How to hire a lead assistant

How to hire a lead assistant, step by step

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

What does a lead assistant do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your lead assistant job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a lead assistant for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

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

   The following list breaks down different types of lead assistants and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Lead Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Lead Assistant		$10-22
   Department Lead	A department lead's responsibilities will vary in an organization or company. It will, most of the time, revolve around overseeing the progress of work in a particular area and evaluating department staff's performance... Show more	$10-37

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Sales Floor
   • Payroll
   • PET
   • Employee Engagement
   • Leadership
   • Safety Procedures
   • Develop Team
   • Eagle
   • Store Operations
   • Ladders
   • Product Knowledge
   • Windows
   • Brand Awareness

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage and update company Facebook page with daily updates, finding/sharing relevant and interesting information, and encouraging fan engagement.
   • Oversee pet services sales and operations as well as the partners that work in pet services.
   • Coordinate placement testing for all new incoming students to ensure proper placement in advance math classes.
   • Utilize multiple screens and windows to provide accurate service for members with questions relating to their individual and group coverage.
   • Design and implement promotional campaigns for products and services - seasonal and holiday theme d cor for windows and sales displays.
   • Maintain timekeeping information, process and submit payroll.

   More lead assistant duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, lead assistants' average salary in west virginia is 45% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level lead assistants 54% less than senior-level lead assistants.
   • Certifications. A lead 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 lead assistant's salary.

   Average lead assistant salary

   $15.38hourly

   $31,987 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level lead assistant salary

   $21,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 25, 2025

   Average lead assistant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$45,317	$22
   2	District of Columbia	$39,188	$19
   3	Massachusetts	$35,141	$17
   4	Colorado	$35,060	$17
   5	Maine	$34,999	$17
   6	North Carolina	$34,848	$17
   7	Illinois	$34,810	$17
   8	Minnesota	$34,623	$17
   9	California	$34,529	$17
   10	Washington	$33,962	$16
   11	Pennsylvania	$33,843	$16
   12	Tennessee	$33,024	$16
   13	Hawaii	$32,973	$16
   14	Kansas	$31,909	$15
   15	Oregon	$31,725	$15
   16	South Carolina	$31,611	$15
   17	Michigan	$30,636	$15
   18	Georgia	$29,725	$14
   19	Texas	$29,397	$14
   20	Nevada	$29,183	$14

   Average lead assistant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center	$90,130	$43.33
   2	Google	$80,937	$38.91
   3	Dartmouth	$44,891	$21.58	2
   4	City University of Seattle	$39,041	$18.77
   5	Target	$38,649	$18.58	273
   6	State Bar of Michigan	$37,922	$18.23
   7	Deutsche Bank	$37,271	$17.92
   8	Sunrise Senior Living Management Inc	$37,164	$17.87
   9	National Park Foundation	$36,490	$17.54
   10	Waymo	$35,052	$16.85
   11	BankUnited	$34,733	$16.70	2
   12	The University of Kansas Health System	$34,422	$16.55	1
   13	Plexus	$33,723	$16.21	2
   14	Whole Foods Market	$32,713	$15.73	193
   15	Brown & Brown	$32,642	$15.69	2
   16	E. & J. Gallo Winery	$32,628	$15.69
   17	O'Neal Industries Inc	$32,550	$15.65
   18	Black Rocket Productions	$32,517	$15.63
   19	Arkansas Children's Hospital	$32,299	$15.53
   20	Sodexo Management, Inc.	$32,040	$15.40

4. Writing a lead assistant job description

   A lead 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. Below, you can find an example of a lead assistant job description:

   Lead assistant job description example

   We’re excited to be part of the 7-Eleven family of stores! If you enjoy working as part of a retail management team and have previous supervisory experience, we would love the opportunity to talk with you! Speedway is focused and dedicated to your success! We are committed to ensuring our employees receive proper training in order to provide excellent customer service to our customers on every visit. We offer full-time hours and valuable management and leadership experience with competitive pay.
   
   Our benefits include:

   • 401K Plan
   • Weekly paychecks and paid holidays
   • Paid vacation and sick pay plans
   • Coverage in medical, dental, life, and vision insurances eligible upon enrollment
   • Monthly bonus/incentive potential
   • Tuition Reimbursement and Adoption Assistance

   
   What you bring:

   • Oversee and provide customer service leadership, training, and coaching, alongside the General Manager, for all store employees
   • Maintaining high retention by focusing on identifying qualified applicants, developing leaders, empowering employees, and encouraging employee productivity
   • Maintaining a clean, safe environment by complying with all health and sanitation procedures to ensure the store is presentable and that all products are in-stock
   • Assist in implementing all merchandising and marketing programs
   • Cash handling, fuel transactions, and promoting the Speedy Rewards loyalty program
   • A valid Driver’s License from the state of residence and auto insurance in order to conduct area pricing surveys
   • A High School diploma or GED is preferred, but not required for candidates that have at least one year of Retail Management experience
   • The ability to multi-task, perform repeated bending, standing, and reaching, and occasionally lifting up to 50 pounds

   
   Speedway LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to workplace diversity.
   
   

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find lead 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 lead assistant job on Zippia to find and attract quality lead assistant candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as salesjobs, salesheads, allretailjobs.com, sales trax.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with lead 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.

   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 lead assistant

   Once you've found the lead 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 also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is 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 lead assistant?