How to hire a field associate

How to hire a field associate, step by step

Here's a step-by-step field associate hiring guide:

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

What does a field associate do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the field associate you need to hire. Certain field associate 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 field associate 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.

   The following list breaks down different types of field associates and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Field Associate	Description	Hourly rate
   Field Associate	Customer service representatives interact with customers to handle complaints, process orders, and provide information about an organization’s products and services.	$12-23
   Field Representative	The primary role of field marketing representatives is to drive brand awareness through face-to-face customer interaction. They are the liaisons between sellers and buyers, providing vital information on products and services... Show more	$12-34
   Field Coordinator	A field coordinator is responsible for overseeing operations at client sites and outside field locations. Field coordinators inspect the stability of the construction project and ensure the adequacy of staff to support the project development... Show more	$15-37

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Administrative Tasks
   • Service Calls
   • Functional Guidance
   • Data Collection
   • Background Checks
   • Customer Complaints
   • Salesforce
   • Technical Assistance
   • Product Knowledge
   • GPS
   • Life Insurance
   • Google Maps
   • Firearms

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Work with and lead operators, effectively conveying information, ensuring successful wireline operation performance.
   • Clean glass off of windows and other surfaces that are glass.
   • Install store displays of marine equipment and GPS systems in store for customer demonstration.
   • Learn HVAC systems terminology and equipment to support customer requests and effectively communicate with field personnel.
   • Establish and maintain appropriate systems to monitor, evaluate and report on all operational activities including logistics and program implementation.
   • Work with and lead operators, effectively conveying information, ensuring successful wireline operation performance.

   More field associate duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, field associates' average salary in mississippi is 53% less than in illinois.
   • Seniority. Entry-level field associates earn 47% less than senior-level field associates.
   • Certifications. A field associate 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 field associate's salary.

   Average field associate salary

   $36,529yearly

   $17.56 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level field associate salary

   $26,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

   Average field associate salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Illinois	$43,078	$21
   2	California	$42,604	$20
   3	Minnesota	$42,163	$20
   4	District of Columbia	$40,778	$20
   5	Washington	$39,698	$19
   6	New York	$36,916	$18
   7	Ohio	$34,113	$16
   8	Michigan	$33,690	$16
   9	Nebraska	$33,083	$16
   10	Massachusetts	$32,916	$16
   11	Wisconsin	$32,001	$15
   12	Arizona	$31,236	$15
   13	Florida	$30,988	$15
   14	Texas	$30,178	$15
   15	Colorado	$29,120	$14
   16	Arkansas	$28,053	$13
   17	Louisiana	$26,217	$13
   18	Georgia	$23,683	$11

   Average field associate salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$43,537	$20.93	141
   2	Morgan Stanley	$42,616	$20.49	171
   3	GEICO	$42,436	$20.40	3
   4	Lyft	$42,081	$20.23
   5	ConocoPhillips	$41,175	$19.80	1
   6	Halliburton	$40,125	$19.29	4
   7	Royal Bank of Canada	$38,784	$18.65	22
   8	Apple	$38,461	$18.49	1
   9	J.P. Morgan	$38,291	$18.41
   10	Black Hills	$37,680	$18.12
   11	Ericsson	$37,552	$18.05
   12	The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights	$37,097	$17.84
   13	Compass Group USA	$36,014	$17.31	20
   14	Versiti	$35,504	$17.07
   15	Ionis Pharmaceuticals	$35,448	$17.04
   16	Sunbelt Rentals	$35,141	$16.89	54
   17	Gwinnett County	$35,083	$16.87	4
   18	Hudson Group	$34,680	$16.67
   19	Public Consulting Group	$34,630	$16.65	1
   20	Kelly Services	$33,961	$16.33	14

4. Writing a field associate job description

   A good field associate 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 field associate job description:

   Field associate job description example

   Imagine working at the world's BUSIEST airport with multiple shops and brand names including Pandora, Brooks Brothers, Brighton, Spanx, Swarovski, CNBC, 11Alive, Piedmont Park and many more.

   Starting at $15.00 an hour plus commission and a generous benefits package.

   Join us and receive a $250.00 sign on bonus after 60 days.
   

   Refer a friend and receive a $150.00 referral bonus after their 90 days.

   Position Description Summary:

   The Brands Associate is responsible for delivering sales and excellent customer service in designated stores.

   If you are friendly and enjoy people, we are the team for you.

   This positions ensures a positive customer shopping experience in a well-maintained and friendly environment.

   BENEFITS INCLUDE:

   • Flexible Scheduling.
   • Career Growth and Opportunities
   • 401k
   • Access to Quality Training and Development Programs
   • Affordable Healthcare
   • Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Short-Term and Long-Term Disability Coverage
   • Vacation and Sick Time
   • Holiday Pay
   • Discounts Upwards of 50%
   • Free Parking or Discounted Covered Parking
   • Company Funded Commuter Card
   • Opportunity for Advancement Across North America
   • Guaranteed to Have FUN!

   BehaviorsPreferred

   • Detail Oriented: Capable of carrying out a given task with all details necessary to get the task done well
   • Team Player: Works well as a member of a group
   • Enthusiastic: Shows intense and eager enjoyment and interest

   MotivationsPreferred

   • Job Security: Inspired to perform well by the knowledge that your job is safe
   • Growth Opportunities: Inspired to perform well by the chance to take on more responsibility
   • Self-Starter: Inspired to perform without outside help

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find field associates 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 field associates they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level field associates 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 field associate job on Zippia to find and recruit field associate candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting field associates requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   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 field associate

   Once you've selected the best field associate 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.

   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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