How to hire an executive staff assistant

How to hire an executive staff assistant, step by step

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

What does an executive staff assistant do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the executive staff assistant you need to hire. Certain executive staff assistant roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect executive staff assistant also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list shows salaries for various types of executive staff assistants.

   Type of Executive Staff Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Executive Staff Assistant	Secretaries and administrative assistants perform clerical and administrative duties. They organize files, prepare documents, schedule appointments, and support other staff.	$13-58
   Administrative Staff	As the administrative staff, they primarily provide administrative and secretarial support for the department. Typically, they do report-writing, filing and scheduling, and payroll... Show more	$27-48

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • PowerPoint
   • Provides Administrative Support
   • Travel Arrangements
   • Meeting Minutes
   • Logistics
   • Office Equipment
   • Presentation Materials
   • Telephone Calls
   • Calendar Management
   • Payroll
   • Expense Reports
   • Financial Statements
   • Administrative Tasks
   • Administrative Functions

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage VIP pipelines, acknowledge visitors and support with special projects include research and events and dealing with clients.
   • Compile, manage and organize travel and expense reports processing and submitting reports using PeopleSoft for reimbursement.
   • Design and maintain a SharePoint site for the headquarters readiness office.
   • Design and create SharePoint site for CIO to improve document tracking and to provide a document repository for authoritative items.
   • Generate in-depth presentations using PowerPoint.
   • Perform operational administrative/clerical work (payroll, inventory control )

   More executive staff assistant duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, executive staff assistants' average salary in montana is 61% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level executive staff assistants 77% less than senior-level executive staff assistants.
   • Certifications. An executive staff 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 executive staff assistant's salary.

   Average executive staff assistant salary

   $58,792yearly

   $28.27 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level executive staff assistant salary

   $28,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

   Average executive staff assistant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$98,415	$47
   2	District of Columbia	$93,244	$45
   3	Virginia	$78,579	$38
   4	Pennsylvania	$76,039	$37
   5	California	$75,712	$36
   6	Maryland	$73,036	$35
   7	Massachusetts	$72,894	$35
   8	Arizona	$58,053	$28
   9	Wisconsin	$55,151	$27
   10	Colorado	$50,133	$24
   11	Louisiana	$40,750	$20

   Average executive staff assistant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Citi	$134,234	$64.54	6
   2	Brigham and Women's Hospital	$132,695	$63.80	24
   3	Massachusetts General Hospital	$127,536	$61.32
   4	SAIC	$118,174	$56.81	6
   5	Zenetex	$112,345	$54.01
   6	ERM	$101,842	$48.96
   7	Shriners Hospitals for Children	$69,736	$33.53	2
   8	Partners Healthcare Solutions Inc	$68,665	$33.01
   9	First Mark Svc	$68,665	$33.01
   10	Science	$68,665	$33.01
   11	WYPR	$58,340	$28.05
   12	Kaiser Permanente	$54,215	$26.06	79
   13	Kelly Services	$52,550	$25.26	36
   14	Ballad Health	$51,913	$24.96	1
   15	University of Wisconsin System	$50,675	$24.36	15
   16	State of Arizona	$43,939	$21.12	16
   17	Emerson Collective	$43,092	$20.72
   18	Aims Community College	$40,400	$19.42

4. Writing an executive staff assistant job description

   An executive staff 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. To help get you started, here's an example of an executive staff assistant job description:

   Executive staff assistant job description example

   Executive Assistant to Chief of Staff
   LOCATION: New York, NY
   HOURS: 9am – 6:30pm (FULL TIME – IN OFFICE)
   COMPENSATION: DOE + Discretionary Bonus
   BACHELOR'S DEGREE REQUIRED: Required
   *This employer requires all individuals physically entering the workplace to be vaccinated for COVID-19. In order to comply with the ADA, reasonable accommodation requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis in regards to this requirement.
   
   Our client, a law firm that represents some of the world’s largest banks, hedge funds, asset managers, artists and galleries, is in search of an Executive Assistant to Partner/Receptionist. The ideal person will be a “go-getter” who is enthusiastic, motivated and eager to offer support as needed. The Executive Assistant to Partner/Receptionist must have strong communication and technological skills as well as the ability to multitask. Responsibilities of the Executive Assistant to Chief of Staff:
   - Calendar management both professional and personal
   - Scheduling meetings, arrange appointments, gate-keeping, for the Founder
   - General organization of day-to-day activities
   - Maintain and update contact information, mailing lists and internal phone directories
   - Coordinate domestic and international travel arrangements
   - Coordinate office activities
   - Help with projects as needed, including aiding the controller with various expense reports and spreadsheets – a numbers-oriented person is a value-add
   - Manage office vendors and keeping office machinery in working order
   -Source and order supplies and track items accordingly
   -Assist in overseeing the office operations
   -Maintain spreadsheets for IT, subscriptions, automobiles, boats, helicopters
   - Spearhead an ever-growing / changing to-do list
   - Adept at reading through emails and gathering key content and outstanding items that need to be handled
   - Ad hoc projects as needed Requirements of the Executive Assistant to Chief of Staff:
   - Minimum of 3 years of executive assistant experience
   - Candidate MUST have an undergraduate degree
   - Strong interpersonal skills, and the ability to work as part of a team are also important qualities
   - Detail-oriented and good organizational and time-management skills
   - Ability to perform well in a fast-paced environment and work independently with minimal guidance
   - Knowledge of and interest in technology (especially new and useful business applications, excel experience strongly preferred)
   - Tech-savvy and proficient with Microsoft Office both on PCs and Mac, and type 65+ wpm
   - Verification of identity, education, prior employment, and references may be required

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right executive staff assistant for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with executive staff assistants they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit executive staff assistants who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with executive staff 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.

   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 executive staff assistant

   Once you've selected the best executive staff assistant candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the 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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new executive staff assistant. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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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