How to hire a manufacturing assistant

How to hire a manufacturing assistant, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The manufacturing 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

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a manufacturing assistant 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 manufacturing assistant that fits the bill.

   Here's a comparison of manufacturing assistant salaries for various roles:

   Type of Manufacturing Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Manufacturing Assistant		$12-24
   Shop Foreman	A shop foreman is responsible for monitoring the daily operations of a shop, ensuring that the staff members perform their duties to address customers' needs. A shop foreman manages staffing schedules, trains new employees, and distributes tasks... Show more	$22-46
   Lead Person	A lead person or lead worker is an employee who provides leadership and instructions to others in a group to complete tasks quickly and effectively. Lead workers plan and organize meetings with supervisors and the management to discuss a particular project's progress and development... Show more	$30-82

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Safety Procedures
   • Quality Standards
   • GMP
   • Data Entry
   • ISO
   • Clean Rooms
   • Production Equipment
   • Medical Devices
   • Basic Math
   • CNC
   • Routine Maintenance
   • Syringes
   • Customer Orders
   • Extrusion

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage a team of QC inspectors for inspecting automotive components from manufacturing line
   • Create and maintain payroll records.
   • Time & attendance entry for payroll processing.
   • Process and assemble surgical instruments and spinal implants utilizing ISO [] standards.
   • Programe and help the CNC operator to manufacture parts per drawings or instructions.
   • Skil in all areas of shipping to include singles, multiples, LTL, allocation, and accessory shipment.

   More manufacturing assistant duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, manufacturing assistants' average salary in florida is 47% less than in wyoming.
   • Seniority. Entry-level manufacturing assistants 46% less than senior-level manufacturing assistants.
   • Certifications. A manufacturing 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 manufacturing assistant's salary.

   Average manufacturing assistant salary

   $37,490yearly

   $18.02 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level manufacturing assistant salary

   $27,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average manufacturing assistant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Massachusetts	$46,877	$23
   2	New Jersey	$43,518	$21
   3	Rhode Island	$43,054	$21
   4	Minnesota	$42,896	$21
   5	Maine	$42,057	$20
   6	California	$41,322	$20
   7	Colorado	$40,724	$20
   8	New York	$40,319	$19
   9	Kansas	$39,734	$19
   10	Michigan	$38,939	$19
   11	Nebraska	$38,806	$19
   12	Oregon	$38,544	$19
   13	Illinois	$38,055	$18
   14	Maryland	$37,592	$18
   15	Missouri	$37,526	$18
   16	Ohio	$35,614	$17
   17	Georgia	$34,960	$17
   18	Texas	$32,947	$16
   19	Florida	$28,870	$14

   Average manufacturing assistant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center	$44,625	$21.45
   2	Colgate University	$44,502	$21.40	1
   3	Colgate-Palmolive	$42,896	$20.62	4
   4	Minnesota State Colleges and Universities	$41,258	$19.84
   5	Ernst & Young	$39,497	$18.99	4
   6	BD	$38,626	$18.57	3
   7	Albany International	$38,475	$18.50	15
   8	Shaw Industries	$38,384	$18.45	10
   9	Parker Hannifin	$37,943	$18.24	27
   10	Beacon Hill Staffing Group	$37,735	$18.14
   11	Staffworks Group	$37,574	$18.06	3
   12	Ethan Allen Workforce Solutions	$37,448	$18.00
   13	Clarke	$36,993	$17.79
   14	Koch Industries	$36,941	$17.76	6
   15	ManpowerGroup	$36,325	$17.46	77
   16	Kelly Services	$36,248	$17.43	70
   17	American Red Cross	$36,084	$17.35	16
   18	Black Box	$35,994	$17.30
   19	System One	$35,939	$17.28	14
   20	Randstad North America, Inc.	$35,705	$17.17	1

4. Writing a manufacturing assistant job description

   A manufacturing 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 a manufacturing assistant job description:

   Manufacturing assistant job description example

   Starting pay based on skill set.
   
   We are looking for a contribution motivated person open to learning new skills and willing to proactively share their knowledge and ideas with others! In this role, you will change and hook up reels of material while doing quality checks, packaging, labeling and scanning.
   
   We are proud to be starting our 45th year in Lincoln! With over 45,000 employees world-wide, Molex creates value by offering a complete range of connectivity products, services, and solutions for the data communications, medical, industrial, automotive and consumer electronics industries.
   
   What You Will Do In Your Role
   
   * Operate equipment to defined standards and product specifications targets
   * Keep materials and support equipment properly identified and labeled
   * Contribute to the team environment by cross-training and filling in for other operators during absences and breaks
   * Move product to pick up locations
   
   The Experience You Will Bring
   
   Requirements:
   
   * Ability to lift and move up to 50 pounds
   * Ability to learn basic computer/database skills
   
   What Will Put You Ahead
   
   * Prior manufacturing background
   
   Our goal is for each employee, and their families, to live fulfilling and healthy lives. We provide essential resources and support to build and maintain physical, financial, and emotional strength - focusing on overall wellbeing so you can focus on what matters most. Our benefits plan includes - medical, dental, vision, flexible spending and health savings accounts, life insurance, ADD, disability, retirement, paid vacation/time off, educational assistance, and may also include infertility assistance, paid parental leave and adoption assistance. Specific eligibility criteria is set by the applicable Summary Plan Description, policy or guideline and benefits may vary by geographic region. If you have questions on what benefits apply to you, please speak to your recruiter.
   
   At Koch companies, we are entrepreneurs. This means we openly challenge the status quo, find new ways to create value and get rewarded for our individual contributions. Any compensation range provided for a role is an estimate determined by available market data. The actual amount may be higher or lower than the range provided considering each candidate's knowledge, skills, abilities, and geographic location. If you have questions, please speak to your recruiter about the flexibility and detail of our compensation philosophy.
   
   Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability and protected veteran status.
   
   Except where prohibited by state law, all offers of employment are conditioned upon successfully passing a drug test.
   
   This employer uses E-Verify. Please visit the following website for additional information: www.kochcareers.com/doc/Everify.pdf

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting manufacturing 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.

   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 manufacturing assistant

   Once you've found the manufacturing 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.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new manufacturing assistant. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are 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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