Post job

How to hire a desk assistant

Desk assistant hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring desk assistants in the United States:

  • HR departments typically spend 15% of their expenses on recruitment.
  • It usually takes about 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
  • It typically takes 36-42 days to fill a job opening.
  • The median cost to hire a desk assistant is $1,633.
  • Small businesses spend an average of $1,105 per desk assistant on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
  • There are currently 36,195 desk assistants in the US and 25,019 job openings.
  • New York, NY, has the highest demand for desk assistants, with 8 job openings.
  • New York, NY has the highest concentration of desk assistants.

How to hire a desk assistant, step by step

To hire a desk assistant, you need to identify the specific skills and experience you want in a candidate, allocate a budget for the position, and advertise the job opening to attract potential candidates. To hire a desk assistant, you should follow these steps:

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

What does a desk assistant do?

A desk assistant is primarily responsible for providing customer service support through calls or desk appointments, ensuring client satisfaction. Typically, they are responsible for answering inquiries and correspondence, addressing issues and concerns, troubleshooting, and providing corrective measures or advice when necessary. Should the problems be challenging to handle, one can elevate the matter to a supervising manager. Moreover, a desk assistant may have clerical duties such as processing paperwork, maintaining documentation and a database, managing schedules, and updating systems.

Learn more about the specifics of what a desk assistant does
jobs
Post a desk assistant job for free, promote it for a fee
  1. Identify your hiring needs

    The desk 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?

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

    The following list breaks down different types of desk assistants and their corresponding salaries.

    Type of Desk AssistantDescriptionHourly rate
    Desk AssistantInformation clerks perform routine clerical duties such as maintaining records, collecting data, and providing information to customers.$5-29
    Night Auditor/Front DeskA night auditor, who may work as a front desk agent, is a professional responsible for evaluating the financial activities of a hotel by the end of the day. Night auditors are tasked to assess reports from the day shifts such as the accommodation report and the revenue report... Show more$11-18
    Guest LecturerA Guest Lecturer performs teaching, researching, and administrative duties for a university. Their primary duties include assessing students work, writing research proposals, and managing research budgets.$20-49
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Customer Service
    • Residential Life
    • Phone Calls
    • Front Desk Coverage
    • Administrative Tasks
    • Emergency Situations
    • Resident Assistants
    • Scheduling Appointments
    • Library Materials
    • IDS
    • Incident Reports
    • Telephone Calls
    • Excellent Guest
    • PowerPoint
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Use EMR software to manage patient records and files; reinforce and uphold patient confidentiality as required by HIPAA.
    • Fulfill front desk duties such as: customer service, operating cash register, scheduling reservations, answering phone calls and housekeeping
    • Check ids, close the weight room, put weights away, answer phones
    • Check in/out guests and operate hotel booking software.
    • Answer calls, complete paperwork, and ensure the hall run smoothly
    • Check in residents after midnight, and run check out of dorm equipment.
    More desk assistant duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in your desk assistant job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A desk assistant salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

    For example, the average salary for a desk assistant in Florida may be lower than in New York, and an entry-level desk assistant usually earns less than a senior-level desk assistant. Additionally, a desk assistant with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

    Average desk assistant salary

    $13.15hourly

    $27,353 yearly

    Entry-level desk assistant salary
    $12,000 yearly salary
    Updated January 31, 2026

    Average desk assistant salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1New York$67,980$33
    2Massachusetts$55,465$27
    3Maryland$51,690$25
    4District of Columbia$48,522$23
    5Maine$41,654$20
    6Ohio$41,479$20
    7California$39,390$19
    8Minnesota$37,663$18
    9Colorado$37,391$18
    10Illinois$36,773$18
    11Michigan$36,520$18
    12Wisconsin$36,339$17
    13West Virginia$35,097$17
    14Virginia$31,819$15
    15Alaska$30,928$15
    16North Carolina$25,922$12
    17Texas$23,881$11
    18Florida$22,916$11
    19Kansas$22,121$11
    20Alabama$21,633$10

    Average desk assistant salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rateJob openings
    1Massachusetts General Hospital$107,450$51.66
    2Westfield State University$78,128$37.56
    3PSEA$54,835$26.361
    4University of Mississippi$43,376$20.85
    5Sinclair Broadcast Group$41,663$20.034
    6StoneX Group$40,333$19.391
    7Fox News$39,426$18.95
    8Epsilon Systems$36,579$17.59
    9The Walt Disney Company$36,372$17.494
    10Nicolet National Bank$35,423$17.03
    11Woodfield Country Club$34,233$16.462
    12Baptist Health$33,698$16.202
    13The University of Kansas Health System$32,825$15.781
    14Aegon Usa$32,089$15.43
    15University of Rochester$31,592$15.192
    16American Campus Communities$30,797$14.81
    17Transamerica Corporation$30,560$14.691
    18Paramount$26,876$12.923
    19Jacksonville State University$26,460$12.721
    20WMSN FOX 47 News, Madison$26,351$12.67
  4. Writing a desk assistant job description

    A good desk 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 a desk assistant job description:

    Desk assistant job description example

    • Education and/or Experience – Currently enrolled full-time student at Bowie State University. Must be in good standing with the University and current with financial obligations to CMRC.
    • Language Skills - Ability to read and comprehend simple instructions, short correspondence, and memos. Ability to write simple correspondence. Ability to effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations to customers, clients, and other employees of the organization.
    • Mathematical Skills - Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.
    • Reasoning Ability - Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out detailed but uninvolved written or oral instructions. Ability to deal with problems involving a few concrete variables in standardized situations.
    • Computer Skills - To perform this job successfully, an individual should have knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook.
    • Other Skills and Abilities - Ability to operate basic office equipment including photocopier, fax, and telephone. Basic typing and computer skills.
    Physical Demands

    While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to stand; walk; sit and use hands to finger, handle, or feel. The employee is occasionally required to climb or balance and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and distance vision.

    Work Environment

    The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

  5. Post your job

    To find desk assistants for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

    • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
    • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any desk assistants they would recommend.
    • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level desk assistants with the right educational background.
    • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.
    Post your job online:
    • Post your desk assistant job on Zippia to find and recruit desk assistant candidates who meet your exact specifications.
    • Use field-specific websites.
    • Post a job on free websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    To successfully recruit desk 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 desk assistant

    Once you've decided on a perfect desk 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.

    You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

    To prepare for the new desk 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.)
    Sign up to download full list

How much does it cost to hire a desk assistant?

There are different types of costs for hiring desk assistants. One-time cost per hire for the recruitment process. Ongoing costs include employee salary, training, onboarding, benefits, insurance, and equipment. It is essential to consider all of these costs when evaluating hiring a new desk assistant employee.

The median annual salary for desk assistants is $27,353 in the US. However, the cost of desk assistant hiring can vary a lot depending on location. Additionally, hiring a desk assistant for contract work or on a per-project basis typically costs between $5 and $29 an hour.

Find better desk assistants in less time
Post a job on Zippia and hire the best from over 7 million monthly job seekers.

Hiring desk assistants FAQs

Search for desk assistant jobs

Ready to start hiring?

Browse office and administrative jobs