How to hire an editorial assistant

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

The median cost to hire an editorial assistant 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 editorial assistant 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 12,983 editorial assistants in the US, and there are currently 26,839 job openings in this field.
New York, NY, has the highest demand for editorial assistants, with 10 job openings.

How to hire an editorial assistant, step by step

To hire an editorial assistant, 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 editorial assistant:

Here's a step-by-step editorial assistant hiring guide:

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

What does an editorial assistant do?

An editorial assistant is primarily responsible for performing support-related tasks for an editor or editing staff. Most of the duties will be clerical such as writing content for print and media, answering calls and correspondence, responding to inquiries, running errands, and following directives from the editor. There are also instances when an editorial assistant must perform fact-checking or proofreading tasks, arrange appointments and travel documents, process paperwork, greet visitors, and even attend meetings and other work-related events.

Learn more about the specifics of what an editorial assistant does

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Identify your hiring needs

The editorial 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?

You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them an editorial 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 an editorial assistant that fits the bill.

This list presents editorial assistant salaries for various positions.

Type of Editorial Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
Editorial Assistant	Secretaries and administrative assistants perform clerical and administrative duties. They organize files, prepare documents, schedule appointments, and support other staff.	$16-25
Editorial Internship	An editorial intern is responsible for assisting the editorial team in publishing digital and media content, writing articles, and managing readers' reviews. Editorial interns must have excellent knowledge of the industry they work for, suggesting the latest trends and featured topics, taking notes of the tenured employees' advice and observations, and actively joining brainstorming sessions... Show more	$12-18

Create an ideal candidate profile
Common skills:
- Fact Check
- Fiction
- Press Releases
- Web Content
- Editor-In-Chief
- Twitter
- Administrative Tasks
- PowerPoint
- Instagram
- Production Process
- SEO
- HTML
- Photo Shoots
- Editorial Process
Check all skills
Responsibilities:
- Manage social media content using Hootsuite.
- Manage Instagram account and promote content on all social media pages.
- Manage resources of more than 30 CNN bureaus around the world.
- Produce content for a locally known lifestyle blog, edit, and manage social media accounts such as Pinterest and Google+.
- Contribute through blogging, copy editing, participating in weekly editorial meetings, and managing social channels
- Lead editorial oversight of web and television viewer-submit text, email and online messages according to company and industry guidelines.
More editorial assistant duties

Make a budget

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

Location. For example, editorial assistants' average salary in arkansas is 38% less than in colorado.
Seniority. Entry-level editorial assistants 34% less than senior-level editorial assistants.
Certifications. An editorial 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 an editorial assistant's salary.

Average editorial assistant salary

$43,141yearly

$20.74 hourly rate

Entry-level editorial assistant salary

$35,000 yearly salary

Updated December 18, 2025

Average editorial assistant salary by state

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Colorado	$54,818	$26
2	Minnesota	$51,674	$25
3	Oregon	$50,437	$24
4	Massachusetts	$50,404	$24
5	District of Columbia	$49,648	$24
6	Michigan	$48,502	$23
7	California	$47,895	$23
8	Ohio	$47,152	$23
9	New York	$46,469	$22
10	Indiana	$44,285	$21
11	Illinois	$43,949	$21
12	Texas	$43,120	$21
13	Maryland	$42,591	$20
14	Wisconsin	$42,122	$20
15	North Carolina	$42,089	$20
16	Kansas	$41,917	$20
17	Pennsylvania	$41,255	$20
18	South Carolina	$41,039	$20
19	Utah	$38,888	$19
20	Georgia	$38,592	$19

Average editorial assistant salary by company

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
1	Columbia University in the City of New York	$56,407	$27.12	8
2	Cleveland Clinic	$53,775	$25.85	27
3	Reasons to Believe	$53,649	$25.79
4	Boston College	$50,456	$24.26
5	Flexport	$49,991	$24.03
6	HomeLight	$47,819	$22.99
7	American Psychiatric Association	$47,599	$22.88	1
8	American Academy Of Physician Assistants	$47,596	$22.88
9	Mindlance	$47,401	$22.79	23
10	The New York Times Company	$47,236	$22.71	3
11	Ethics and Public Policy Center	$46,681	$22.44
12	Meharry Medical College	$46,022	$22.13
13	Johns Hopkins University	$45,901	$22.07	8
14	HealthTrust	$45,793	$22.02
15	University of Kentucky	$45,492	$21.87	8
16	Wiley	$44,272	$21.28
17	The University of Kansas Health System	$44,123	$21.21	4
18	Deadline	$43,494	$20.91
19	American College of Cardiology	$43,136	$20.74
20	Cheng & Tsui	$43,104	$20.72

Writing an editorial assistant job description
A good editorial 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 an editorial assistant job description:
Editorial assistant job description example
+ Department: Institute Office of Communications

+ School Area:

+ Employment Type: Full-time (Hybrid)

+ Employment Category: Non-Exempt

+ Visa Sponsorship Available: No

+ Schedule: M-F

Email a Friend Save Save Apply Now

Information on MIT's COVID-19 vaccination requirement can be found at the bottom of this posting.

WEB AND EDITORIAL ASSISTANT, MIT News Office, to help manage the daily operations of two of MIT's flagship digital media platforms--the MIT News website and the MIT Daily newsletter. Will work with web developer and the News Office's editorial, creative, and media relations teams to ensure the smooth operation of these platforms. Will work in a Drupal content management system andpost an average of three MIT News stories daily, with responsibility for metadata, captions, and other connective copy for the MIT News site; embed videos and other multimedia; ensure all stories are published on schedule; prepare the MIT News homepage for publication daily; assist with processing MIT News submissions from outside the News Office, including copyediting, photo-editing, and proofing metadata; coordinate the posting of MIT News stories with other high-level communications to the MIT community; scan MIT social media accounts and websites to identify interesting content to be featured in the MIT Daily; and perform other tasks related to the MIT Daily, including creating original content, preparing images, and production.

Job Requirements

REQUIRED: high school diploma or its equivalent; at least four years of administrative and/or editorial experience, preferably in an editorial, journalism, communications, or marketing setting; strong writing and editing skills; experience with content management systems, web management, and web analytics; familiarity with photo editing applications; strong organizational skills; ability to work both independently and as part of a team and to keeping work on schedule in a busy office setting with frequent interruptions; and knowledge of AP style. PREFERRED: bachelor's degree in a related field. Job #21631-5 Occasional night and/or weekend work will be required. 7/28/22
Post your job
There are a few common ways to find editorial assistants for your business:
- Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
- Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
- Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
- Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.
Post your job online:
- Post your editorial assistant job on Zippia to find and recruit editorial assistant candidates who meet your exact specifications.
- Use field-specific websites.
- Post a job on free websites.
Interview candidates
To successfully recruit editorial 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.
It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.
The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.
Send a job offer and onboard your new editorial assistant
Once you've found the editorial assistant candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.
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 editorial 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.
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 editorial assistant?

There are different types of costs for hiring editorial 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 editorial assistant employee.

You can expect to pay around $43,141 per year for an editorial assistant, as this is the median yearly salary nationally. This can vary depending on what state or city you're hiring in. If you're hiring for contract work or on a per-project basis, hourly rates for editorial assistants in the US typically range between $16 and $25 an hour.

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Updated December 18, 2025

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How to hire an editorial assistant