	$30
   11	Missouri	$60,409	$29
   12	Wisconsin	$60,289	$29
   13	Illinois	$58,225	$28
   14	Michigan	$58,107	$28
   15	Indiana	$53,464	$26
   16	Alabama	$53,275	$26
   17	Texas	$53,238	$26
   18	Georgia	$52,426	$25
   19	Ohio	$51,034	$25
   20	Washington	$49,623	$24

   Average associate/team lead salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Citi	$126,306	$60.72	4
   2	Alexion Pharmaceuticals	$122,904	$59.09
   3	Goldman Sachs	$121,046	$58.20	5
   4	Morgan Stanley	$120,104	$57.74	9
   5	Credit Suisse	$114,457	$55.03
   6	Vista Equity Partners	$112,907	$54.28
   7	Point72	$110,729	$53.24
   8	Caresoft	$107,752	$51.80
   9	Xavient Information Systems	$102,034	$49.05
   10	UBS	$99,698	$47.93
   11	Dimensional Fund Advisors	$97,778	$47.01
   12	Fifth Third Bank	$93,049	$44.74	4
   13	Alnylam Pharmaceuticals	$92,374	$44.41
   14	The Wild Center	$91,585	$44.03
   15	Gilead Sciences	$88,097	$42.35	6
   16	Capital One	$83,794	$40.29	8
   17	Texas Capital Bank	$80,826	$38.86
   18	Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County	$77,802	$37.40
   19	Rockwell Automation	$69,049	$33.20	4
   20	Blue Diamond Growers	$60,025	$28.86	3

4. Writing an associate/team lead job description

   A good associate/team lead 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/team lead job description:

   Associate/team lead job description example

   Ariat International , founded in 1993, is a rapidly growing worldwide leader in high performance footwear and apparel for equestrian enthusiasts . Ariat is driven by world class design, innovation and technology all focused on delivering the highest quality, authentic Western, English, and Work footwear and apparel to our customers. We need customer driven people to come work for us. As an Ariat employee, we offer great benefits , including an unbelievable monthly and quarterly bonus, generous employee discount and employee parking . Sales Associates can make up to $16 per hour and Team Leads can make up to $18 per hour.

   Qualifications

   Must be able to work part time or full time, including early mornings, evenings/nights, weekends, and/or holidays, as well as overtime as needed by management

   • · May be required to attend outside events, seminars, etc. as needed

   1 to 2 years of previous retail experience, preferably in a soft goods apparel environment

   · Equestrian/riding experience a plus – Western or English

   · High School graduate or equivalent

   · Excellent verbal and written communication skills

   · Excellent customer service and sales skills

   · Able to lead in a fast paced, team-oriented environment

   · Knowledge of PC applications

   · Experience with retail POS/inventory computer systems

   · Maintain positive team morale

   · Must be able to work part time or full time, including early mornings, evenings/nights, weekends, and/or holidays, as well as overtime as needed by management

   · May be required to attend outside events, seminars, etc. as needed

   We are looking forward to reading your application.

   Available shifts and compensation: We have available shifts all days of the week. Compensation depends on your experience.

   About Ariat International: Ariat International is looking for an individual to join our team. Our ideal candidate is self-driven, motivated and trustworthy.

   
   

   By applying to this job, you agree to receive periodic text messages from this employer and Homebase about your pending job application. Opt out anytime. Msg & data rates may apply.
   
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5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right associate/team lead for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your associate/team lead job on Zippia to find and attract quality associate/team lead candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as salesjobs, salesheads, allretailjobs.com, sales trax.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with associate/team lead 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 associate/team lead

   Once you've decided on a perfect associate/team lead 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.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new associate/team lead. 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 associate/team lead?