How to hire an office administrator/receptionist

How to hire an office administrator/receptionist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step office administrator/receptionist hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the office administrator/receptionist you need to hire. Certain office administrator/receptionist 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

   An office administrator/receptionist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, office administrator/receptionists 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.

   Here's a comparison of office administrator/receptionist salaries for various roles:

   Type of Office Administrator/Receptionist	Description	Hourly rate
   Office Administrator/Receptionist	General office clerks perform a variety of clerical tasks, including answering telephones, typing documents, and filing records.	$12-18
   Office Clerk	Office clerks are administrative employees who handle clerical activities for the organization. They are in charge of managing company records, organizing and storing documents, filing and sorting hard copies of documents, and liaising with other departments or external partners... Show more	$12-18
   Receptionist/Customer Service	Receptionists or customer service professionals are considered as the first contact point of the clients. They usually greet and welcome guests visiting an office or organization... Show more	$12-17

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Phone Calls
   • Data Entry
   • Customer Service
   • Front Desk
   • Payroll
   • Telephone Calls
   • Scheduling Appointments
   • Office Equipment
   • Greeting Visitors
   • Word Processing
   • Administrative Tasks
   • Event Planning
   • Travel Arrangements
   • Office Administration

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage operational FedEx relationship through order fulfillment, shipment tracking, and communication with parties involve in shipment transaction.
   • Assist employees in obtaining thier vouchers for schooling.I used word, excell, and PowerPoint.
   • Operate and maintain PowerPoint presentation for department
   • Design and facilitate weekly seminars target to patients and caregivers on themes such as work ethics, motivation and organizational development.
   • Manage operational FedEx relationship through order fulfillment, shipment tracking, and communication with parties involve in shipment transaction.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your office administrator/receptionist job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An office administrator/receptionist salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, office administrator/receptionists' average salary in new mexico is 45% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level office administrator/receptionists earn 36% less than senior-level office administrator/receptionists.
   • Certifications. An office administrator/receptionist 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 an office administrator/receptionist's salary.

   Average office administrator/receptionist salary

   $15.41hourly

   $32,043 yearly

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   Entry-level office administrator/receptionist salary

   $25,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 23, 2025

4. Writing an office administrator/receptionist job description

   An office administrator/receptionist 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 an office administrator/receptionist job description:

   Office administrator/receptionist job description example

   Holman is a global automotive leader that serves both commercial and consumer clients The Holman Way by always doing the right thing for our people, our customers, and the community since 1924. The Holman story began nearly a century ago as a single Ford dealership in New Jersey. Today, Holman, headquartered in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, is one of the largest family-owned automotive service organizations in North America with more than 6,500 employees across North America, the UK, and Germany.
   
   Holman delivers a unique range of automotive-centric services including industry-leading fleet management and leasing; vehicle fabrication and upfitting; component manufacturing and productivity solutions; powertrain distribution and logistics services; commercial and personal insurance and risk management; and retail automotive sales as one of the largest privately owned dealership groups in the United States. Guided by its deeply rooted core values and principles, Holman is continuously Driving What's Right.
   Audi San Diego has an outstanding opportunity for a Service Department Administrative Assistant to join the Holman family!
   
   What will you do?
   
   Perform general office and administrative duties Review repair orders for accuracy Communicate promptly and clearly to customers Answer and route phone calls that come to the Service Department Help provide customers with estimates, warranty and recall information, and provide status updates Responsible for accurately counting cash drawers Filing and scanning of all dealership repair orders
   
   What are we looking for?
   
   High School Diploma or equivalent. Automotive dealership experience highly preferred but not required. Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Proven outstanding customer service, preferably with a high-line brand. Team-oriented and flexible.
   
   At Holman, we exist to pro vide rewarding careers and better lives for employees and their families. We hire, train, empower, and reward exceptional people. Our journey is guided by our desire to get it right every time and the acknowledgement that we have an opportunity to be better. To be better, we have to do better, and to do better we must know better. That's why we are listening, open to learning new things - about ourselves and each other. We will never stop striving for improved diversity, equity, and inclusion because we are successful together when we feel trusted and supported. It's The Holman Way.
   
   Holman provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
   
   This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting office administrator/receptionists 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 office administrator/receptionist

   Once you've decided on a perfect office administrator/receptionist 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.

   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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new office administrator/receptionist. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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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