How to hire a junior administrative assistant

How to hire a junior administrative assistant, step by step

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

What does a junior administrative assistant do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The junior administrative 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?

   Yes

   No

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

   This list presents junior administrative assistant salaries for various positions.

   Type of Junior Administrative Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Junior Administrative Assistant	Secretaries and administrative assistants perform clerical and administrative duties. They organize files, prepare documents, schedule appointments, and support other staff.	$12-19
   Administrative Support	Administrative support specialists provide different types of governmental assistance. They carry out varied clerical duties in almost all industries... Show more	$12-25
   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:

   • Data Entry
   • Word Processing
   • Telephone Calls
   • HR
   • Administrative Tasks
   • PowerPoint
   • Phone Calls
   • Front Desk
   • Travel Arrangements
   • Office Equipment
   • Proofreading
   • Expense Reports
   • Purchase Orders
   • Multi-Line Phone System

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • File and manage HRIS and payroll systems, form tracking, personnel file management, employee relations and benefits.
   • Manage and develop the daily clinical schedule for the in-patient rehabilitation staff taking into consideration Medicare guidelines and staffing ratios.
   • Encode information into accounting systems or computer programs (QuickBooks).
   • Handle all payroll responsibilities and distribution of commission checks.
   • Create PowerPoint presentations for parent meetings and classroom educational material.
   • Schedule client meetings and create account reports utilizing Microsoft PowerPoint.

   More junior administrative assistant duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, junior administrative assistants' average salary in oklahoma is 40% less than in hawaii.
   • Seniority. Entry-level junior administrative assistants 39% less than senior-level junior administrative assistants.
   • Certifications. A junior administrative 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 a junior administrative assistant's salary.

   Average junior administrative assistant salary

   $15.84hourly

   $32,940 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level junior administrative assistant salary

   $25,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average junior administrative assistant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$40,045	$19
   2	California	$39,842	$19
   3	Massachusetts	$37,555	$18
   4	Michigan	$37,004	$18
   5	Oregon	$36,352	$17
   6	Minnesota	$36,047	$17
   7	Texas	$35,990	$17
   8	Colorado	$34,586	$17
   9	New York	$34,464	$17
   10	New Jersey	$33,526	$16
   11	Virginia	$31,341	$15
   12	Missouri	$31,209	$15
   13	Pennsylvania	$30,417	$15
   14	South Carolina	$29,779	$14
   15	Nevada	$28,877	$14
   16	Ohio	$28,521	$14
   17	Florida	$28,087	$14
   18	Louisiana	$26,574	$13

   Average junior administrative assistant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Beacon Hill Staffing Group	$42,518	$20.44
   2	Dynamic Catholic	$34,654	$16.66
   3	Cooley Dickinson Hospital	$34,288	$16.48
   4	Hexagon Lincoln	$34,286	$16.48
   5	Shady Side Academy	$33,374	$16.05
   6	Constellation West	$33,345	$16.03
   7	Intergraph	$33,031	$15.88
   8	Cogent Communications	$32,798	$15.77
   9	GoodTemps	$32,775	$15.76
   10	Adecco	$32,680	$15.71	40
   11	Elegran | Forbes Global Properties	$32,592	$15.67
   12	Mistras Group	$32,573	$15.66	32
   13	ICONMA	$32,451	$15.60	4
   14	Randstad North America, Inc.	$31,435	$15.11	11
   15	Compass SLS and ILS	$31,389	$15.09	5
   16	Robert Half	$31,315	$15.06	392
   17	Managed Staffing	$30,945	$14.88
   18	City of Ann Arbor	$29,219	$14.05	1

4. Writing a junior administrative assistant job description

   A good junior administrative 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 junior administrative assistant job description:

   Junior administrative assistant job description example

   INFINISOURCE CONSULTING SOLUTIONS (ICS)
   I nfini Source Consulting Solutions (ICS), a 150+ employee government contractor specializing in Management Consulting, Information Technology, and Professional Services to the federal government. We tailor our services to meet the specific needs of our civilian, defense, and private-industry sponsor. Our corporate support processes are ISO 9001 certified, giving our customers the confidence that we are continually measuring and improving upon the support we provide and are committed to the highest level of customer satisfaction.
   
   Administrative tasks - maintaining files, taking phone calls, scheduling meetings, making travel arrangements, reserving conference rooms, and completing reports.
   
   Provide administrative support to management with office management responsibilities including budgeting, personnel records, assist in the preparation of briefing charts, and using automated word processing. Documents may include, but are not limited to, formal letters, memoranda, and reports.
   
   Edit office documents as requested. Editing includes, but is not limited to, proofreading as well as correcting formatting, grammatical, and spelling errors. The Contractor shall create all documents in accordance with the FHFA Official Documents Policy and the FHFA Style Guide.
   
   Support the FHFA offices and divisions with ongoing and ad-hoc tasks, updating and maintaining budget spreadsheets, and preparing ad-hoc reports.
   
   Requirements
   
   Minimum Experience: 3 Years
   
   Minimum Education: High School Diploma
   
   Knowledge of and experience with systems and/or procedures is desired. Examples of systems include records management, SharePoint or similar, information systems, human resource information systems, correspondence systems, travel systems and payroll systems. Ability to communicate in English both orally and in writing. Proficient in various types of Information Technology resources such as Microsoft Office Suite products.
   
   InfiniSource Consulting Solutions is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class US Citizenship is required for most positions.
   
   InfiniSource Consulting Solutions offers a competitive salary and a generous benefits package. This package includes medical, dental, vision, life, short and long-term disability insurances, and a 401(k) retirement plan.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting junior administrative assistants 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.

   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 junior administrative assistant

   Once you've found the junior administrative 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 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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How much does it cost to hire a junior administrative assistant?