How to hire a community relations assistant

How to hire a community relations assistant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step community relations assistant hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The community relations assistant hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   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 a community relations 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 a community relations assistant that fits the bill.

   Here's a comparison of community relations assistant salaries for various roles:

   Type of Community Relations Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Community Relations Assistant	Public relations specialists create and maintain a favorable public image for the organization they represent. They design media releases to shape public perception of their organization and to increase awareness of its work and goals.	$11-25
   Special Events Coordinator	A special events coordinator is in charge of organizing and devising plans for an event, even monitoring all progress to ensure everything is running smoothly. They are typically responsible for consulting with clients and understanding the event's purpose, offering a selection of venues and caterers, providing cost estimates, and booking various services such as speakers, equipment, location, photographers, videographers, and other essential factors... Show more	$12-28
   Publicist	Public Relations Supervisors are responsible for implementing the media and public relations strategy of an organization. Their duties include developing public relations campaigns, organize public relations events, assist in emergency response planning, updating documentation, monitoring media, improve management of press office, and manage media databases... Show more	$14-39

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Community Outreach
   • Press Releases
   • Community Relations Programs
   • Event Planning
   • Community Relations Events
   • Promotional Materials
   • Website Content
   • Community Organizations
   • Corporate Sponsors
   • Facebook
   • Travel Arrangements
   • External Communications
   • Non-Profit Organization
   • Twitter

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage all copywriting elements for live broadcasts and promotional commercials.
   • Schedule and coordinate meetings in-house and off site; prepare PowerPoint presentations.
   • Maintain the website (RedDot), online calendar and Facebook event calendar.
   • Develop and ensure all necessary documentation are charted to meet Medicare criteria for DME approval.
   • Leverage entrepreneurial orientation and expertise in government transactions to acquire excellent relationships outside of FEMA.

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, community relations assistants' average salary in mississippi is 52% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level community relations assistants earn 55% less than senior-level community relations assistants.
   • Certifications. A community relations 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 a community relations assistant's salary.

   Average community relations assistant salary

   $36,453yearly

   $17.53 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level community relations assistant salary

   $24,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 19, 2025

4. Writing a community relations assistant job description

   A community relations assistant 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. Below, you can find an example of a community relations assistant job description:

   Community relations assistant job description example

   Job DescriptionMHA is hiring immediately for Development and Community Relations Administrative Assistant. The Development and Community Relations Administrative Assistant will provide administrative assistance as needed and directed to facilitate the efficient operation of the organization.
   Development and Community Relations Administrative Assistant Position’s Essential Functions Provide administrative and clerical support as assigned Respond to inquiries from employees, outside agencies, and clients Perform other administrative duties such as copying, filing and scanning Grant management and tracking Assist with project management Support event coordination and organization Assist with all facets of fundraising activities, from concept to implementation Gift management and oversight Committee and donor stewardship Other tasks and responsibilities as assigned by the Vice President of Development & Community Relations.
   
   Development and Community Relations Administrative Assistant Required Education, Experience, Knowledge, and Abilities
   
   Strong verbal and written communications skills; accuracy in work and communication; demonstration of excellent computer skills including the ability to work independently in Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, Publisher and Power Point and other specialized data bases; ability to maintain confidentiality of information, ability to read, analyze and interpret information; keep systems organized and work cooperatively with variety of staff.
   
   EEOC Statement: MHA Inc. provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, MHA Inc. complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, and transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.
   
   
   About Mental Health Association, Inc.:
   
   What We DoMHA (Mental Health Association) helps people live their best life. We provide access to therapies for emotional health and wellness; services for substance use recovery, developmental disabilities and acquired brain injury; services for housing and residential programming, and more. With respect, integrity and compassion, MHA provides each individual served through person-driven programming to foster independence, community engagement, wellness and recovery.Why It MattersThe youth, adults, seniors and families we serve want the same things in life as anyone: to have friends, work, go to school, have meaningful relationships, express themselves (and be heard), and be accepted in their community for who they are. With our help and resources from a caring community, people can live their potential, in their community, every day.How We ThinkStarting in the 1960s, MHA’s groundbreaking efforts and advocacy helped to transition people away from institutional living to a life in our community. This became a model for the deinstitutionalization movement. Today, our leadership continues to advance awareness of mental health conditions and needs at local, regional and national levels. We drive compassionate care for those challenged by mental health, developmental disabilities, substance use, homelessness, acquired brain injury and more.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right community relations assistant 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.

   To find community relations assistant candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as pr news job board, pr council, prsa job center, hoojobs.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with community relations assistant 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.

   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 community relations assistant

   Once you've decided on a perfect community relations assistant 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 equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   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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