How to hire a front desk staff

How to hire a front desk staff, step by step

Here's a step-by-step front desk staff hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the front desk staff you need to hire. Certain front desk staff 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

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a front desk staff 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 a front desk staff that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of front desk staff.

   Type of Front Desk Staff	Description	Hourly rate
   Front Desk Staff	Information clerks perform routine clerical duties such as maintaining records, collecting data, and providing information to customers.	$10-18
   Guest Services Agent	Guest services agents are the ones who communicate with hotel guests who want to reserve or cancel bookings. Their job includes welcoming guests upon arrival, assigning them their rooms and suites, issuing their room keys, and collecting payment information... Show more	$11-17
   Night Auditor	A Night Auditor is responsible for handling late-night front-desk operations, mostly at hotels or other lodging establishments. Among the primary duties involve greeting guests and handling check-in and check-outs, responding to reservations, process and collect payments, preparing reports and necessary documentation, and attending to the guests' inquiries, requests, and concerns... Show more	$12-18

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Check-In
   • Facility Tours
   • Cleanliness
   • Strong Customer Service
   • Emergency Situations
   • Punctuality
   • CPR
   • Membership Sales
   • Customer Complaints
   • Appointment Scheduling
   • Front Desk Operations
   • Direct Calls
   • Computer System

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage agent work schedule base on call metrics to ensure that the desk exceeds contractual SLA agreements.
   • Manage patients records by keeping all medical history, insurance and personal information update and verify abiding by HIPAA protocols.
   • Update lobby display TV using PowerPoint program.
   • Create flyers with PowerPoint for career center events.
   • Develop daily SLA metrics reports for upper management.
   • Administrate office duties (answer phones, run errands, and file important documents).

   More front desk staff duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your front desk staff job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A front desk staff 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 front desk staff in North Carolina may be lower than in New York, and an entry-level front desk staff usually earns less than a senior-level front desk staff. Additionally, a front desk staff 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 front desk staff salary

   $13.90hourly

   $28,916 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level front desk staff salary

   $21,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average front desk staff salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$43,952	$21
   2	Washington	$38,859	$19
   3	Oregon	$37,305	$18
   4	Massachusetts	$36,978	$18
   5	Rhode Island	$35,601	$17
   6	Minnesota	$34,294	$16
   7	Colorado	$31,749	$15
   8	New Jersey	$31,154	$15
   9	Michigan	$29,997	$14
   10	Wisconsin	$28,710	$14
   11	Arizona	$27,563	$13
   12	Missouri	$27,070	$13
   13	Montana	$26,849	$13
   14	Nebraska	$26,350	$13
   15	Florida	$25,169	$12
   16	Utah	$25,115	$12
   17	Texas	$23,249	$11
   18	Virginia	$23,095	$11
   19	North Carolina	$22,048	$11
   20	Oklahoma	$19,742	$9

   Average front desk staff salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Univ Of Colorado-Colorado Spgs	$39,078	$18.79
   2	Lone Star Circle of Care	$38,242	$18.39	3
   3	University of Wisconsin System	$37,442	$18.00	3
   4	Prestige Care	$34,446	$16.56	6
   5	Family Wellness L L C	$34,365	$16.52
   6	Adventure Theatre	$34,148	$16.42
   7	Jewish Senior Life	$33,659	$16.18	1
   8	CRISTA Ministries	$33,074	$15.90	2
   9	Trustmark Insurance Co	$33,002	$15.87	9
   10	Advanced Dermatology Associates	$32,879	$15.81	2
   11	Community Medical Services	$32,828	$15.78	2
   12	Cano Health	$32,752	$15.75	24
   13	Amicus Therapeutics	$32,578	$15.66
   14	Mid Atlantic Retina	$32,312	$15.53	3
   15	Banner Health	$32,283	$15.52	23
   16	SRI International	$32,183	$15.47
   17	Firstservice Residential California, Inc.	$31,989	$15.38
   18	Michigan Community Services Inc	$31,932	$15.35
   19	Marriott International	$31,714	$15.25	319
   20	Hof's Hut Restaurant & Bakery	$31,412	$15.10	24

4. Writing a front desk staff job description

   A front desk staff 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 a front desk staff job description:

   Front desk staff job description example

   Eagle's Trace is a beautiful 70-acre continuing care retirement community located just minutes from the metroplex in West Houston, Texas. We're part of a growing network of communities developed and managed by Erickson Senior Living, a national provider of senior living and health care with campuses in 11 states-and growing.
   
   We are hiring a Front Desk, Communications Specialist for our award-winning community. This is an essential role within our community; you will often be the first person a resident or family member meets!
   Compensation: commensurate with experience starting at $13 / hr
   
   How you will make an impact:
   Greet and direct our residents, visitors,/staff and handle questions and concerns efficiently.Receive emergency calls from residents and staff and dispatch appropriate personnel; page on-call physicians as needed in an accurate and calm manner.Monitor all emergency pull cords for Independent Living residents Track status of resident involved in a situation, i.e. transported to a hospital, etc.Manage up to date lists of residents, alphabetically and by resident apartment Assist with maintaining accurate census information, hospitalizations, deaths, etc., and keeping an accurate list of residents who are away and dates returning for Security purposes.Responsible for logging all resident packages and notifying residents of a package pick-up via notice in Cubbie hole, assuring all mail is dispatched through U.S. Mail at the end of each day, sorts and distributes all inter-office mail
   
   What we offer:
   Competitive benefits packages including medical, dental, vision, and PTO401k for all employees 18 and over. Company contribution up to 3% once eligible.Onsite medical centers, providing wellness visits and sick care for all employees over 18 years of age.Education assistance, certification reimbursement, and student loan refinancing partnership programs are available.A "career for life" approach to professional and personal development for our greatest asset; our employees. State of the art community campuses, ongoing expansion plans, and design enhancements to ensure Erickson Senior Living continues to set the standard for senior living excellence.Free onsite parking at all of our communities and corporate offices
   
   What you will need:
   High school or GED.Receptionist experience required Excellent verbal skills Ability to multi-task
   
   Erickson Senior Living, its affiliates, and managed communities are Equal Opportunity Employers and are committed to providing a workplace free of unlawful discrimination and harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, marital status, veteran status, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information or any other category protected by federal, state or local law.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit front desk staff, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates 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 front desk staff

   Once you've decided on a perfect front desk staff 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 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 front desk staff 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.)

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