How to hire a data assistant

How to hire a data assistant, step by step

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

What does a data assistant do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a data assistant, 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

   A data assistant's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, data assistants 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 data assistant salaries for various positions.

   Type of Data Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Data Assistant		$9-27
   Secretary	Secretaries are employees who are responsible for many of the administrative needs of the office. They are usually assigned to executives or to a specific department... Show more	$12-24
   Receptionist Secretary	A receptionist secretary is responsible for providing the best customer service, as well as attending to the needs of existing and potential clients. Duties of a receptionist secretary include managing customer's inquiries and forwarding important calls to the appropriate department, performing administrative and clerical tasks, escalating high-level of client's concerns to the management, keeping the reception area clean, monitoring office supplies and request stocks as needed, and maintaining an organized record of meetings and events... Show more	$11-16

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Data Entry
   • Data Collection
   • Patients
   • Data Management
   • Research Data
   • Access Database
   • Python
   • Data Analysis
   • SAS
   • Alumni
   • Tableau
   • Data Integrity
   • Management System
   • Sops

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Create UNIX and LINUX shell scripts to automate data migration process.
   • Implement web crawlers in python with scrapy framework.
   • Serve as ETL lead to help the development stage take shape as quick as possible.
   • Work in collaboration with the systems administrators to troubleshoot and resolve RDBMS issues cause by common business network issues.
   • Utilize MATLAB to conduct calculations which have to take various factors into account that affect the way a pulsejet runs.
   • Research request and troubleshoot customer problems via multiple computer software.

   More data assistant duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, data assistants' average salary in nebraska is 53% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level data assistants 65% less than senior-level data assistants.
   • Certifications. A data assistant 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 data assistant's salary.

   Average data assistant salary

   $16.55hourly

   $34,431 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level data assistant salary

   $20,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average data assistant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$57,908	$28
   2	New York	$45,534	$22
   3	Massachusetts	$45,140	$22
   4	Illinois	$42,136	$20
   5	Virginia	$41,527	$20
   6	Texas	$38,832	$19
   7	New Jersey	$38,241	$18
   8	Colorado	$36,947	$18
   9	Georgia	$36,490	$18
   10	District of Columbia	$36,186	$17
   11	Florida	$34,788	$17
   12	Iowa	$33,818	$16
   13	Indiana	$32,898	$16
   14	Maryland	$32,776	$16
   15	Ohio	$32,732	$16
   16	Michigan	$32,612	$16
   17	Missouri	$32,187	$15
   18	Arkansas	$30,164	$15

   Average data assistant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	DLA Piper	$124,294	$59.76	9
   2	Citi	$95,515	$45.92	10
   3	Moody's	$91,396	$43.94	8
   4	Deloitte	$87,029	$41.84	824
   5	Earthjustice	$77,070	$37.05
   6	Argonne National Laboratory	$75,527	$36.31	2
   7	Cognizant	$74,621	$35.88	26
   8	Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center	$70,970	$34.12
   9	Advent Software	$68,725	$33.04
   10	Ascensus	$64,679	$31.10
   11	Stanford University	$59,420	$28.57	19
   12	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	$57,209	$27.50	1
   13	Nebraska Medicine	$56,208	$27.02	2
   14	Southern New Hampshire Health	$53,431	$25.69
   15	Northwestern University	$53,201	$25.58	4
   16	SS&C Technologies	$52,775	$25.37	12
   17	Dartmouth	$52,701	$25.34
   18	University of California-Berkeley	$51,698	$24.85
   19	IRI	$50,961	$24.50
   20	Beacon Hill Staffing Group	$50,822	$24.43

4. Writing a data assistant job description

   A data 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 data assistant job description:

   Data assistant job description example

   
   Hours:
   8a to 5p

   
   Req#:
   18859

   For more than 100 years, Southern New Hampshire Medical Center has honored our mission: to improve, maintain, and preserve the overall health and well-being of individuals living in the greater Nashua area by providing information, education, and access to exceptional health and medical care services.
   
   We have literally been at the heart of better health for Greater Nashua. Our main downtown campus, a familiar landmark for generations, has grown along with the Gate City. Today, The Medical Center and our affiliated doctors and services extend across much of southern New Hampshire. Along with our growth has been the opportunity for many to build and enhance their careers within our organization. We encourage the professional and personal development of our employees and are proud of the workplace culture we have developed.

   At Southern New Hampshire Health, we believe in the little moments and the power of small gestures. It is our desire to make every patient, family or visitor interaction meaningful.

   You'll see some of these wonderful moments in our new video "We believe in the little moments. .."

   
   
   

   
   Summary:

   Under general supervision, provides data management support to the Program Manager for various database programs. Requires discretion and judgment to organize priorities, complete tasks and handle confidential patient information. Responsibilities include accurate case selection, data extraction and data entry from a variety of sources, as well as, assisting in report preparation, assisting in research activities, and supporting performance improvement. Reports directly to and receives supervision and overall administrative direction related to policies and procedures from the Chief Medical Officer.

   Qualifications:

   • High School Diploma.
   • 3+ years of prior practice or relevant healthcare experience.
   • Knowledge of complex healthcare system or capacity to learn same.
   • MS Office Skills
   • Ability to multitask and priortize assignment.

   We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, disability status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right data 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.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your data assistant job on Zippia to find and recruit data assistant candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit data assistants, 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.

   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 data assistant

   Once you've decided on a perfect data 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 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 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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How much does it cost to hire a data assistant?