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How to hire a backroom associate

Backroom associate hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring backroom associates in the United States:

  • The median cost to hire a backroom associate is $1,633.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • HR departments typically allocate 15% of their budget towards recruitment efforts.
  • Small businesses spend $1,105 per backroom associate on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
  • It takes approximately 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
  • There are a total of 6,995 backroom associates in the US, and there are currently 228,218 job openings in this field.
  • North Chicago, IL, has the highest demand for backroom associates, with 4 job openings.

How to hire a backroom associate, step by step

To hire a backroom associate, you should create an ideal candidate profile, determine a budget, and post and promote your job. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to hire a backroom associate:

Here's a step-by-step backroom associate hiring guide:

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

    Before you start hiring a backroom 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?

    You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a backroom associate 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 a backroom associate that fits the bill.

    This list shows salaries for various types of backroom associates.

    Type of Backroom AssociateDescriptionHourly rate
    Backroom AssociateRetail sales workers include both those who sell retail merchandise, such as clothing, furniture, and automobiles, (called retail salespersons) and those who sell spare and replacement parts and equipment, especially car parts (called parts salespersons). Both types of workers help customers find the products they want and process customers’ payments.$12-18
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Groceries
    • Customer Service
    • Cleanliness
    • Customer Merchandise
    • Outbound Shipments
    • Safety Equipment
    • Delivery Truck
    • Customer Sales
    • Walmart
    • Leverages Technology
    • Electric Pallet Jack
    • Store Stock
    • Pulls Merchandise
    • Financial Performance
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Receive, inspect and store groceries.
    • Unload the Walmart trucks as they come in with the supplies from the warehouses.
    • Pull, stock and restock electronics and entertainment, operate Rf unit, perform inventory
    • Work with general merchandise, produce and groceries with the quality of the product in mind.
    • Assist customers when ever need and focuse on Walmart Backroom inventory and handling of incoming merchandise.
    • Use RF scanner to pull items from backroom and to find where items go on the sales floor.
  3. Make a budget

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

    • Location. For example, backroom associates' average salary in missouri is 37% less than in district of columbia.
    • Seniority. Entry-level backroom associates 34% less than senior-level backroom associates.
    • Certifications. A backroom 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 a backroom associate's salary.

    Average backroom associate salary

    $15.09hourly

    $31,395 yearly

    Entry-level backroom associate salary
    $25,000 yearly salary
    Updated December 5, 2025
  4. Writing a backroom associate job description

    A backroom 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 a backroom associate job description:

    Backroom associate job description example

    Current Living Spaces Employees: Please apply via your internal Workday Account.

    At Living Spaces, we take pride in being an environment that cultivates the best in our Team Members. From our corporate office in La Mirada, to our Distribution Centers, Manufacturing, Guest Services, Transportation, to any of our retail stores in the United States, you'll find Team Members who have started and grown their careers at Living Spaces. We are a company driven by our core values of humility & respect, passion, innovation, speed & simplicity, fanatic discipline, social responsibility, coupled with the desire to provide our guests with the best possible experience they can have while furnishing their space.

    We continuously strive to find dedicated, innovative, driven, enterprising Team Members to help drive our corporate vision - to be the best furniture retailer in the country. If you possess these skills, we invite you to join the journey at Living Spaces.

    Position Summary This position has primary responsibility for executing all floor prep and warehouse functions.

    Position Description

    Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned.
    • Perform daily walkthrough of the Customer Pick area to identify and address any concern
    • Service all guest in the Customer Pick Up area
    • Partner with Sales and Visual Merchandising teams to support business needs
    • Ship and receive product and manage product transfers
    • Move all furniture displays as directed
    • Ensure all products are received and assembled to showcase on showroom floor
    • Ensure logistics reports are complete and accurate
    • Follow all safety rules and guidelines
    • Follow all furniture and accessory inventory guidelines
    • Ensure that the stores are ready by completing the daily task list and merchandising displays standards
    • Engage all customers in the warehouse and on the sales floor
    • Ability to work weekends and most holidays
    • Able to work in a fast-paced environment
    Qualifications

    Education/Experience: High School Diploma or GED equivalent. 1-2 years experience in a fast paced, high traffic, guest facing, interactive retail environment. Equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered

    Computer Skills: To perform this job successfully, an individual must have proficient experience in Microsoft Office programs.

    Equal Opportunity Employer

    It is our policy to abide by all federal, state, and local laws prohibiting employment discrimination based solely on a person's race, color, religious creed, sex, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, pregnancy, physical disability, mental disability, age, military status, or status as a Vietnam-era or special disabled veteran, marital status, registered domestic partner or civil union status, gender (including sex stereotyping and gender identity or expression), medical condition (including but not limited to, cancer related or HIV/AIDS related), sexual orientation, or any other protected status except where a reasonable, bona fide occupational qualification exists.

    E-Verify

    Living Spaces participates in E-Verify. All newly-hired team members are queried through this electronic system established by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA) to verify their identity and employment eligibility.

    RequiredPreferredJob Industries
    • Retail
  5. Post your job

    There are various strategies that you can use to find the right backroom associate 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 backroom associate job on Zippia to find and attract quality backroom associate candidates.
    • Use niche websites such as salesjobs, salesheads, allretailjobs.com, sales trax.
    • Post a job on free websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    To successfully recruit backroom associates, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

    It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you 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 backroom associate

    Once you've decided on a perfect backroom 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 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 backroom associate 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 a backroom associate?

Before you start to hire backroom associates, it pays to consider both the one-off costs like recruitment, job promotion, and onboarding, as well as the ongoing costs of an employee's salary and benefits. While most companies that hire backroom associates pay close attention to the initial cost of hiring, ongoing costs are much more significant in the long run.

Backroom associates earn a median yearly salary is $31,395 a year in the US. However, if you're looking to find backroom associates for hire on a contract or per-project basis, hourly rates typically range between $12 and $18.

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